Properties: Neutral-cool, sour and slightly bitter
Meridans Entered:
Primary: Spleen and Large Intestine
Traditional Actions/Indications:
- Raises sunken Spleen Qi and holds the Blood
Passive bleeding, especially intestinal bleeding, often with weakness and lack of tone
Haemorrhoids, especially if bleeding
Prolapses
- Clears Heat from the Intestines and astringes diarrhoea
Diarrhoea with blood and/or mucus in the stool
Enteritis, colitis or diarrhoea
- Clears Heat and Resolves Toxicity (topical)
Sunburn, burns or rashes
Conjunctivitis
Wounds, sprains and bruises
Varicose veins
Suggested Daily Dosage: 6g in decoction.
Cautions: Due to the quantity of tannins in witch hazel, internal intake should be limited to 1 month before taking a break.
Does not appear in any formulae listed on this site
Research Links & References: (click to display)
Research Links:
Reference Notes:
Individual herb information has sourced mainly from TCM Wiki and American Dragon for basic data and then updated manually with my own notes. Zhou, Xie and Yan (2011): Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicines, Vol. 5, and A+ Medical Encyclopaedia have been used for entries not available from those sources with additional material searched for and filled in where available. Western herbs not appearing in the Chinese literature have used Ross (2010): Combining Western Herbs and Chinese Medicine: A Clinical Materia Medica, White Rabbit Institute of Healing and therapeutika.ch. Choices of which source to use or combine have been my own.
These pages are intended to assist clinicians and are not intended for self-diagnosis or treatment for which a qualified professional should be consulted. Actions and indications are taken from traditional uses and do not necessarily reflect the evidence base which should be researched independently. Dosages are for guidance only and will vary dependening on the potency of the batch and the tolerance of the individual so should be evaluated by a professional based on individual needs.
