Jin Yin Hua
| 9-15g | |
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Pinyin: Jin Yin Hua
Chinese: 金银花
Pharmaceutical: Flos Lonicerae japonicae
Taxonomy: Lonicera japonica
English: Honeysuckle Flower
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Tastes: Pungent, slightly bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Lung, heart, stomach and large intestine
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Actions & Indications:
- Clears Heat and resolves Fire Toxicity
Hot, painful sores and skin eruptions in various stages of development, especially breast, throat and eyes
Intestinal abscesses
- Vents and disperses External Wind-Heat
Early-Stage Wind-Heat Warm-Heat pathogen with fever, chills, slight aversion to Wind, sore throat and headache
External Summerheat
- Clears Damp-Heat from the Lower Jiao
Damp-Heat in the Lower Jiao with dysentery or Lin Syndrome
- Cools the Blood and stops bleeding (charred)
Blood Heat dysentery
- Kills Parasites and expels Demons
Gu Sydnrome (Fruehauf, 1998)
Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)
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Standard Dosage: 6-30g in decoction. Small doses are for expelling Wind-Heat, large doses for Toxic Heat sores. Can be up to 90g in extreme cases (e.g. Si Miao Yong An Tang).
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Lian Qiao
| 9-15g | |
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Pinyin: Lian Qiao
Chinese: 连翘
Pharmaceutical: Fructus Forsythiae
Taxonomy: Forsythia suspensa
English: Weeping Forsythia Capsule / Forsythia Fruit
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Tastes: Bitter, slightly pungent, cold
Meridians Entered: Lung, Heart and Small Intestine
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Actions & Indications:
- Clears Heat (especially in the Upper Jiao) and relieves toxicity
Wind-Heat with high fever, slight chills and sore throat
- Reduces abscesses and dissipates clumps
Toxic Heat sores and swellings (Chuang Yung), scrofula and throat Bi
- Clears Blood Heat
Blood Heat
- Promotes urination
Lin syndrome, dysuria, hematuria
- Kills Gu Parasites and Scatters Toxins by Releasing the Exterior
Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 1998; 2015)
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Standard Dosage: 10-15g in decoction.
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Jie Geng
| 3-6g | |
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Pinyin: Jie Geng
Chinese: 桔梗
Pharmaceutical: Radix Platycodi
English: Balloon Flower Root
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Tastes: Bitter, pungent, neutral
Meridians Entered: Lung
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Actions & Indications:
- Opens the Lungs, spreads Lung Qi, expels Phlegm and benefits the throat
Cough due to Wind-Cold or Wind-Heat (with profuse sputum, sore throat, loss of voice)
Loss of voice or sore throat due to external Heat, Phlegm Heat or Yin Deficiency Heat
- Expels pus
Lung or throat abscess (Phlegm and Qi Stagnation) with fevers, chest pain, coughing of yellow sputum with a fishy smell and hemoptysis
- Opens and raises Lung Qi, directing the effects of other herbs to the upper body
Reinforces the actions of the other herbs and focuses the formula on the upper body
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Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decoction.
Cautions: Overdose can cause nausea and vomiting. |
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Niu Bang Zi
| 9-12g | |
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Pinyin: Niu Bang Zi
Chinese: 牛蒡子
Pharmaceutical: Fructus Arctii
Taxonomy: Arctium lappa
English: Burdock Seed
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Tastes: Pungent, bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Lung and Stomach
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Actions & Indications:
- Disperses Wind-Heat and benefits the throat
Wind-Heat with fever, cough and sore throat
- Relieves Toxicity and vents rashes
Carbuncles, red swellings, early-stage measles, mumps, erythema, acute febrile maculo-papular rashes
Incomplete expression of rashes
Pruritic rashes due to Wind-Heat
- Moistens the Intestines
Wind-Heat toxins where there is also Internal Heat causing constipation
Constipation associated with other forms of toxicity such as acne
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Standard Dosage: 6-12g in decoction.
Cautions: It is not suitable for deficiency-cold loose stool because of its cold property and the action of lubricating the intestines. |
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Bo He
| 3-6g | | (add in last 5 minutes)
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Pinyin: Bo He
Chinese: 薄荷
Pharmaceutical: Herba Menthae haplocalycis
Taxonomy: Mentha haplocalyx
English: Field Mint / Wild Mint
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Tastes: Pungent, cool
Meridians Entered: Lung and Liver
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Actions & Indications:
- Disperses Wind-Heat, cools and clears the head and eyes and benefits the throat
Wind-Heat with fever, cough, headache, red eyes and a sore throat
- Vents rashes
Early-stage rashes e.g. measles
- Relieves Stagnation of Liver Qi
Liver Qi Stagnation with pressure in the chest or flanks, emotional instability and gynecological problems
- Expels turbid filth
Exposure to unclean Qi in the Summertime leading to gastric distress with abdominal pain, vomiting. diarrhoea and a thick, yellow, greasy tongue coat
- Kills Gu Parasites and Scatters Toxins by Releasing the Exterior
Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)
One of the chief herbs for treating Gu Syndrome, along with Bai Zhi and Zi Su Ye, classed as "open the exterior with snake killing herbs" (Fruehauf, 1998).
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Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decoction.
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Dan Dou Chi
| 3-6g | |
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Pinyin: Dan Dou Chi
Chinese: 淡豆豉
Pharmaceutical: Semen Sojae Preparatum
English: Fermented Soybean
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Tastes: Pungent, bitter and cool
Meridians Entered: Lung and Stomach
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Actions & Indications:
- Releases the Exterior
Wind-Cold or Wind-Heat
Yin Deficiency with superimposed Exterior disorders
- Eliminates irritability, harmonizes the Middle Jiao and relieves stuffy sensations in the chest
Irritability, restlessness, insomnia, stifling sensations in the chest and insomnia following a febrile disease
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Standard Dosage: 10-15g in decoction.
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Jing Jie Sui
| 6-9g | |
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Pinyin: Jing Jie
Chinese: 荆芥
Pharmaceutical: Herba Schizonepetae
English: Japanese Catnip
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Tastes: Pungent, slightly warm
Meridians Entered: Lung and Liver
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Actions & Indications:
- Releases the Exterior and expels Wind
Wind-Cold or Wind-Heat Carbuncles or boils (Chuang Yung) when they first erupt - especially with chills and fever
- Vents rashes and relieves itching
Initial-stage measles and pruritic skin eruptions
- Stops bleeding
Hemorrhage (auxiliary)
- Dispels Wind and relieves muscle spasms
Postpartum spasms, trismus, muscle cramps and spasms due to Wind
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Standard Dosage: 5-10g in decoction.
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Dan Zhu Ye
| 3-6g | |
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Pinyin: Dan Zhu Ye
Chinese: 淡竹叶
Pharmaceutical: Herba Lophatheri
English: Bamboo Leaves and Stem
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Tastes: Cold, bitter, sweet and bland
Meridians Entered: Small Intestine, Lung and Stomach
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Actions & Indications:
- Clears Heat and eliminates irritability
Internal Heat patterns with irritability, restlessness, dry mouth and thirst
Mouth and lip ulcers ulcers due to Heat in the Heart or Stomach channels
- Promotes urination and clears Damp-Heat
Rough, scanty, painful urination
Especially useful for Heat in the Small Intestine channel with rough, scanty, painful urination, irritability and a dark, red tip of the tongue
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Standard Dosage: 5-15g in decoction.
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Xuan Lu Gen
| 15-30g | |
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Pinyin: Lu Gen
Chinese: 芦根
Pharmaceutical: Rhizoma Phragmitis
English: Reed Rhizome
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Tastes: Sweet and cold
Meridians Entered: Lung and Stomach
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Actions & Indications:
- Clears Heat and irritability from the Lungs and Stomach and generates fluids
Internal Heat patterns with high fever, irritability and thirst, dry mouth and throat.
Lung Heat (especially when acute) , Lung carbuncle, Lung abscess
- Clears Stomach Heat, regulates Stomach Qi, relieves thirst and stops vomiting
Stomach Heat (especially when accompanied by rebellious Qi)
- Clears Heat and promotes urination
Dark, scanty urine and hematuria especially when accompanied by irritability and thirst
- Vents rashes
Wind-Heat rashes that are not completely expressed
- Relieves food poisoning
Relieves food poisoning due to ingestion of fish and crabs
Alcohol poisoning
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Standard Dosage: 15-30g in decoction.
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Gan Cao
| 3-6g | | |
Pinyin: Gan Cao
Chinese: 甘草
Pharmaceutical: Radix Glycyrrhizae
Taxonomy: Glycyrrhiza uralensis seu glabra seu inflata
English: Liquorice Root
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Tastes: Sweet, slightly cold
Meridians Entered: Heart, Lung and Spleen (and all 12 meridians)
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Actions & Indications:
- Tonifies the Spleen and augments Qi
Spleen Qi Deficiency with shortness of breath, lassitude and loose stools
Qi and Blood Deficiency with an irregular pulse and/or palpitations
Heart Qi Deficiency or Heart Yang Deficiency
- Moistens the Lungs, resolves Phlegm and stops coughing
Lung Heat or Cold
Productive or non-productive coughing
- Moderates spasms and alleviates pain
Painful muscle spasms of the abdomen and legs
- Clears Heat and relieves Fire toxicity
Raw for Toxic Heat with sore throat or carbuncles and sores (Chuang Yung)
- Antidote for many toxic substances (internal and topical)
Poisoning
- Moderates and harmonizes the harsh properties of other herbs and guides the herbs to all twelve channels
Often added in small doses to harmonise formulas
- Tonifies the Qi while suppressing Parasites
Gu Sydnrome (Fruehauf, 1998)
Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)
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Standard Dosage: Typically 1.5-9g in decoction. Large doses can be up 30g.
Cautions: It is contraindicated for combining with Hai Zao, Da Ji, Gan Sui and Yuan Hua because of "eighteen antagonisms". It is also contraindicated in cases of dampness obstruction in middle energizer and edema because it can help dampness obstruct qi, and it is prohibited from long-term usage in large dosage (more than 20g/day) and should be avoided or used with extreme caution in patients with high blood pressure because it may raise aldosterone levels in the blood causing retention of sodium. |
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