Pinyin: Zao Jiao  Chinese: 皂角
Pharmaceutical: Fructus Gleditsiae Abnormalis
Taxonomy: Gleditsia sinensis
English: Abnormal Chinese Honeylocust Fruit / Soap bean

Tastes: Pungent, salty, warm, slightly toxic
Meridians Entered: Lung and Large Intestine

Actions & Indications:

1. Dispels Phlegm
   Obstruction due to stubborn Phlegm impairing the normal descent of Lung Qi with cough or wheezing with copious sputum that is difficult to expectorate as well as Phlegm nodules
2. Opens the Orifices and revives the Spirit
   Sudden loss of consciousness with facial paralysis or seizures due to excessive Phlegm. (treats only the manifestation, combine with other herbs to treat the root)
3. Dissipates clumps and reduces swellings
   Initial stages of abscesses or boils Abscesses in which there is difficulty in discharging pus
4. Unblocks the bowels and expels roundworms as a suppository
   Constipation and Intestinal obstruction due to roundworms

Standard Dosage: 1-1.5g as pills or powder.
Cautions: Do not overuse orally to avoid vomiting and diarrhea. It has drastic pungent, strong property of pungent, distracting and moving and use with cautions for stubborn syndrome and strong body. Prohibited for pregnant women, qi and yin deficiency and who tends to bleed.

Pinyin: Gan Jiang  Chinese: 干姜
Pharmaceutical: Rhizoma Zingiberis
Taxonomy: Zingiber officinale
English: Dried Ginger

Tastes: Pungent, hot
Meridians Entered: Spleen, Stomach, Kidney, Heart and Lung

Actions & Indications:

1. Warms the Middle and expels Cold
   External Cold affecting the Spleen and Stomach Spleen and Stomach Yang Deficiencies
2. Dispels Wind-Dampness seeping into the Lower Jiao
   Lower Jiao Wind-Cold-Damp Bi
3. Rescues Devastated Yang and expels Interior Cold
   Devastated Yang with a very weak pulse and cold limbs
4. Warms the Lungs and transforms thin mucus
   Lung Cold with expectoration of thin, watery or white sputum
5. Warms the channels (unblocks the pulse) and stops bleeding
   Haemorrhage due to Deficiency Cold, especially uterine bleeding (only if the bleeding is chronic and pale in colour with cold limbs, ashen white face and a soggy thin pulse)
6. Aids fasting
   Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as part of the middle class of herbs which can, with protracted taking, remove foul smell and enable one to communicate withe Spirit Light (Shen Ming 神明). This may suggest it was part of supplementing the diet when engaging in an "avoiding grain" (Bigu 辟穀) fasting regime to cultivate life (Yangsheng 養生).

Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated for yin deficiency with internal heat and haemorrhage due to blood heat.

Pinyin: Sheng Ma  Chinese: 升麻
Pharmaceutical: Rhizoma Actaeae
Taxonomy: Actaea cimicifuga, A. heracleifolia (Da San Ye Sheng Ma), A. dahurica (Xin Gan Sheng Ma), A. simplex (Ye Sheng Ma)
English: Chinese Cohosh

Tastes: Pungent, slightly bitter, slightly cold
Meridians Entered: Lung, Spleen, Stomach and Large Intestine

Actions & Indications:

1. Releases the Exterior and vents measles
   Headache due to Wind-Heat Early stages of measles
2. Clears Heat and relieves toxicity
   Fire toxins in the upper or superficial aspects of the body with sore teeth, swollen or painful gums, ulcerated lips or gums, canker sores, painful and swollen throat, sores or maculae from Warm-Heat pathogen diseases
3. Raises Yang and lifts sunken Qi
   Central Qi Sinking or Middle Qi Deficiency with shortness of breath, fatigue and prolapse
   Dai channel spasms
   Guides other herbs upwards
4. Kills Gu Parasites and Scatters Toxins by Releasing the Exterior
   Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 1998; 2015)
5. Aids fasting
   Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as part of the superior class of herbs which can, with protracted taking, prevent premature death, make the body light and prolong life. This may suggest it was part of supplementing the diet when engaging in an "avoiding grain" (Bigu 辟穀) fasting regime to cultivate life (Yangsheng 養生).

Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decoction.
Cautions: The patients whose measles have come out or have yin deficiency and heat excess, or yin deficiency and yang going upward adversely are forbidden to use this herb.

Pinyin: Sheng Di Huang  Chinese: 生地黃
Pharmaceutical: Radix Rehmanniae
Taxonomy: Rehmannia glutinosa
English: Chinese Foxglove Root / Rehmannia Root

Tastes: Sweet, bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Heart, Liver, Stomach and Kidney

Actions & Indications:

1. Clears Heat and cools the Blood
   Ying Stage Heat with high fever, thirst and a scarlet tongue
   Xue Stage Heat
   Hemorrhage due to Blood Heat
2. Nourishes Yin, generates fluids, increases saliva and treats wasting and thirsting
   Yin Deficiency with Heat signs
   Injury to fluids
   Throat pain due to Yin Deficiency
   Wasting and thirsting disorder (消渴 Xiao Ke - diabetes)
3. Cools Heart Fire
   Heart Fire
4. Calms the Spirit agitated by Parasites damaging the Yin
   Gu Sydnrome (Fruehauf, 1998)
   Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)
5. Breaks up Blood Stasis, expels Cold and Hot Bi, replenishes Bone Marrow and promotes the growth of Muscles and Flesh
   Broken bones or severed sinews from falls and a damaged center (Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing)
6. Aids fasting
   Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as part of the superior class of herbs which can, with protracted taking, make the body light, and prevent forgetfulness. This may suggest it was part of supplementing the diet when engaging in an "avoiding grain" (Bigu 辟穀) fasting regime to cultivate life (Yangsheng 養生).

Standard Dosage: 10-15g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated in cases of diarrhea, abdomen distention due to spleen deficiency.

Pinyin: Mo Han Lian / Han Lian Cao  Chinese: 墨旱莲 / 旱蓮草
Pharmaceutical: Herba Ecliptae
Taxonomy: Eclipta prostrata seu alba
English: False Daisy / Eclipta / Yerba de Tago

Tastes: Sweet, sour, cold
Meridians Entered: Liver and Kidney

Actions & Indications:

1. Nourishes and tonifies Liver and Kidney Yin
   Kidney and Liver Yin Deficiencies with dizziness, blurred vision, vertigo, and premature graying of the hair
2. Cools the Blood and stops bleeding
   Yin Deficiency with Empty Fire Rising and bleeding due to Heat in the Blood with hematemesis, hemoptysis, epistaxis, hemafecia, uterine bleeding and especially hematuria

Standard Dosage: 10-30g in decoction.

Pinyin: Huai Jiao  Chinese: 槐角
Pharmaceutical: Fructus Sophorae
Taxonomy: Sophora japonica
English: Pagodatree Pod

Tastes: Bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Liver, Large Intestine

Actions & Indications:

1. Cools Blood and stops bleeding
   Bloody haemorrhoids, haemafacia
2. Moisten the intestines to relieve constipation
   Constipation with dry stool
3. Clear Liver Fire
   Headache with blood-shot eyes
4. Resolves Evil Qi in the Heart, Expels Evil Spirits and refines the Five Zang
   Possession by the Three Worms and Crouching Corpses with disorders of overindulgence that threaten health and do not respond to regular medicines. Used as an alternative to Shang Lu (Raz, 2012).

Standard Dosage: 6-15g in decoction.

Pinyin: Xi Xin  Chinese: 细辛
Pharmaceutical: Herba cum Radix Asari
Taxonomy: Asarum sieboldii
English: Chinese Wild Ginger

Tastes: Pungent, warm, slightly toxic
Meridians Entered: Lung, Kidney and Heart

Actions & Indications:

1. Releases Exterior Wind and Cold
   As an adjunctive for any exterior Wind-Cold especially with Dampness in Lung or underlying Yang Deficiency
   Frequently used for Wind-Cold when the dominant symptoms are head and body aches
2. Disperses Wind-Cold and Internal Cold and alleviates pain
   Pain due to Wind and/or Cold anywhere in the body, particularly headache, painful obstruction, abdominal pain or headache due to obstruction of Fluids and Blood by Cold, often with anhydrous Wind-Cold-Damp Bipain
3. Warms the Lungs and transforms Phlegm and Thin Mucus (circulates water)
   Cough and Qi which surges upward and fullness in the chest in the chest with continuous cough from clumped Qi in the chest and diaphragm marked by copious, watery sputum due to Phlegm-Damp or Wind-Cold with congested fluids
4. Disperses and unblocks the Qi of the nasal orifices (clears the orifices of the head)
   Nasal congestion
   Oral pathology
   Loss of consciousness
5. Promotes healing of oral ulcerations
   Oral lesions or ulcerations
6. Relieves toothache
   Toothache
7. Aids fasting
   Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as part of the superior class of herbs which can, with protracted taking, make the body light and prolong life. This may suggest it was part of supplementing the diet when engaging in an "avoiding grain" (Bigu 辟穀) fasting regime to cultivate life (Yangsheng 養生).

Standard Dosage: 1-3g in decoction.
Cautions: Traditionally contraindicated for headache due to hyperactivity of yang caused by yin deficiency and dry cough caused by lung dryness hurting yin. It is incompatible with Li Lu.

While not prohibited in the UK, the RCHM has enacted a voluntary ban by use due to possible fears of aristolochic acid. It is usually substituted with Gui Pi (Cinnamon Bark), or Rou Gui, or Gui Zhi and Qiang Huo for channel problems, Zi Su Ye and Bai Qian for lung issues, Gao Ban and Bai Zhi for treating the head and Cong Bai and Bai Zhi for the sinuses.

Pinyin: He Ye  Chinese: 荷叶
Pharmaceutical: Nelumbinis Foliae
English: Lotus Leaf

Tastes: Bitter, astringent, neutral
Meridians Entered: Heart, Liver, Spleen, Gallbladder and Lung

Actions & Indications:

1. Relieves Summerheat
   Summerheat and Dampness with fever, irritability, excessive sweating, scanty urine and especially diarrhoea
2. Raises and clears Spleen Yang
   Spleen Yang Deficiency diarrhoea especially in the aftermath of Summerheat
3. Removes Stagnation and stops bleeding
   Bleeding in the Lower Jiao due to Heat or Stagnation Hematemesis (adjunctive)

Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decoction.

Pinyin: Yan  Chinese: 鹽
Pharmaceutical: Sodium Chloride
Taxonomy: NaCl
English: Salt

Tastes: Salty, cold
Meridians Entered: Stomach, Kidney, Small Intestine and Large Intestine

Actions & Indications:

1. Clears Heat, cools the Blood and resolves Toxicity
   Toothache, bleeding gums, sore throat
   Nebula
   Sores and boils, insect bites
   (Internally) Constipation, difficult urination
2. Induces vomiting
   Indigestion, abdominal distention

Standard Dosage: 1 tsp (3g) melted in 300ml hot water to make approx 1% solution and used as a wash for the skin, mouth or eyes. 5% solution drunk on an empty stomach induces vomiting.
Cautions: It is contraindicated in case of oedema. Do not take too much, especially when inducing vomiting as the high sodium intake can lead to hypernatremia causing seizures and death. Inducing vomiting to eject poisoning is not recommended today as research shows no clinical effect and considerable potential harm.