Pinyin: Bing Lang  Chinese: 槟榔
Pharmaceutical: Semen Arecae
Taxonomy: Areca catechu
English: Betel Nut

Tastes: Bitter, pungent, warm
Meridians Entered: Stomach and Large Intestine

Actions & Indications:

1. Kills Parasites and expels Demons
   Kills a wide variety of Intestinal parasites including fasciolopsis, pinworms, roundworms and Blood flukes Best for tapeworms
   Drains downward to expel the bodies of dead parasites
   Gu Sydnrome (Fruehauf, 1998)
   Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)
2. Regulates Qi, reduces accumulations, drains downward and unblocks the bowels
   Food Stagnation and Qi Stagnation with abdominal distention, constipation or tenesmus
3. Promotes urination
   Damp leg Qi and oedema due to Excess
4. Treats malarial disorders
   Malarial disorders
5. Relieves nausea
   Nausea

Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated for loose stool due to spleen insufficiency or qi sinking. Use with caution for pregnant women.

This herb is prohibited from use in the UK under the banned and restricted herbal ingredients list issued by the MHRA and so is generally substituted with Zhi Shi and Yi Li Ren, or Fei Zi and Yu Li Ren for expelling parasites.

Pinyin: Chen Xiang  Chinese: 沉香
Pharmaceutical: Lignum Aquilariae Resinatum
Taxonomy: Aquilaria agallocha seu sinensis seu malaccensis
English: Agarwood / Aloeswood / Eaglewood

Tastes: Pungent, bitter, warm
Meridians Entered: Spleen, Stomach and Kidney

Actions & Indications:

1. Promotes movement of Qi and alleviates pain
   Qi Stagnation, with distention, pain or a feeling of pressure in the epigastric or abdominal region Especially useful for Deficiency Cold or Blood Stagnation
2. Descends Qi, regulates the Middle, dispels Cold, warms the Spleen and Stomach and stops vomiting
   Rebellious Qi wheezing from either Excess or Deficiency Vomiting, belching or hiccup due to Spleen and Stomach Deficiency Cold
3. Warms the Kidneys and aids the Kidneys in grasping Qi
   Asthma and wheezing due to Kidneys Unable to Grasp Qi

Standard Dosage: 1-3g in decoction.

Pinyin: Wu Yao  Chinese: 烏藥
Pharmaceutical: Radix Linderae
English: Lindera Root

Tastes: Pungent, warm
Meridians Entered: Lung, Spleen, Liver, Kidney and Gallbladder

Actions & Indications:

1. Promotes the movement of Qi and alleviates pain
   Cold and Qi Stagnation with a stifling sensation in the chest, flank pain, epigastric and abdominal pain.
2. Warms the Kidneys and disperses Cold
   Urinary frequency or incontinence due to Kidney Yang Deficiency or Urinary Bladder Deficiency Cold

Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decoction.

Pinyin: Mu Xiang  Chinese: 木香
Pharmaceutical: Radix Aucklandiae
English: Costus Root

Tastes: Pungent, bitter, warm
Meridians Entered: Spleen, Stomach, Large Intestine and Gall Bladder

Actions & Indications:

1. Promotes the movement of Qi and alleviates pain
   Spleen/Stomach Qi Stagnation with anorexia, a feeling of food sitting in the Stomach, epigastric or abdominal pain or distention, nausea and vomiting
   Liver or Gallbladder Qi Stagnation with flank pain, distention or soreness
2. Adjusts and regulates stagnant Qi in the Intestines
   Intestinal Qi Stagnation with diarrhoea or dysenteric disorders, abdominal pain and tenesmus
3. Strengthens the Spleen and prevents Stagnation
   Stagnation from tonic herbs, especially when the transportive and transformative functions of the Spleen are weak
4. Dispels Damp-Heat and harmonizes the Liver and Spleen
   Disharmony of the Liver and Spleen with hypochondriac pain and distention, a bitter taste in the mouth, a yellow tongue coat and possibly jaundice
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 oppressive Ghost Dreams whether sleeping during the day or the night. 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).
6. Suppresses Gu Parasites
   Gu Sydnrome (Fruehauf, 1998)
   Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)

Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decoction.

Pinyin: Zhi Ke  Chinese: 枳壳
Pharmaceutical: Fructus Aurantii
Taxonomy: Citrus aurantium
English: Seville Orange / Bitter Orange / Sour Orange

Tastes: Bitter, pungent, sore and slightly cold
Meridians Entered: Spleen and Stomach

Actions & Indications:

1. Promotes the movement of Qi, reduces distention and pressure and resolves hardenings
   Qi Stagnation and accumulation (especially in weak or deficient patients)
2. Removes stagnated food
   Food Stagnation

Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decoction.
Cautions: Used with caution for pregnant women.

Pinyin: Da Huang  Chinese: 大黄
Pharmaceutical: Radix et Rhizoma Rhei
Taxonomy: Rheum palmatum
English: Chinese Rhubarb Root

Tastes: Bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Large Intestine, Spleen, Stomach, Liver and Heart

Actions & Indications:

1. Drains Heat and purges accumulations
   Intestinal Heat Excess, with high fever, profuse sweating, thirst, constipation, abdominal distention and pain, delirium, a yellow tongue coat and a full pulse
   Yang-Ming Fu Stage
   Qi Level Heat in the Intestines
2. Drains Fire
   Fire from Excess with intense fever, sore throat, and painful eyes and constipation
   Fire toxin sores due to Xue Level Heat, especially with constipation
3. Clears Heat, transforms Dampness and promotes urination
   Damp-Heat with oedema, jaundice, painful urinary dysfunction and acute, hot dysenteric disorders
4. Drains Heat from the Blood
   Bloody stool either from hemorrhoids or Heat in the Intestines
   Chaotic movement of hot Blood with hemoptysis or epistaxis with constipation
   It can be powdered and administered orally for bleeding in the upper digestive tract
5. Invigorates the Blood and dispels Blood Stasis
   Blood Stasis with amenorrhea, fixed abdominal masses or fixed pain
   Blood Stasis due to traumatic injury
   Intestinal abscess
6. Clears Heat and reduces Fire toxicity
   Topically or internally for burns or skin lesions (Chuang Yung) due to Heat
7. Clears Heat and eliminates Phlegm
   Chronic Accumulation of Phlegm-Heat with cough, dyspnea, mania, disorientation and other symptoms of Phlegm Misting the Heart

Standard Dosage: 10-15g in decoction. Excessive decoction will reduce the purgative action. Therefore it should be added at end to achieve this purpose and over-decocted to eliminate this action.
Cautions: It should be used with caution in case of spleen and stomach deficiency for its bitter and cold property which is easily to damage stomach qi. It is contraindicated to women during pregnancy, menstruation or lactation for it has actions of activating blood and resolving stasis, and can make the purged substances follow lactating out.