Shui Niu Jiao
| 300g | |
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Pinyin: Shui Niu Jiao
Chinese: 水牛角
Pharmaceutical: Cornu Bubali
English: Water Buffalo Horn
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Tastes: Bitter, salty, cold
Meridians Entered: Heart, Liver, Stomach
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Actions & Indications:
- Clears Heat from the Ying and Xue, relieves Fire toxicity, cools the Blood and stops bleeding
Very high fever and chaotic movement of Blood (erythema, purpura, epistaxis, hematemesis, convulsions and delirium)
- Clears Heat and arrests tremors
Unremitting high fever, loss of consciousness, delirium, convulsions or manic behaviour due to Warm-Disease
Used externally as a material for Gua Sha tools where it excels in regulating the Blood and clearing Heat
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Standard Dosage: 15-30g in decoction or made into Gua Sha tools for external use.
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Niu Huang
| 0.3g | |
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Pinyin: Niu Huang
Chinese: 牛黄
Pharmaceutical: Calculus Bovis
English: Ox Gallstone / Bezoar
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Tastes: Bitter, cool
Meridians Entered: Liver and Heart
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Actions & Indications:
- Clears the Heart, opens the Orifices aromatically, awakens the Spirit and vaporizes Phlegm
Delirium or coma due to Hot Phlegm Obstructing the Pericardium or Warm-Heat pathogen Wind-Stroke, convulsions or seizures
- Clears the Liver, relieves Fire toxicity, extinguishes Wind and stops tremors
Extreme Heat Generates Liver Wind with high fever, spasms, tremors or convulsions
- Drains Heat and resolves Fire toxicity
Carbuncles, boils and a wide variety of Hot swellings (Chuang Yung) (can be used as a stand-alone herb)
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Standard Dosage: 0.15-0.35g as powder or pills.
Cautions: It should be used with cautions for pregnant women.
Animal products are prohibited from use in the UK under the Medicines Act 1968 ch. 67 which restricts herbalists to the use of plant products only. It is generally substituted with Huang Lian, Gou Teng and Tian Zhu Huang. |
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Dai Mao
| 30g | |
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Pinyin: Dai Mao
Chinese: 玳瑁
Pharmaceutical: Carapax Eretmochelyos
English: Hawksbill Turtle Shell
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Tastes: Sweet, cold, salty
Meridians Entered: Heart and Liver
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Actions & Indications:
- Sedates the Heart, quiets the Spirit, calms the Liver, extinguishes Wind, settles convulsions, stops spasms, clears Heat and resolves toxicity
High fevers, impaired consciousness, incoherent speech, mania, delirium and collapse from Warm pathogen diseases, Liver Yang Rising, or Phlegm-Heat Obstructing the Orifices
- Calms and anchors Liver Yang
Dizziness from Liver Yang Rising Recently used for hypertension from Liver Yang Rising or Liver Fire
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Standard Dosage: 9-15g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated for deficiency-cold without fire-toxin.
Animal products are prohibited from use in the UK under the Medicines Act 1968 ch. 67 which restricts herbalists to the use of plant products only.
Turtles may also act as viral reservoirs and have been proposed as the potential intermediate host for coronavirus between bats and humans (Liu et al., 2020). |
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Bing Pian
| 0.3g | |
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Pinyin: Bing Pian
Chinese: 冰片
Pharmaceutical: Borneolum
Taxonomy: Dryobalanops aromatica
English: Borneol Camphor
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Tastes: Pungent, bitter, slightly cold
Meridians Entered: Heart, Liver and Lung
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Actions & Indications:
- Aromatically opens the Orifices, revives the Spirit and unblocks closed disorders
Impaired consciousness fainting and convulsions
- Clears Heat, drains Fire, resolves toxicity, clears the eyes and removes superficial visual obstructions
Heat leading to headache, red and swollen eyes, superficial visual obstruction and sores in the mouth
- Clears Heat, alleviates pain, dissipates nodules and alleviates itching
Topically for pain and swelling of the throat, skin diseases such as sores and scabies, and eye diseases such as photophobia and excessive tearing
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Standard Dosage: 0.1-0.3g in powder or pills for internal use. Should not be decocted.
Cautions: It should be used with cautions for pregnant women.
Mineral products are prohibited from use in the UK under the Medicines Act 1968 ch. 67 which restricts herbalists to the use of plant products only. While natural Bing Pian is a crystalised tree resin, the Dryobalanops aromatica is critically endangered making genuine Bing Pian expensive and morally questionable. Most Bing Pian is therefore synthetically made and not suitable for consumption. It is generally substituted with Shi Chang Pu and Yuan Zhi where possible. |
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She Xiang
| 0.3g | |
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Pinyin: She Xiang
Chinese: 麝香
Pharmaceutical: Moschus
English: Musk
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Tastes: Pungent, warm
Meridians Entered: Heart, Liver and Spleen
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Actions & Indications:
- Strongly opens the Orifices and Luo vessels, revives the Spirit and unblocks closed disorders
Ying Stage Heat Attacks the Pericardium due to a Warm pathogen disease with convulsions, delirium, stupor and fainting Closed disorders (Yang Obstruction, Yin Obstruction, Phlegm Obstruction) Tetanic collapse Seizures
- Invigorates the Blood, dissipates masses, reduces swellings, detoxifies, opens the channels and alleviates pain
Severe problems due to Blood Stasis including fixed palpable masses, toxic sores and carbuncles Obstructions of the channels and collaterals due to traumatic injury or painful obstruction Coronary artery disease
- Hastens delivery and facilitates the passage of stillborns (induces abortion)
Labor Dead fetus or placenta fail to descend
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Standard Dosage: 0.03-1g as pills or powder. Should not be decocted.
Cautions: Animal products are prohibited from use in the UK under the Medicines Act 1968 ch. 67 which restricts herbalists to the use of plant products only. It is generally substituted with Shi Chang Pu and Ru Xiang. |
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An Xi Xiang
| 45g | |
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Pinyin: An Xi Xiang
Chinese: 安息香
Pharmaceutical: Benzoinum
English: Benzoin
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Tastes: Pungent, bitter and warm
Meridians Entered: Heart, Liver and Spleen
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Actions & Indications:
- Opens the Orifices, resolves Phlegm and awakens the Spirit
Wind-Stroke and Phlegm Collapse or Qi Stagnation with sudden collapse, delirium or coma and a stifling sensation and focal distention in the chest and abdomen due to Phlegm Obstructing the Orifices
- Invigorates the Blood, promotes the movement of Qi and alleviates pain
Chest and abdominal pain due to Qi and Blood Stagnation
- Promotes the movement of Qi and Blood, unblocks the channels and collaterals and alleviates pain
Wind-Cold-Damp Bi with muscle aches, joint pain and difficulty moving
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Standard Dosage: 0.3-1g in powder or pills internally.
Cautions: Prohibited to yin deficiency with effulgent fire. |
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Zhu Sha
| 30g | |
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Pinyin: Zhu Sha
Chinese: 朱砂
Pharmaceutical: Cinnabaris
Taxonomy: HgS
English: Cinnabar / Vermilion / Mercury (II) Sulfide / 丹 Dan / 朱雀 Zhu Que (Red Raven)
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Tastes: Sweet, cold, toxic
Meridians Entered: Heart
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Actions & Indications:
- Sedates the Heart and calms the Spirit
Restlessness, palpitations, anxiety, insomnia and convulsions associated with a disturbed Spirit
Heart Fire (with appropriate herbs)
Phlegm Fire Disturbs the Heart (with appropriate herbs)
Heart Blood Deficiency (with appropriate herbs)
- Expels Phlegm and sedates jitteriness and convulsions while stopping tremors
Seizures, childhood convulsions and other problems due to Phlegm-Heat Blocking the Pericardium and Heart
Wind-Phlegm dizziness
Lung Heat
- Clears Heat, relieves toxicity and prevents putrefaction
Topically for carbuncles, mouth sores, sore throat and snakebite
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Standard Dosage: No dosage is permissible due to mercury toxicity. 0.1-0.5g in powder or pills is traditional.
Cautions: Prohibited from use today due to its mercury content, it is generally omitted or substituted with Hu Po. Historically it was sometimes confused with Xue Jie, so this could also make a potential substitute in the right circumstances.
Zhao, Li & Wang (2022) claim that grinding and washing was a traditional method of removing the toxicity but any amount of mercury toxicity is unacceptable today.
Traditional contraindications include overdose and taking for a long period of time, or calcinification. |
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Hu Po
| 30g | |
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Pinyin: Hu Po
Chinese: 琥珀
Pharmaceutical: Succinum
English: Amber
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Tastes: Sweet, neutral
Meridians Entered: Heart, Liver and Bladder
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Actions & Indications:
- Stops tremors and palpitations and calms the Spirit
Shen disturbance with palpitations with anxiety, excessive dreams, insomnia, forgetfulness, and seizures
Childhood convulsions and seizures due to Heart Blood Deficiency with Internal Wind
- Activates the Blood, dissipates Stasis and unblocks the menses
Amenorrhea or pain associated with palpable immobile masses due to Blood Stasis (can be used alone for this)
Coronary artery disease
- Promotes urination and unblocks painful urinary dysfunction
Urinary retention or painful urinary dysfunction (especially bloody urine)
- Reduces swelling and promotes healing (topical)
Sores, carbuncles, and skin ulcerations
Swelling and pain of the scrotum or vulva
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Standard Dosage: 1.5-3g in powder or pills. Should not be decocted.
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Xiong Huang
| 30g | | |
Pinyin: Xiong Huang
Chinese: 雄黃
Pharmaceutical: Realgar
Taxonomy: As2S2
English: Realgar
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Tastes: Pungent, warm, toxic
Meridians Entered: Liver, Stomach and Large Intestine
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Actions & Indications:
- Relieves toxicity and kills Parasites
Scabies, ringworm and Damp rashes (topical)
Any kind of skin itch (topical)
Abscesses, suppurative inflammation, ulcerations, and snakebite (topical)
Intestinal parasites especially when there are signs of accumulation
Particularly effective against roundworms
Gu Sydnrome (Fruehauf, 1998)
- Dries Dampness, expels Phlegm, stops malarial disorders and settles Wind
Wheezing
Seizures Malarial disorders
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Standard Dosage: Due to toxicity no dose is permissible today. Traditionally 0.05-0.1g internally or a small amount applied as powder in external applications.
Cautions: This substance is toxic due to its arsenic content and so should not be used. Traditional usage requires it be refined with water, and just for temporary use. For external application, it is not suitable for a large scale use or for a long time. It is contraindicated for the pregnant women. Avoid being calcined by the fire. |
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