The following list describes the most common herbs used in Chinese Herbal Medicine in terms of the six conformations.
Ai ye, Artemisiae argyi folium
Warm, bitter and pungent. It warms jue yin liver blood and stops bleeding due to cold.
Ai ye Jue yin warms blood to stop bleeding
Bai dou kou, Amomnum fructus
Bai dou kou is warm aromatic transforming of dampness and it moves the qi downward. It opens the chest.
Bai dou kou Yang ming moves qi and drains dampness
Bai bian dou, Lablab semen album
Bai bian dou is cold, pungent, bitter and aromatic. It tonifies qi through spleen strengthening and dampness elimination.
It assists in tonifying qi of the spleen through elimination of the dampness.
Bai bian dou Tai yin spleen tonifying and damp clearing
Bai he, Lilii bulbus
It tonifies jue yin liver and pericardium blood. It nourishes the upper source of water.
It tonifies lung and heart yin while mildly clearing deficient heat, this restores upper burner yin fluids which moistens dryness.
Bai he Tai yin lung moistening
Bai he Shao yin heart nourishing
Bai he Jue yin nourishing
Bai jiang cao, Patriniae herba
Bai jiang cao is cool, bitter and pungent. It clears damp and heat. It also moves the blood and so reduces pain and swelling. Bai jiang cao supports yi yi ren in clearing abscess and pus.
Bai jiang cao Yang ming damp and heat clearing
Bai jiang cao Jue yin blood moving to stop pain and swelling
Bai jiu, rice wine
Its pungent and warm ascending nature supports the clearing of phlegm and movement of qi.
Bai jiu assists xie bai in clearing phlegm from the chest.
Bai jiu Yang ming phlegm moving
Bai jiu Jue yin creates wind
Bai lian, Ampelopsitis radix
Bitter, pungent, neutral bai lian clears toxicity and promotes the healing of wounds. You can combine it with huang qi to treat skin disorders due to deficiency.
Bai lian Tai yang clears heat accumulations that prevent proper function
Bai mi, Mel, aka feng mi aka honey
Moistens intestines and lung and tonifies earth.
Nourishes and moderates drying ban xia.
Bai mi Yang ming tonifies and moistens
Bai mi Tai yin tonifies spleen and moistens spleen and lung
Bai shao, Paeoniae radix lactiflora
If gui zhi is the emperor then bai shao is the queen. Bai shao is the primary pain herb with fu zi second.
Cool, bitter and sour, bai shao replenishes the nutritive ying qi layer and clears deficient heat while moistening tendons and connective tissue. Together with gui zhi it nourishes yin and yang on the surface as wei and ying qi.
Bai shao mildly nourishes and moves the blood, treating blood deficiency and blood stasis. It moves blood while buffering the liver and moderating internal urgencies like abdominal pain and cramps.
Bai shao Jue yin nourishes and moves blood
Chao bai shao, Paeoniae radix lactiflora praep stir fried till yellow aka Chao Bai Shao Yao, Chao Bai Shao
Flavors & nature: Bitter, sour, and astringent; neutral
Functions: Soothes the liver, harmonizes the spleen, stops diarrhea
Chao bai shao Tai yin tonfies spleen and stops diarrhea
Chao Bai shao Jue yin calms wind
Bai shi zhi, Kaolinitum
Calms wind, and stops bleeding.
Bai shi zhi Jue yin calms wind and stops bleeding
Bai tou weng, Pulsatilla radix
Bai tou weng is cold and bitter, it drains dampness and cools heat.
It clears toxic damp heat in the intestines and cools blood to arrest dysentery with bleeding and pus.
Bai tou weng Yang ming drains damp and heat to stop bleeding
Bai wei, Cynanchi atrati radix
Bai wei is cool, bitter and salty. It cools the blood and nourishes yin while promoting urination.
Bai wei Jue yin nourishes yin and blood
Bai ye, Platycladi cacumen
Cool, bitter, and astringent. It clears lung heat and stops bleeding. The cooling and descending nature calms the reckless bleeding from deficiency. It arrests bleeding from the upper and outer body.
Bai ye Tai yin clears heat lung
Bai zhi, Angelicae dahuricae radix
Bai zhi is warm, pungent and aromatic. It clears wind cold and disperses cold, it treats yang ming headaches.
Enters yang ming, relieves the muscles, disperses wind and alleviates pain.
Frees yang ming channels congestion and dries and transforms phlegm.
Bai zhi Yang ming warms and dries dampness yang ming channel
Bai zhu, Atractylodis macrocephalae rhizome
Warm bitter and sweet bai zhu warms and dries earth, and promotes urination.
It tonifies tai yin qi of spleen and lung and strengthens spleen by drying and leaching dampness to allow normal function to return. It metabolizes fluids and so creates room for healthy new fluids. Bai zhu and ren shen are the representative pair for supporting tai yin qi deficiency and damp accumulation.
Bai zhu does treat external cold and dampness but cang zhu is pungent and therefore better at drying dampness on the surface.
Bai zhu and fu ling work together in clearing fluids away from Earth towards the bladder. It also promotes fluid movement and so promotes blood movement. The movement of fluids is the start of movement for blood.
Combined with fu ling, zhu ling and ze xie it drains and dries excessive fluids from Earth and restore its control over Water.
Bai zhu and ze xie form the formula ze xie san for draining the middle burner towards the lower and counters dampness induced dizziness.
Bai zhu Tai yang drains dampness on surface
Bai zhu Yang ming dries dampness in stomach
Bai zhu Tai yin warms and tonifies spleen while drying dampness
Chao bai zhu, Atractylodis macrocephalae rhizome praep earth stir fried
Stir frying with earth makes it more drying of fluids than unprepared bai zhu.
Flavors & nature: Sweet, bitter, and slightly astringent; warm
Ban lan gen, Isatidis radix
Clear heat from the throat and resolve toxins.
Ban lan gen Jue yin cools heat in blood
Ban xia, Pinelliae rhizoma
Warm pungent ban xia dries dampness and transforms phlegm while moving and dispersing qi congestion. It introduces yang ming dryness in tai yin dampness.
The spleen is considered the source of phlegm and the lung the storage of phlegm. Ban xia dries tai yin spleen dampness which is the source of lung phlegm. Ban xia transforms and dries tai yin damp phlegm generated from excessive and stagnant cold dampness and counteracts nausea and adverse flow.
It also promotes fluid movement and so promotes blood movement. The movement of fluids is the start of movement for blood. Ban xia guides excessive fluids into the tai yang bladder from where it can be infused into the body to moisten the surface.
Together with sheng jiang it forms xiao ban xia tang which treats middle burner upset.
Combined with gan jiang it dries and transforms excessive internal dampness.
Ban xia, ren shen, sheng jiang, gan cao and da zao form the five common spleen strengthening herbs.
Ban xia Yang ming dries dampness and moves qi in stomach
Ban xia Tai yin tonifes and warms and dries spleen and lung
Jiang ban xia, Pinelliae rhizome praep with ginger
J. Penner Ginger pinellia jiang ban xia is less toxic, warm and drying to dry Dampness, transform phlegm, descend qi and alleviate nausea
Jiang ban xia Yang ming dries dampness and moves qi in stomach
Jiang ban xia Tai yin tonifies and warms and dries spleen and lung
Bian xu, Polygoni avicularis herba
Bitter clearing of dampness and heat and promotes urination.
Bian xu Tai yang bladder damp and heat clearing while promoting urination
Bie xie, Dioscoreae hypoglaucae rhizoma aka Bi xie
Bie xie is neutral bitter draining of dampness and promotes urination.
Bie xie Tai yang bladder drains dampness and moves water
Bing lang, Arecae semen
Regulates qi and resolves stagnation, and control pain in the treatment of cramping. When qi is regulated, cramping will disappear.
Bing lang Yang ming moves qi in the stomach domain to stop pain
Bing pian, Borneol
Bing pian is cool, pungent, bitter, and aromatic.
It disperses heat and calms internal wind that causes convulsions, fainting, ulcers and itching.
Bing pian Jue yin cools blood
Bo he, Menthae herba
Relieves the surface while also treating the congested heat or exterior wind heat.
Dispelling wind heat and relieving swelling in the throat and redness of eyes.
Bo he is a pungent, cool and surface relieving herb. It disperses external wind and heat.
It disperses wind heat especially from the head and face.
It supports chai hu in dispersing congestion heat that can arise from wind cold dampness.
Moves liver Wood and disperses stagnation. Its ability of clearing wind heat helps avoid the buildup of congested gall bladder fire that often builds up similar to wind heat.
Bo he Tai yang clears surface heat
Bo he Yang ming clears yang ming channel heat
Bo he Jue yin cools and moves blood
Can sha, Faeces bombycis
Can sha is warm, pungent, and sweet. It warms the surface while clearing dampness. Often used for Bi syndrome and skin rashes.
Can sha also harmonizes the stomach and stops diarrhea.
Can sha Tai yang warms the surface while clearing dampness
Can sha Yang ming drains dampness in stomach
Cang zhu, Atractylodis rhizome
Pungent, bitter, and warm, it promotes sweating and eliminates dampness, and is the main herb for dispelling cold dampness from the tai yin channel.
Eliminates middle burner dampness and dries spleen.
Dries Earth dampness and disperses with bitter and pungent.
Cang zhu is the main herb to dry internal and external dampness and strengthen the spleen.
Cang zhu is also a wind herb meaning it can ascend and free.
Cang zhu Tai yang warms the surface and disperses dampness
Cang zhu Yang ming warms and dries the stomach
Cang zhu Tai yin warms and dries dampness in the spleen and lung
Cao guo, Tsaoko fructus
Cao guo is warm, pungent, sweet and aromatic. It warms Earth, clears cold, transforms dampness, breaks and moves accumulations in the stomach domain.
Cao guo Yang ming warms, moves and breaks dampness in stomach
Cao guo Tai yin transforms dampness
Cha ye, Camelliae sinensis folium
Green tea is cool, bitter, and sweet heat draining.
Cha ye Shao yang heat clearing in san jiao
Chai hu, Bupleuri radix
Chai hu is cool, bitter, aromatic. It clears the shao yang exterior and disperses heat.
It is the core shao yang herb. On the exterior chai hu relieves the surface from wind heat evils, while on the interior it frees the body from evils that have entered the shao yang realm and have transformed into heat. It clears the muscles of damp and it disperses heat.
Chai hu Tai yang clears heat congestion on the surface
Chai hu Shao yang clears damp and heat in the san jiao
Che qian zi, Plantaginis semen
Che qian zi is sweet and cold. Draining and cooling damp heat by dispelling it through the urine.
Drains dampness from the lower burner.
Clear heat and promote urination
Che qian zi Tai yang bladder damp and heat clearing
Chen pi, Citri reticulatae pericarpium aka ju pi aka ju you
Pungent and used to move middle burner qi. Regulates qi and transforms phlegm.
It is bitter, pungent and dries dampness while descending the stomach qi and dispersing stagnation.
Chen pi Yang ming moves qi downward while drying dampness in stomach
Chi shao, Paeoniae radix rubra
Cool and bitter, it cools blood and moves blood by mostly cooling.
Moves blood and softens the liver. It provides control over the dispersing herbs by astringing and ascending.
Chi shao moves blood more than bai shao.
Chi shao Jue yin blood nourishing and moving
Chao chi shao, Paeoniae radix rubra praep
Cool and bitter, it cools blood and moves blood by mostly cooling. Chao chi shao is warmer than chi shao.
Moves blood and softens the liver. It provides control over the dispersing herbs by astringing and ascending.
J. Penner Dry fried white peony is less cold, but the other abilities become better.
Chao chi shao moves blood more than bai shao.
Chao chi shao Jue yin blood nourishing and moving
Chi shi zhi, Halloysitum rubrum, replaces Fu long gan (burnt yellow clay)
Chi shi zhi is sour, sweet and astringent, it collects fluids and so prevents fluid loss.
Used to stop diarrhea.
Chi shi zhi Yang ming stops diarrhea
Chi xiao dou, Phaseoli semen
It is neutral, sweet and sour. It promotes urination, reduces edema, clears damp heat, disperses blood stasis, reduces swelling and reduces fire toxicity.
I would expect a bitter taste because it drains fluids. It could be the astringent nature pulls fluids into the water expelling systems.
Chi xiao dou Tai yang drains dampness
Chi xiao dou Yang ming drains damp heat in stomach domain
Chuan bei mu, Fritillariae cirrhosae bulbus aka bei mu
Bei mu is cold, bitter, and sweet. It moistens fluids and softens hardness and softens phlegm in the lungs.
Combined with gua lou they clear lung heat and transform hot phlegm. They are sweet and mildly bitter meaning they protect fluids and do not increase already prevalent dryness. Common pair to treat phlegm heat induced lung dryness.
Chuan bei mu is often substituted for zhi bei mu, Bulbus Fritillariae Thunbergii
Chuan bei mu Tai yin lung heat clearing and moistening
Chuan xiong, Ligustici radix
Chuang xiong is a shao yang and jue yin herb and as such treats top and frontal headaches. Here chuan xiong is not being used as a blood mover but as a qi mover. Chuan xiong moves the qi within blood and so reduces wind and cold.
Moves qi and dispels external wind by warming and moving qi in blood. Treats mainly the tai yang surface while moving blood and arresting pain.
Moves qi within blood and restores the normal flow of blood by eliminating mild stasis.
It is a safe blood mover provided it is combined with dang gui and bai shao.
Chuan xiong Tai yang clears stagnation on surface
Chuan xiong Jue yin moves qi in liver blood
Cong bai, Allii fistulosi bulbus
Pungent and warm, it releases the exterior of cold with warm pungent and especially clears wind cold. Disperses cold and unblocks yang in abdomen.
Cong bai Tai yang warms the surface
Cong bai Yang ming disperses cold and moves qi in stomach domain
Da fu pi, Arecae pericarpium
Da fu pi warm, pungent, and bitter. It moves qi and disperses stagnation and drying dampness while draining excess fluids from earth and promoting urination.
Warm and pungent moves qi downward in yang ming and this clears bloating while draining dampness by promoting urination.
Da fu pi Yang ming moves qi and drians dampess
Da fu pi Shao yin moves water
Da huang, Rhei rhizoma
Da huang is cold and bitter. It clears yang ming congestion by disinhibiting bowel movement and clears the bowels of congested excessive heat.
Descends yang ming and frees Metal from Fire by opening and descending the intestines and expelling pathogens.
Da huang Yang ming clears accumulations of stool and heat
Jiu da huang, Rhei rhizoma praep, wine mixed fried aka jiu xi da huang
Moves blood stasis and purges heat. It disinhibits bowels and cleans the hollow organs of the lower burner.
Jiu da huang Yang ming accumulation clearing of the upper burner
Zhi Da Huang, Rhei rhizoma praep, steamed with rice wineaka Shu Da Huang, Zhi or Shu Chuan Jun, Zhi or Shu Jin Wen This refers to Rhubarb which has been steamed or stewed in rice wine.
Flavors & nature: Bitter; cool tending to neutral
Functions: Clears heat, eliminates dampness
Shu da huang Yang ming clears accumulations of stool
Da zao, Jujubae fructus
Neutral sweet da zao tonifies Earth and nourishes shao yin heart blood.
Da zao tonifies qi of the middle and Earth. It tonifies the stomach and spleen. It mainly tonifies the spleen qi.
Da zao adds material to the tai yin middle to generate heart blood while building spleen qi to strengthen lung and heart qi to revive the pulse beat. It nourishes the shao yin heart through the jue yin pathways.
Da zao combined with gan cao tonify qi and yin and harmonize the main herbs in formulas.
Da zao combined with bai shao embodies the concept of sweet and sour to nourish yin.
Ren shen, sheng jiang, gan cao and da zao form the four common spleen strengthening herbs.
Da zao Tai yin tonifies spleen while moistening
Da zao Jue yin nourishes blood
Dai zhe shi, Haematitum
Settles and suppresses the upward movement of qi and blood by directing it downward.
Combined with niu xi it strongly forces blood and qi downward to free the head and reverse an emergency such as bleeding.
Dai zhe shi Jue yin calms wind
Dan dou chi, Sojae semen praeparatum
Warm, pungent and sweet, it clears external cold, and eliminates irritability, harmonizes the middle jiao and relieves stuffy sensations in the chest.
Pungent and mildly warm that supports pungent cool herbs in formulas to help clear toxins.
Mildly promotes a sweat to resolve the surface pattern and assists sang ye in dissipating lung qi.
Dan dou chi Tai yang surface warming
Dan dou chi Yang ming stomach qi moving and warming
Dan shen, Salviae miltiorrhizae radix
Dan shen is cool and bitter. It clears heat and cools blood while also moving blood and dispelling stasis and so preventing damage to the blood layer.
Cools and moves the blood, thus dispersing blood stasis created by heat consuming the fluids. It also tonifies the heart, nourishes the spirit and stabilizes the intention.
Nourish blood and invigorate blood, create new blood, move stagnant blood, this is an herb to govern the blood layer of the heart, spleen, liver, and kidney.
Dan shen Shao yang nourishes the ministerial fire
Dan shen Shao yin tonifies the imperial fire
Dan shen Jue yin cool, move and nourish blood
Dang gui wei, Angelicae sinensis radix Caulis
Blood moving and nourishing.
The tail – Extremitas Radicis Angelicae Sinensis Dang Gui Wei is the least tonifying but most activating. J Penner
Dang gui wei Jue yin blood moving and nourishing
Dang gui, Angelicae sinensis radix
Dang gui is pungent, sweet, and warm. It disperses blood stagnation, it nourishes blood and warms the vessels for the promotion of normal blood flow. It fills the vessels and frees blood circulation.
Dang gui is the core jue yin liver blood storage herb. Dang gui tonifies blood and nourishes the liver while moving blood and transforming stasis and so protects the jue yin liver blood from heat.
Dang gui Jue yin warms andnourishes blood and cools deficiency heat
Deng xin cao, Junci medulla
Deng xin cao is cool and sweet. It promotes urination and clears heat and dampness.
Deng xin cao Tai yang bladder damp and heat clearing
Deng xin cao Shao yin moves and cools water
Di bie chong, Eupolyphaga, aka tu bie chong, wingless cockroach
Di bie chong breaks up dried blood with its salty taste. It is the core insect to clear intense old blood stasis of the liver channel.
Together with da huang it moves blood, transforms stasis and breaks accumulation.
Di bie chong Jue yin blood breaking
Dong gua ren, Benincasae semen
Sweet and cool it transforms hot dampness and phlegm in all hollow organs while disinhibiting urination and dispelling pus.
Dong gua ren Yang ming clears pus from stomach domain
Dong kui zi, Abutili semen
Dong kui zi is sweet and cold and it promotes urination while clearing stones.
It moistens fluids that moisten the intestines and promotes lactation.
Dong kui zi Tai yang bladder stone breaking while promoting urination
Dou huang juan, Sojae semen germinatum
Neutral and sweet, is used to drain dampness internally and externally.
Dou huang juan Tai yin drains dampness
Du huo, Angelicae pubescentis radix
Slightly warm, bitter, pungent it clears the surface of cold and dampness.
It promotes sweating and dispels wind while also eliminating dampness. It clears cold and dampness on the surface and in the limbs which causes joint aches.
It treats mainly the lower and inner body. Often combined with qiang huo to treat wind cold dampness evils on the surface and eliminate pain.
Often combined with qiang huo to treat wind cold dampness evils on the surface and eliminate pain. In acute cases qiang huo is better, when the pathogen has moved deeper and dampness has poured down into the waist and lower, du huo is better.
Du huo Tai yang clears cold and dampness on the surface
Du zhong, Eucomniae cortex
Warm, sweet and bitter tonification of the kidney fire.
Tonify kidney and liver to supplement the water element and guide yang to the source.
Du zhong and sang ji sheng strengthen water to replenish and soften wood and counter fire.
Warms kidney yang and strengthens the kidneys and loins.
Du zhong Shao yin nourishing of true water
Du zhong Jue yin nourishes blood
Ejiao, Asini corii colla
Ejiao is sweet, neutral and it strongly replenishes the Water element through its animal nature and kidney-heart affinity.
Ejiao also controls bleeding during movement of blood. Combined with bai shao it strongly replenishes the nutritive fluids stored in the jue yin liver blood storage.
Nourishes heart and jue yin liver blood and tonifies yin, it moistens internal dryness and stops bleeding.
Ejiao Jue yin nourishes yin and blood
Fang feng, Saposhnikoviae radix
Warm pungent and sweet and is called the moisturizer of the wind herbs.
Fang feng treats wind cold and dampness. It disperses cold and arrests pain with pungent
strengthening of yang qi but it also contains the yin needed to anchor the yang.
It raises tai yin clear yang and can stop diarrhea while clearing the surface.
It promotes the flow of protective yang qi on the surface.
Fang feng Tai yang clears cold on the surface while moistening
Fang feng Tai yin raises clear qi and stops diarrhea
Fang ji, Stephaniae radix
Fang ji is pungent, bitter and cold. It eliminates dampness while also clearing accumulated heat due to stagnation.
Fang ji Tai yang drains dampness from the surface
Fu ling, Poria
Neutral sweet fu ling tonifies tai yin qi of spleen and lung and strengthens the spleen by drying and leeching dampness, freeing the spleen from constraint and allowing normal function.
Fu ling frees the middle from excessive dampness by leaching it out through the tai yang bladder. It also tonifies the spleen when used in small amounts like 9 gram.
Fu ling restores normal qi transformation on the kidneys by disinhibiting urination and promoting the waterways.
Fu ling, zhu ling and ze xie form the core trio for the promotion of urination and the recovery of bladder water metabolism.
Bai zhu and fu ling are the core herbs for clearing dampness from Earth and draining it out by promoting urination. Bai zhu builds a dyke and fu ling opens the water ways.
Fu ling Shao yin moves water
Chi fu Ling, Poria Rubra
Chi fu ling is found between the white inner part and the skin of the fu ling and it is red. It clears dampness and heat.
Chi fu ling Tai yang bladder damp and heat clearing
Chi fu ling Shao yin moves water
Fu ling pi, Poria cortex
Poriae Cocos Fu Ling Piis the skin. It is a stronger diuretic and is primarily used for edema.
Fu long gan, Terra flava usta, aka Zao xin tu, burnt yellow clay, replace with Chi shi zhi
Used to restore control over bleeding by the spleen.
Used in small amounts it drains excess fluids through the small intestine into the bladder and strengthens the spleen.
Fu long gan Tai yin stops bleeding
Fu xiao mai, Tritici fructus
Sweet and cool it enters the heart organ and channel. It adds nourishment and it tonifies heart qi and yin.
Tonify heart and liver blood to calm the mind.
Fu xiao mai Jue yin nourishes liver blood
Fu xiao mai Shao yin nourishes heart blood
Fu zi, Aconiti radix lateralis praeparata aka zhi fu zi
Warm and pungent fu zi is much like gui zhi in that it warms the imperial heart yang. It also warms the shao yin kidney and is much more dispersing than gui zhi. Fu zi is like a teenager in that it needs steering and direction.
It warms the original qi of the kidneys and the gathering qi of the lungs and heart. Fu zi infuses the body with fire and promotes water metabolism through the descent of Fire into the Water reservoirs of the body to draw qi from the body.
The combination of fu zi and gui zhi is the strongest in promoting water metabolism by warming cold fluids.
Gui zhi and fu zi are pure function and motion. They embody the concept of distilling yang from within yin, through the introduction of their dispersing yang nature.
Fu zi Tai yang warms the surface and disperses dampness
Fu zi Shao yin warms imperial fire
Gan sui, Euphorbiae kansui radix
Gan sui is cold, bitter, sweet, and toxic. It drains water downward and eliminates congested fluids and thin mucus.
Gan sui Yang ming draining of fluids
Gao ben, Ligustici sinensis radix
Gao ben is warm, pungent and aromatic. It clears cold and dampness on the surface while moving qi and blood.
Gao ben Tai yang warms the surface
Gao ben Jue yin warms and moves blood
Ge gen, Puerariae radix
Neutral pungent and sweet ge gen nourishes yin fluids while tonifying the tai yin.
Ge gen clears the congestion of the yang ming channel by dispersing. It clears the channel stagnation located on the upper back and neck. Combined with bai shao it benefits yin and relieves the convulsions and spasms by relaxing the tendons.
It raises the clear qi of the sea of water and grain, which relieves muscles on the surface while it stops diarrhea if present. We see this being done in ge gen tang.
Ge gen Tai yang disperses and nourishes tai yang channel
Ge gen Yang ming disperses the yang ming channel
Ge gen Tai yin tonifies spleen and nourishes yin fluids
Geng mi, Semen Oryzae, nonglutinous rice
Geng mi tonifies the middle qi and protects the stomach from the cold effects of other herbs like shi gao.
It also generates fluids and so is used in patterns of dryness.
Geng mi is used in the Shang han lun to regenerate fluid loss due to heat as seen in formulas like mai men dong, zhu ye shi gao tang.
Geng mi Yang ming tonifies stomach while moistening
Geng mi Tai yin tonifies spleen while moistening
Gu ya, Oryzae fructus germinatus
Gu ya is neutral and sweet it tonifies the stomach and spleen while moving the qi downward and breaking accumulations of food.
It is geng mi sprouted.
Gu ya Yang ming tonifies stomach, moves and breaks accumulations of food
Gu ya Tai yin tonifies spleen
Gua di, Pedicellus Melo
Gua di is cold, bitter and it induces vomiting to relieve phlegm heat or retained food.
Use for accumulation above the diaphragm when vomiting is the preferred treatment, including phlegm heat that is constrained in the chest with seizures, mania, throat bi, wheezing, irritability and/or insomnia.
Gua di Yang ming induces counter flow qi of stomach
Gua lou gen, variation of Trichosantis radix
Tai yin cools damp and heat in lung while moistening
Gua lou ren, Trichosanthis semen
Sweet and cold and clears congested phlegm heat in the chest while moistening the lungs. It clears without the bitter taste meaning it does not damage fluids.
Gua lou ren Tai yin clears damp and heat in the lungs and chest
Gua lou shi, Trichosanthis fructus aka gua lou
Cold, sweet, bitter, it dispels phlegm and cools, open the chest and disperses accumulation.
Clears heat and transforms phlegm by flushing it out via the large intestine.
Gua lou shi Yang ming damp and heat clearing
Gui ban, Testudinis carapax
Nourishes yin essence and tonifies heart and kidney.
Salty and increases kidney yin while softening hardness and containing ministerial fire within water.
Together with bai shao it nourishes the liver yin and blood to contain yang qi and still internal wind and replenish water to moisten and soften wood.
Gui ban Shao yin nourishes heart and kidney
Gui ban Jue yin nourishes blood
Zhi gui ban, Testudinis carapax dipped in vinegar when red hot
Flavors & nature: Sweet, salty, and slightly sour; cold tending to neutral
Functions: Supplements yin, the kidneys, and the heart, strengthens the sinews and bones, clears vacuity heat
Gui zhi, Cinnamomi cassiae ramulus
Warm pungent sweet gui zhi is the emperor of herbs because it warms the imperial heart yang qi. By warming the emperor it warms the ministerial fire that circulates on the surface but also in the interior.
Gui zhi warms the surface and frees the muscles of cold. By warming and opening the channels it allows the cold evils at the surface to be dispersed.
Gui zhi warms all three burners through the ministerial fire and so tonifies function of the yang and yin organs.
Gui zhi is the main herb to restore the water metabolism of the tai yang bladder. It warms the yang on the bladder channel and promotes the transformation of kidney qi as vapor from the stored fluids of the bladder.
Gui zhi Tai yang warms the surface, warms tai yang bladder
Gui zhi Shao yin warms imperial fire to warm ministerial fire
Rou gui, Cinnamomi cassiae cortex
Rou gui directly heats the shao yin imperial fire, allowing it to warm the production of kidney vapor.
Rou gui and fu zi are pure function and motion. They embody the concept of distilling yang from within yin, through the introduction of their fierce volatile nature.
Strongly warms tai yang channel to promote proper water metabolism and warms lower extremity cold fluid stagnation. Together with dang gui it promotes the movement of blood to move fluids.
Warms the channels to stop pain while warming tai yang channels and interior shao yin.
Rou gui Tai yang warms the surface
Rou gui Shao yin warms the imperial fire to warm the ministerial fire
Hai feng teng, Piperis caulis
Warm, pungent, and bitter, it warms the surface and clears dampness causing bi syndrome.
Hai feng teng Tai yang warms the surface while clearing dampness
Hai zao, Sargassum
Bitter, salty and cold, it softens hardness and promotes urination and reduces edema.
Hai zao Tai yang bladder damp and heat clearing while promoting urination
Han shui shi, Glauberitum, aka calcite
Han shui shi clears heat and drains fire from the yang ming/qi level and directs fire downward and assists in pacifying wind due to heat.
Han shui shi Yang ming clears stomach heat
Han shui shi Tai yin clears lung heat
Han shui shi Jue yin calms wind
He ye, Nelumbinis folium
He ye is neutral, bitter, sweet, and cools the water layer of heat to stop bleeding.
Arrests bleeding from the upper and outer body.
He ye Yang ming water cooling
Hou po, Magnoliae cortex
Warm, bitter, and aromatic hou po opens the middle and soothes the downward qi flow of the yang ming Metal mandate.
Hou po opens the chest and descends upper burner obstruction. It transforms and moves damp phlegm, while descending upper burner phlegm stagnation thru yang ming.
Hou po disperses qi congestion and descends adverse qi flow.
It opens the chest and so calms asthmatic breathing. It assists xing ren in opening the chest, so dampness can drain to the lower burner to be released.
Hou po Yang ming tonifies and transforms dampness while descending qi
Hua shi, Talcum
It makes the water pathways slippery to promote the elimination of the turbid and sticky dampness from the bladder.
Heavily pressures the pathogenic fluids downward to be expelled through urination.
Sinks into the lower burner and opens the downward passage of fluids
Hua shi Shao yin moves and cools water
Huang bai, Phellodendri cortex
Clears heat from the lower and middle burner and intensely dries dampness.
Clears deficient heat of the liver and kidney and cools the lower burner.
Cold and bitter, bitter adds to the consolidation of the kidney because bitter benefits the kidneys
Clears damp and heat with more effect on dampness than heat. Clears especially in the lower burner and clears damp heat affecting jue yin.
Huang bai Shao yang clears heat and damp in lower burner
Huang bai Jue yin clears heat to cool blood
Huang lian, Coptidis rhizome
Huang lian is bitter and cold to clear yang ming heat. It clears excessive damp heat in the intestines, resolves toxins, and dries damp.
Clears heat from the lower and middle burner and intensely dries dampness.
Huang lian Yang ming clears damp and heat
Jiang zhi chao Huang lian, Coptidis rhizome praep stir fried with ginger juice
For interior yang ming damp and heat accumulation.
Ginger juice fried huang lian is less cold and more focused on the stomach.
Source J. Penner
Dry-fried Coptis Chao Huang Lian has its cold properties moderated to avoid injuring Spleen and Stomach Yang. It enters the Blood to cool Blood Heat and resolve toxicity.
Ginger Coptis Jiang Huang Lian has its cooling action focused on the Middle Jiao, where it cools Stomach Fire and Heat, alleviating nausea and descending rebellious Qi.
Jiang zhi chao huang lian Yang ming damp and heat clearing
Jiu chao huang lian, Coptidis rhizome praep stir fried with wine till scorched
Pungent and less cold
Huang qi, Astragali radix
Huang qi is warm and sweet, and tonifies and raises qi of tai yin, nourishes yin and blood, generates fluids. It is the core taxation herb. It counters the collapse of yang and blood.
Greatly tonifies lung qi to restore control over the pores. When lung qi is firm the opening and closing of pores on the skin is controlled and sweat is contained within. It stops the uncontrolled movement of water which is sweat.
Strengthens the lung and restores the Metal elements control over the Wood element by ascending and dispersing lung qi while tonifying the lower burner through the mother of Water which is Earth.
Strongly tonifies qi of spleen and lung qi to revive the motion of the extremities as well as replenish qi and blood or the organs to fill up the depleted channels. When qi is abundant, new blood is created and moved.
Huang qi Tai yang raises and nourishes true qi
Huang qi Tai yin tonifies spleen and lung
Chao huang qi, Astragali radix praep dry fried
J. Penner dry fried huang qi is warming and warms the tai yin spleen better.
Chao huang qi Tai yang raises and nourishes true qi
Chao huang qi Tai yin tonifies spleen and lung
Zhi huang qi, Astragali radix praep honey fried
The honey fried huang qi is more nourishing than normal huang qi.
Zhi huang qi Tai yang raises and nourishes true qi
Zhi huang qi Tai yin tonifies spleen and lung
Huang qin, Scutellariae radix
Huang qin is cold and bitter and it is the great cleaner. It clears heat and dampness, in all three burners, and in yang ming, tai yin, shao yang, and jue yin.
Qi layer heat clearing herb, the qi layer is the stomach and lung which is yang ming and tai yin.
It also clears internal heat in the shao yang. Clears internal gall bladder heat that flares up to the upper burner. It also clears san jiao damp heat through its bitter drying taste and cold cooling nature.
Huang qin Yang ming clears damp and heat in stomach domain
Huang qin Shao yang clears damp and heat from san jiao and gall bladder
Huang qin Jue yin clears heat to cool liver blood
Jiang huang qin, Scutellariae radix praep is stir fried with ginger which must make it warmer.
Huo ma ren, Cannabis semen
Huo ma ren is neutral and sweet and contains abundant oils that moisten and lubricate the intestines.
Generally it is considered a yin and blood nourishing seed that nourishes yin and blood to revive the pulse.
It moistens Wood dryness and the jue yin layer.
Huo ma ren Yang ming moistening
Huo ma ren Jue yin nourishes blood
Huo xiang ye, Agastachis folium
Huo xiang ye mobilizes the Exterior, disseminates and disperses to treat externally-contracted Wind-Cold with Internal Dampness Obstruction. J Penner
Huo xiang, Agastachis herba
Huo xiang is slightly warm and aromatic. It disperses and clears the surface of cold and promotes a mild sweat.
It also clears internal dampness by penetrating the dampness and transforming it while harmonizing the stomach.
Huo xiang Tai yang warms the surface
Huo xiang Yang ming clears dampness in stomach
Jiu chao huang qin, Scutellariae radix praep stir fried with wine till scorched
Less cold and slightly pungent
Ji zi huang, egg yolk
Nourish Earth to create Metal to replenish Water, to replenish the kidney.
Ji zi huang Shao yin nourishes true water
Jiang can, Bombyx batrycatus
Jiang can is pungent and cool wind heat dispersing of the head and face.
Disperses wind and stop convulsions. Enters the yang ming channel to eliminate phlegm while dispersing wind.
Jiang can Yang ming channel dispersing and phlegm clearing
Jie geng, Platycodi radix
Dissipates qi in lung to clear heat that forms pus and abscess
Jie geng is pungent, bitter, and warm. It transforms stagnant phlegm. It is a pungent surface cold clearing herb that transforms phlegm and arrests coughing.
Diffuses the lungs, stops coughing and acts as guiding assistant to the lungs. Further jie geng clears purulent infections in case of pneumonia by transforming and clearing pus.
Jie geng stops Metal from over controlling Wood.
Jie geng Tai yin disperses qi in lung to clear heat that forms pus and abscess
Jin yin hua, Lonicerae flos aka yin hua
Very light herbs which are said to relieve the exterior by gently pushing the heat outward due to their aromatic quality. Jin yin hua is often used with lian qiao.
Helps evils leave the nutritive by clearing them outwardly towards the qi layer.
Jin yin hua Tai yang heat clearing
Jin yin hua Jue yin heat clearing
Jing jie, Schizonepetae herba
Pungent and mildly warm that supports the pungent cool herbs to help clear toxins.
Disperses wind from the surface while eliminating cold.
Free the flow of protective to move fluid distribution through the surface.
Jing jie Tai yang warms the surface
Jin qian cao, Lysimachiae herba
Jin qian cao is sweet, salty and slightly cold. It promotes urination while clearing damp and heat and breaking hardness such as stones.
It clears damp and heat in the shao yang gall bladder.
Jin qian cao Tai yang bladder damp and heat clearing while promoting urination
Jin qian cao Shao yang damp and heat clearing in gall bladder organ
Jin sha teng, Lygodii herba
Jin sha teng is sweet and cold, damp and heat clearing while promoting urination
Jin sha teng Tai yang bladder damp and heat clearing while promoting urination
Ju hua, Chrysanthemi flos
Ju hua is bitter and neutral.
Ju hua frees the surface and the upper burner by dispelling wind heat and congestion allowing normal function to return. Subdues liver wind, stops convulsions and clears the eyes.
Tai yang clears heat on surface
Ju hua Jue yin calms wind and cools heat
Ku shen, Sophorae flavescentis radix
Ku shen is bitter and cold. It dries dampness and clears dampness stagnation heat from the jue yin system.
It clears damp and heat from the yang ming stomach domain and bladder.
Ku shen Tai yang damp and heat clearing bladder
Ku shen Yang ming damp and heat clearing stomach domain
Ku shen Jue yin damp and heat clearing
Lai fu zi, Raphani semen
Lai fu zi is neutral, pungent and sweet. It moves qi and disperses stagnating food made from flower.
Lai fu zi Yang ming breaks and moves accumulations in the stomach domian
Lian qiao, Forsythiae fructus
Lian qiao is pungent, cool heat dispersing, it clears the surface of heat and dampness
Lian qiao clears the exterior by pushing the heat outward due its aromatic quality.
Lian qiao Tai yang clears the surface of heat and dampness
Lian zi xin, Nelumbinus semen aka Lian xin
Lian zi xin is neutral, sweet, and astringent. It nourishes the nutritive in blood while collecting fluids. It nourishes the true Water of the kidney to give birth to Wood.
It stops diarrhea while tonifying the middle.
Lian zi xin Yang ming stomach tonifying
Lian zi xin Tai yin stops diarrhea while tonifying
Lian zi xin Shao yin nourishes true water
Ling yang jiao, Antelopis cornu
Ling yang jiao is cool, salty and enters the blood layer and cools the blood and counters convulsions.
Ling yang jiao Jue yin cools blood and calms wind
Long dan cao, Gentianae radix
Bitter and cold purging excessive fire in shao yang and so cools and protects the jue yin liver and so the channels of the jue yin liver and shao yang gall bladder.
Purges excessive heat from the gall bladder and clears damp heat from the san jiao.
Long dan cao Shao yang cools heat and drains damp in gall bladder and san jiao organs and channels
Long dan cao Jue yin cools blood and drains damp in liver organ and channel
Long gu, Mastodi fossilium ossis
It is sweet and astringent, and descends rebellious yang and suppresses Wood wind.
Long gu calms the mind and descends heart fire by reconnecting the heart shen and kidneys, it astringes kidney fluids.
Long gu, muli, gui ban and bai shao enter liver and kidney channels and clearly astringe vital qi and original qi to be contained within the fluid source.
Long gu Shao yin anchors and nourishes true water
Long gu Jue yin calms wind
Lu gen, Phragmitis rhizome
Lu gen is cold and sweet. It replaces Wei jing. Clears the lung and drains heat.
Lu gen Tai yin clears lung heat
Ma bo, Lasiosphaera
Ma bo is neutral and pungent. It clears heat from the throat and resolves toxins.
Pungent dispersing of the lung and throat.
Ma bo Tai yin lung and throat dispersing
Ma huang, Ephedrae herba
Warm pungent and bitter ma huang is used to restore function on the surface and the tai yin lung.
Ma huang opens the pores of the surface that were closed by external cold, and promotes the excretion of stagnant fluids by promoting the dispersion of tai yang. Ma huang strongly raises yang qi to the surface to break open the cold closure but needs support in restoring the yang qi. Ma huang is not warm enough to warm the blood vessels in ma huang tang and is therefore used with gui zhi to free the congested nutritive and the flow of yang.
Ma huang diffuses and descends lung qi and opens the pores on the surface to allow a smooth descent of the breath to subdue panting.
Often combined with shi gao which is pungent and cold to clear heat. These two herbs balance each other.
Ma huang Tai yang warms the surface
Ma huang Tai yin disperses and descends the lung
Ma huang Shao yin strongly increases heart yang
Mai men dong, Ophiopogonis radix
Sweet, slightly bitter and cold. It tonifies qi and yin and mildly clears heat to moisten dryness, while replenishing fluids and strengthens yin as the main component of blood.
Mai men dong nourishes nutritive fluids and clears deficiency heat of the upper burner and buffers wood. This clears the agitation at night and night sweats or the five center heat.
Mai men dong Yang ming moistens stomach
Mai men dong Tai yin moistens lung
Mai men dong Jue yin nourishes the upper source of water
Mai ya, Hordei fructus germinatus
Mai ya is salty, sweet, and moves the qi in yang ming.
Mai ya Yang ming moves qi
Man jing zi, Viticis fructus
Cool bitter and pungent, it eliminates external wind to stop pain and clears damp in the channels, often used in formulas from Jin Yuan dynasty scholar Li Dong yuan.
Man jing zi Tai yang cools heat and drains damp on the surface
Mang xiao, Natrii sulfas
Salty and cold, it clears heat and purges excess from yang ming while moistening dryness and softening hardness.
Mang xiao and da huang form a fierce team to purge yang ming fu organ fullness due to excessive heat and internal dryness.
Mang xiao is salty and enters the waterways while softening hardness and accumulation by purging fullness and heat.
Mang xiao Yang ming moistening and descending
Mu dan pi, Moutan cortex
Mu dan is of pungent flavor and cold.
Mu dan pi is a blood moving herb that clears stagnation heat from the blood layer. The stagnation heat is caused by increased friction due to blood stasis. Its pungent taste provides movement; its bitter taste provides descent and purgation while its cold nature congeals the vessels to prevent blood leakage.
Cools blood and clears deficient heat in the lower burner due to kidney and liver deficiency. It moves blood and disperses stagnation to assist the movement of fluids.
Removes blood stasis while clearing blood heat. Together with ejiao it ensures control over blood and so prevents bleeding.
Mu dan pi Jue yin blood moving and cooling
Mu gua, Chaenomelis fructus
Mu gua is warm and sour and it drains the dampness on the surface and in the middle.
Mu gua Tai yang damp draining
Mu gua Yang ming damp draining
Mu gua Tai yin damp draining
Mu li, Ostrea concha
Muli is salty and astringent. It restores the heart and kidney connection. Thus restoring the communication through the jue yin channel of liver and pericardium of which the liver is the blood storing extension.
Muli Shao yin reconnects the kidneys with the heart to warm the surface, softens hardness and anchor yang
Mu tong, Clematidis armandii caulis
Cold and bitter clears heat from the heart and small intestine. It clears heat from the upper burner and promotes urination to lead it out the lower burner.
Draining and cooling damp heat by dispelling it through the urine.
Drains dampness and heat from the jue yin channels.
Mu tong and zhi zi both lubricate the front orifice of the urethra to promote the elimination of damp heat. Commonly used together to percolate damp from all three burners.
Mu tong Shao yang clears heat in san jiao
Mu tong Jue yin blood cooling
Mu xiang, Aucklandiae radix
Warm, pungent and bitter.
It regulates qi in the middle burner and resolves stagnation, and control pain in the treatment of cramping due to cold.
When qi is regulated, cramping will disappear.
Mu xiang Yang ming descends stomach qi
Mu xiang Tai yin tonifies spleen
Niu bang zi, Arctii fructus
Dispelling wind heat and relieving swelling in the throat and redness of throat and eyes.
Pungent and cool wind heat dispersing of the head and face.
Disperses the surface while clearing congestion heat.
Niu bang zi Tai yang clears surface heat
Niu bang zi Yang ming clears yang ming channel heat
Chao niu ban zi, Arctii fructus praep dry fried
Chao niu bang zi is dry fried. Dry frying makes the herb warmer.
Dispelling wind heat and relieving swelling in the throat and redness of throat and eyes.
Pungent and cool wind heat dispersing of the head and face.
Disperses the surface while clearing congestion heat.
Chao niu bang zi Tai yang clears heat on surface
Chao niu bang zi Yang ming channel heat clearing
Niu huang, Bovus calculus
Niu huang is cold, bitter and sweet.
Niu huang cools the blood layer and calms internal wind. It opens the orifices and drains phlegm.
Niu huang Jue yin cools blood, calms wind, drains phlegm
Niu xi, Achyranthis bidentatae radix
Clears heat from the upper downward and moves blood while strengthening the kidneys.
Moves blood downward while clearing blood accumulation from the upper burner.
Strongly moves blood back down to its storage in the liver and kidneys.
Combined with dai zhe shi it strongly forces blood and qi downward to free the head and reverse an emergency.
Moves blood and benefits the joints while strengthening the kidneys and loins.
Combined with du zhong they strengthen the spine and stop back aches.
Niu xi Shao yin tonifies kidney
Niu xi Jue yin calms wind
Jiu chao niu xi, achyranthis bidentatae radix praep wine fried
Jiu niu xi is wine fried and it increases the blood moving aspect.
Jiu chao niu xi Shao yin tonifies kidney
Jiu chao niu xi Jue yin calms wind
Ou jie, Nodus Nelumbo Rhizomatis
Ou jie is sweet and neutral. It clears heat in the blood. It stops bleeding and breaks stasis.
Ou jie Jue yin blood breaking and cooling to stop bleeding
Pu huang, Typhae pollen aka pu huang tan aka Sheng Pu Huang, Pu Huang
Sweet and mildly pungent and neutral, also enters the blood part of the liver and moves blood and stops bleeding.
Combined with wu ling zhi they both move qi within blood to transform stasis.
Eliminates blood stasis due to blood deficiency while promoting urination and stopping pain.
Flavors & nature: Sweet; neutral
Functions: Quickens the blood, dispels stasis, stops pain
Pu huang Tai yang bladder promotes urination
Pu huang Jue yin breaks and moves blood to stop bleeding
Chao pu huang, Typhae pollen praep charred aka Pu Huang Tan
Flavors & nature: Sweet and slightly astringent; neutral tending to warm
Functions: Harmonizes the blood, stops bleeding
Chao pu huang Tai yang bladder promotes urination
Chao pu huang Jue yin breaks and moves blood to stop bleeding
Qian hu, Peucedani radix
Bitter and pungent and mildly cool.
Surface relieving and phlegm transforming and cough arresting, it relieves coughing by resolving phlegm.
It descends adverse flow and dries dampness, frees qi congestion and opens the surface while its mildly cool nature clears heat from phlegm stagnation.
Together with jie geng they dissipate lung qi and propel fluids from tai yin upward. The surface is opened and cold is cleared. They stop coughing by clearing phlegm from the airways.
Qian hu Tai yang clears heat on surface
Qian hu Tai yin disperses heat and dampness while descending lung
Qiang huo, Notopterygii rhizome
Warm pungent and bitter it disperses superficial cold, dispels wind dampness, and smoothes the joints and arrests bi syndrome pain. It is the essential herb for wind cold dampness evils invading the tai yang channel.
Enters tai yang to relieve the muscles, disperse wind and alleviate pain.
Relieves the surface, promotes sweating and dispels wind while at the same time eliminating dampness on the surface and in the limbs. Treats mainly evils on the upper and outer body.
Disperses wind and frees the surface and treats tai yang headaches on the back of the head and the nape.
Frees the surface and promotes sweating. Disperses wind invasion and eliminates dampness. Wind is yang and so it dries and qiang huo causes sweat to push outward and so moistens the surface and eliminates wind. Often combined with du huo for wind cold dampness affecting the joints.
Qiang huo Tai yang warms the surface and dispels dampness
Qin jiao, Gentianae macrophyllae radix
Disperse wind dry dampness, clear heat
Decongests the liver and gall bladder organs.
Disperses dampness on the surface and clears the shao yang of damp to ensure pivoting of the middle to clear qi can rise and turbid qi can descend.
Qin jiao Tai yang damp clearing
Qin jiao Shao yang damp clearing
Qin pi, Fraxini cortex
Qin pi is cold, bitter, and astringent, it clears heat, resolves toxins and stops dysentery.
Qin pi Yang ming drains damp and heat and stop diarrhea
Qing pi, Citri reticulatae viride pericarpium
Qing pi is warm, bitter and pungent. It breaks up accumulations in the stomach domain while moving the qi downward.
It drains dampness and transforms phlegm.
Qing pi Yang ming breaks and moves accumulation is the stomach domain
Qing pi Shao yang moves gall bladder qi
Qu mai, Dianthi herba
Qu mai is bitter and cold. It clears heat and dampness while promoting urination.
Qu mai Tai yang bladder damp and heat clearing while promoting urination
Quan xie, Scorpio
Disperses wind and stop convulsions. Attacks wind from the channels while opening the collaterals. It enters the liver jue yin channel to counter internal wind convulsions.
Quan xie Jue yin calms wind
Ren shen, Ginseng radix
Mildly warm and sweet ren shen tonifies tai yin spleen and lung qi kidney qi.
Ren shen strengthens righteous qi to push the invading evils outwards. Righteous qi is also called true qi and it is a combination of original qi and gathering qi. All are dependent on the qi of shao yin and tai yin. Which in turn are dependent on the jue yin and shao yang for the ministerial fire in all three burners.
The tonification of true qi will strengthen the heart beat, while the tonification of yin will nourish the blood and clear deficient heat. It nourishes yin fluids and therefore is the foremost qi and yin tonic.
Because of this it can create internal dampness which prevents damage from purging herbs by mildly moistening. Ren shen protects tai yin from shao yang and supports the qi of tai yin spleen.
Often combined with bai zhu to treat excessive dampness due to tai yin deficiency.
Ren shen, bai zhu and fu ling tonify tai yin qi of spleen and lung and strengthens the spleen by drying and leaching dampness to allow normal function to return.
Ban xia, ren shen, sheng jiang, gan cao and da zao form the five common spleen strengthening herbs.
Ren shen Tai yin tonifies spleen and lung while moistening and raising clear qi
Ren shen Shao yin tonifies original qi
Rou cong rong, Cistanchis herba
Rou cong rong is warm, sweet and salty. It warms the yang in blood and tonifies the shao yin kidney.
Rou cong rong Shao yin warms the imperial fire to warm the ministerial fire
Rou cong rong Jue yin warms blood
Ru xiang, Olibanum aka frankencense
Warm, pungent, bitter, and aromatic. Moves blood to stop pain on the surface. Clears dampness on the surface. It also breaks up old blood.
Ru xiang Tai yang warms the surface while clearing dampness
Ru xiang Jue yin moves blood
Sang bai pi, Mori cortex
Sweet and cold and drains heat from the lungs to stop panting.
Clears heat from the lung body to protect the lung tissue.
Sang bai pi Tai yin heat clearing lung
Sang ji sheng, Taxilli herba
Bitter, sweet yin nourishing, it tonifies kidney and liver to supplement the water element and guide yang to the source.
Du zhong and sang ji sheng strengthen water to replenish and soften wood and counter fire.
Tonifies the kidney to generate the liver, while eliminating bi syndrome.
Sang ji sheng Shao yin nourishing of true water
Sang ji sheng Jue yin nourishes blood
Sang ye, Mori folium
Frees the surface and dispels wind heat in the upper burner.
Disperse wind congestion and heat. Sweet and bitter and moistening, it descends adverse flow of the liver wind while moderating liver urgency.
Bitter and sweet it frees the lungs from wind heat while moistening dryness.
Tai yang surface heat clearing
Sang ye Tai yin clears lung heat
Sang ye Jue yin calms wind
Sang zhi, Mori albae ramulus
Neutral, bitter it clears dampness on the surface.
Sang zhi Tai yang damp clearing
Sha ren, Amomi xanthioidis fructus
Sha ren is warm, aromatic and moves the qi in yang ming while tonifying and transforming dampness accumulation.
Fragrant and transforms stagnant dampness in the middle. It moves middle burner qi and dries dampness to free the spleen and allow room for the spleen’s normal action of transporting and transforming.
Sha ren Yang ming breaks and moves phlegm in the stomach domain
Shan yao, Dioscoreae rhizome
Sweet neutral and strongly tonifies middle burner qi and it tonifies tai yin lung and spleen.
It tonifies spleen and kidney qi to restore normal opening and closing functions of the kidney.
Shan yao Tai yin tonifies lung and spleen
Shan yao Shao yin tonifies kidney qi
Shan zha, Crataegi fructus
Digests food and assists to disperse the accumulation of meat and rich food.
Shan zha Yang ming moves qi
Shan zha Tai yin transforming food qi
Shan zhu yu, Corni fructus
Shan zhu yu astringes kidney essence into the jue yin channels.
Sour and moderates liver excess by softening and astringing liver essence by decreasing the liver’s dispersing qualities.
Shan zhu yu Shao yin nourishes true water
Shan zhu yu Jue yin calms wind
Shang lou gen, Phytolacca, aka shang lou, aka shang lu
Drives out water through the urine and stool, removes phlegm, stops coughs and resolves lumps, reduces swelling and disperses nodules.
Cold, bitter promotes urination and reduces swelling.
Shang lou gen Tai yang bladder damp and heat clearing while promoting urination
She gan, Belamcandae rhizoma
Sha gan is cold and bitter draining of phlegm in the lung that causes obstruction with sore throat, cough, short of breath, and wheezing.
She gan Tai yin disperses and descends the lungs
Shen qu, Massa medicata fermentata
Shen qu is warm, sweet, and pungent. It disperses food stagnation and corrects counter flow qi by directing it downward which supports the Metal to control Wood.
Shen qu Yang ming moves the stomach qi downwards
Sheng di huang, Rehmanniae radix non prepared
Nourishes blood while cooling heat
Sheng di huang is cold, sweet, and bitter.
Replenish yin within the blood and to cool blood heat. Replenish the body’s yin reservoir of the kidney to nourish the liver fluids to build blood and counter deficiency heat. The combination of sheng di and dang gui is by far the most common for treating the liver body.
Sheng di huang Shao yin nourishes true water
Sheng di huang Jue yin nourishes blood while cooling heat
Shu di huang, Rehmanniae radix praeparata steamed with rice wine
Shu di is warmer than sheng di and does not clear deficiency heat. It nourishes kidney, liver and heart yin and replenishes depleted yin fluids.
Tonifies blood and nourishes liver and kidney yin to replenish the main ingredient of blood.
Replenish kidney essence and tonify true kidney yin. It replenishes kidney water resources to strengthen liver blood and contain heat due to deficiency.
Shu di huang Shao yin nourishes true water
Shu di huang Jue yin nourishes blood
Sheng gan cao, Glycyrrhizae radix aka gan cao non prepared
Replenishes the nutritive ying layer and clears deficient heat while moistening tendons and connective tissue, and therefore often combined with bai shao.
Strengthens qi and moderates other pungent herbs from being too dispersing. It moistens to prevent excessive drying from pungent herbs.
It tonifies Earth while mildly tonifying qi and nourishing fluids of the stomach. It tonifies qi and strengthens the center when combined with fu ling.
It buffers the liver Wind by creating liver fluids with the sour and sweet tastes that create yin.
Yang ming clears stomach heat while moistening
Sheng gao cao Yang ming clears stomach heat while moistening
Sheng gan cao Tai yin clears spleen and lung heat while moistening
Zhi gan cao, Glycyrrhizae radix prep aka gan cao stir fried with honey
Warm sweet zhi gan cao strengthens the tai yin spleen qi and buffers the effects of drying herbs but mainly tonifies spleen qi. Gan cao also moistens fluids and so is used in patterns of dryness.
Gan cao tonifies the middle qi and protects the stomach from cold herbs.
Zhi gan cao directly enters the heart. It strongly tonifies heart qi and regulates heart rhythm. It also builds spleen qi to strengthen lung and heart qi to revive the pulse beat.
Combined with bai shao it generates yin and replenishes fluids of the liver and so calms excessive Wood wind.
Fu zi combined with gan cao embodies the sweet and pungent tonification of yang qi.
Zhi gan cao Yang ming tonifies stomach while moistening
Zhi gan cao Tai yin tonifies spleen while moistening
Zhi gan cao Shao yin nourishes heart blood
Licorice tips Gan Cao Shao are cool in nature, drain Fire and resolve toxicity. They excel in treating Damp-Heat Pouring Downward into the Bladder and causing urethral pain.
Gan cao shao Tai yang bladder damp and heat clearing
Sheng ji nei jin, Endothelium Corneum Gigeriae Galli unprepared
Ji nei jin is sweet and neutral. It breaks accumulations the stomach and intestines while moving qi downward.
It stops leaking of urine and softens hardness of stones in the bladder
Unprepared Gizzard Lining Sheng Ji Nei Jin is most appropriate for treating biliary or urinary tract stones.
Sheng ji nei jin Tai yang bladder breaks stones and stops leaking
Sheng ji nei jin Yang ming breaks accumulations and moves qi
Sheng jiang, Zingiberis rhizoma recens
Sheng jiang is a warm pungent herb that disperses dampness and cold outward. It warms the tai yang, yang ming and tai yin.
Sheng jiang helps gui zhi to promote sweating and clear the surface of cold. The sweat promoted with sheng jiang originates from earth and prevents the inward collapse of pathogens into the yin levels due to its upwards movement.
Sheng jiang dries the middle burner of dampness that can arise due to spleen obstruction and deficiency and by correcting the counter flow of the stomach. It stops nausea by harmonizing the stomach and drying dampness and phlegm.
Sheng jiang, ren shen, gan cao and da zao form the four common spleen strengthening herbs.
Sheng jiang Tai yang warms the surface
Sheng jiang Yang ming tonifies and disperses excess fluids in stomach
Sheng jiang Tai yin tonifies and warms spleen and lung and sends clear qi upwards
Gan jiang, Zingiberis rhizome praep, dried sheng jiang
Warm (or hot) pungent and astringent gan jiang is the main herb to warm the tai yin level and treat excessive dampness by introducing yang ming dryness in tai yin dampness.
Gan jiang warms the fluids in the lungs and spleen, while assisting in dispersing cold from the body surface. Together with xi xin they form the core pair to treat internal stagnant fluids.
Gan jiang dispels cold and anchors warming herbs like fu zi inward. It is a dry astringent stagnant heat herb that warms the middle and anchors fu zi inward.
Warms tai yin spleen cold and balances cold herbs like huang lian. We see this being done in ban xia xie xin tang.
Gan jiang Yang ming dries dampness in yang ming
Gan jiang Tai yin warms and dries dampness in lung and spleen
Wei (sheng) jiang, Zingiberis rhizoma praep baked with ginger
J. Penner Baked ginger wei jiang no longer disperses, just descends. It has strong warming and descending actions and is appropriate for harmonizing the middle and stopping nausea. It is used for spleen yang deficiency Cold with abdominal pain and nausea.
Wei jiang Tai yang warms the surface
Wei jiang Yang ming descends and tonifies the stomach
Wei jiang Tai yin warms and tonifies the spleen
Sheng ma, Cimicifugae rhizome
Sheng ma is cold, sweet, bitter, and pungent. It disperses congested fire by raising and dispersing clear yang and in this regard is like chai hu.
Chai hu is used more often for internal shao yang patterns while sheng ma is more often used for exterior patterns of damp and heat accumulation.
It clears heat and resolves toxins while ascending clear yang to free congestion of congealed heat. Combined with huang lian it embodies ascension and descending while purging.
Frees the flow of wood qi of liver and gall bladder. The transformation of Earth relies on the free movement of the element wood.
Sheng ma Tai yang clears surface of heat congestion
Sheng ma Shao yang clears damp and heat in gall bladder and san jiao
Sheng ma Jue yin liver blood cooling
Shi chang pu, Acori calami rhizome
Warm pungent and aromatic, opens the orifices by clearing dampness and phlegm.
Shi chang pu is pungent and mildly warm and enters heart and liver channels.
Shi chang pu Yang ming drains dampness and opens the channels
Shi chang pu Jue yin calms wind by dispersing dampness
Shi gao, Gypsum
Very cold pungent and sweet shi gao clears the qi layer heat, clears internal heat in the shao yang and yang ming channels.
Clears yang ming channel heat which in Fire school terms is the qi layer. In zang fu terms is lung and stomach.
Purges excess yang ming or qi layer channel fire with pungent dispersing and cools heat with cool sweetness.
Shi gao Yang ming disperses and cools yang ming channel and cools stomach heat
Shi gao Tai yin cools lung heat
Shi hu, Dendrobii caulis
Shi hu is cold and sweet, it generates fluids and yin especially of the kidney, liver and lung while clearing deficiency heat.
Shi hu Tai yin lung moistening
Shi hu Shao yin nourishes true water to nourish blood
Shi wei, Pyrrosiae folium
Shi wei is sweet and bitter. It clears damp and heat and stones in the bladder. It cools the blood to stop bleeding. It clears the lungs of damp and heat.
Shi wei Tai yang clears damp, heat and stones in bladder
Shi wei Tai yin lung damp and heat clearing
Shi wei Jue yin blood cooling
Shu Jiao, Pericarpum zanthoxyli bungeani aka Chuan jiao aka Hua Jiao, Qin Jiao, Ba Jiao, Hong Jiao
Hot and pungent it warms and disperses cold.
Shu jiao is hot and pungent and it warms the stomach and spleen while dispersing cold and dampness.
Shu jiao Yang ming stomach cold and dampness dispersing
Shu jiao Tai yin spleen cold and dampness dispersing
Shui niu jiao, Bubali cornu, Buffalo horn
Shui niu jiao is bitter, salty and cold and it clears toxic heat from the nutritive layer.
It is salty and directly enters the blood layer where it lowers its temperature.
Shui niu jiao Jue yin cools blood
Tao ren, Persicae semen
Moves the blood, descends yang ming and flushes out static local heat.
Bitter and pungent and disperses stagnation while expelling blood downward. Used in classic formulas to break through blood stagnation in the lower burner.
Heavy and bitter and sinks to break stasis and move blood in the lower Jiao.
Breaks amassment and transforms stasis, also moistens dryness.
Invigorates blood and transforms stasis in the internal organs
Tao ren Yang ming descends, moistens and drains to break stagnations
Tao ren Jue yin moves and breaks blood
Tian hua fen, Trichosanthis radix aka gua lou gen
Tian hua fen is bitter and cold. Used to clear the channels of congestion without drying fluids.
Tian hua fen Tai yang clears dampness on the surface
Tian ma, Gastrodiae rhizoma
Sweet and neutral and solely enters the liver jue yin channel and the miraculous herb to still wind.
Suppresses liver wind flaring by sweet moderation of liver urgency.
Tian ma Jue yin calms wind
Tian men dong, Asparagi radix
Tian men dong is sweet, bitter, and cold. It mildly clears fire and tonifies heart and lung yin.
Tian men dong Jue yin nourishes the nutritive and cools heat
Ting li zi, Lepidii/Descurainiae semen
Very cold, pungent, and bitter. Ting li zi drains the lungs, reduces phlegm, calms wheezing, circulates water and reduces edema by promoting urination.
Ting li zi Tai yin drains the lungs, reduces phlegm, calms wheezing
Tong cao, Tetrapanacis medulla
Tong cao is neutral and pungent. It is a jue yin herb in that moves blood and drains heat that can build up in the pericardium nutritive level.
It tonifies and promotes growth of Wood through consolidation of fresh kidney water through its bitter taste along the Nei jing paradigm that bitter tonifies the kidneys.
Ascends to the upper burner from where it will drain stagnating dampness and heat downward.
Mu tong, tong cao and hua shi are the most typical herbs to leach hot dampness from the san jiao.
Tong cao Shao yang drains dampness from the san jiao
Tong cao Shao yin tonifying and nourishing of true water
Tong cao Jue yin moves and cools blood
Wang bu liu xing zi, Vaccariae semen
Wang bu liu xing zi is neutral, bitter and it drains phlegm and so softens masses, it unblocks obstruction in the channels.
Wang bu liu xing zi Jue yin drains phlegm and opens the channels
Wei jing, phragmites stem often substituted with lugen phragmites root
Lugen cools heat in the qi layer, lung and stomach, it clears heat on the surface while nourishing yin. It also clears toxic heat in the lungs as in abscess.
Replace wei jing with lugen phragmitis rhizoma
(Wei jing) Lu gen Tai yin clears heat in lung
Wei rui, Polygomati yuzhu rhizoma
Sweet, slightly cool it nourishes yin, moistens dryness, moistens the lungs, extinguishes wind, nourishes the stomach and generates fluids.
Wei ru Yang ming moistens the stomach
Wei ru Tai yin moistens lung
Wu wei zi, Schisandrae fructus
Warm sweet and sour wu wei zi astringes and collects the lung to anchor lung qi and stop coughing. Tonifies lung qi through astringing and counters the descent of yang ming. It boosts qi, astringes essence and controls diarrhea.
Always in combination with gan jiang to stop coughing due to cold dampness accumulation on the tai yin domain of the lungs and spleen.
It eliminates phlegm and moistens and tonifies the lung qi. This balances the effect of the strongly drying and dispersing action of pungent herbs like ma huang, gui zhi, xi xin and gan jiang.
Tonifies qi as well as being sour to astringe fluids and nourish yin.
Combined with ren shen it embodies the concept of Sour and sweet nourish yin fluids.
Wu wei zi Tai yin collects lung qi
Wu yao, Linderae radix
Wu yao is pungent and warm. It warms the blood circulating in the san jiao which clears cold and stops pain.
Wu yao Jue yin blood warming
Wu zhu yu, Evodiae fructus
Hot, pungent, and bitter. It warms the interior liver channel, warms the liver organ and the ministerial fire.
Warms jue yin Wood and tai yin and Earth. It dries the stomach and spleen from dampness and expels cold contracting the liver causing abdominal pain and vomiting.
Wu zhu yu treats headache by warming jue yin and shao yang channels. It relaxes the liver with warmth and so ends the attack on the stomach. Wind causes the foamy vomiting in a wu zhu yu tang pattern.
The liver controls menstrual bleeding and wu zhu yu warms the liver channel and organ, disperses cold and controls pain.
Wu zhu yu Yang ming warms and dries the stomach
Wu zhu yu Tai yin warms and dries the spleen
Wu zhu yu Jue yin warms ministerial fire
Xi gua pi, Citrulli exocarpium
Xi gua pi is cool, sweet and bland. It cools heat in the qi layer which is the stomach and lung. It is often used for summer heat which is a yang ming channel pattern.
Exocarpium Citrulli (Watermelon Rind) Xi Gua Pi is not as cooling as the flesh, but is a stronger diuretic and is best to treat edema. It is also used for jaundice with darkish urine. J Penner
Xi gua pi Yang ming clears channel and stomach heat
Xi gua pi Tai yin clears heat in lung
Xi gua pi Shao yin cools water
Xi xin, Asari herba
Warm pungent and aromatic xi xin disperses the surface of cold and frees qi by opening the channels. Xi xin disperses stagnating fluids by warming the interior and exterior.
Warms the interior and especially tai yang, tai yin, and shao yin.
Combined with fu zi it treats internal cold.
Combined with gan jiang to treat fluid accumulation in the lungs.
Xi xin Tai yang warms the surface
Xi xin Tai yin warms and dries lung
Xi xin Shao yin warms imperial fire
Xi yang shen, Panacis quinquifolii
Xi yang shen is cold, sweet and slightly bitter. It tonifies the kidneys and lungs while cooling heat. It generates fluids and stops bleeding due to heat.
Xi yang shen Tai yin tonifies the lungs while moistening and cooling
Xi yang shen Shao yin nourishes and cools true water
Xiang fu, Cyperi rhizome aka xiang fuzi
Warm bitter is used to counter the cold herbs in the formula. It courses the liver to ensure spreading of wood for when qi flows, blood flows.
Moves liver and gall bladder qi.
Courses the pivotal realm between liver and gall bladder. Xiang fu acts much like chuan xiong and zhi shi.
Xiang fu Shao yang moves gall bladder qi
Xiang fu Jue yin moves liver qi
Xiang ru, Moslea herbae
Warm, pungent and aromatic, it warms yang on the surface and is used for summer heat but due to cold where the surface is closed.
It also disperses the middle much like hou po with its aromatic nature.
Xiang ru Tai yang warms and disperses the surface
Xiang ru Yang ming disperses excess damp in the stomach
Xiang ru Tai yin disperses dampness in the spleen
Xiao ji, Cirsii herba
Xiao ji is sweet and cool. It cools the blood to stop bleeding. It clears sore and abscesses due to heat.
It clears damp and heat jaundice while promoting urination.
Xiao ji Tai yang bladder damp and heat clearing while promoting urination
Xiao ji Jue yin cools blood to stop bleeding and clear sores and abscesses
Xie bai, Allii macrostemi bulbus
Warm yang, moves qi, and controls pain. It descends chest and yang ming congestion.
The fragrant xie bai penetrates the stagnant yin turbidity with yang warmth to promote movement.
Xie bai Yang ming stomach domain moving
Xin yi hua, Magnoliae flos aka xin yi
Warm pungent aromatic that open the orifices and yang ming channels.
Xin yin hua Yang ming channel dispersing
Xing ren, Armeniacae semen
Warm sweet and bitter xing ren descends qi and transforms phlegm.
Xing ren descends and diffuses lung qi which stops panting and coughing.
Descends and smoothes the flow of lung qi, and combined with ma huang it embodies the combination of dispersing and descending. Xing ren assists ma huang is arresting panting. Xing ren descends the Metal element through its bitter taste and pacifies adverse lung qi and dispels phlegm.
It dispels stagnant phlegm in the lungs and moistens lung dryness through its oily nature while descending lung qi and countering coughing. It is often combined with jie geng and ma huang.
Xing ren descends and moistens, together with tao ren they are bitter and heavy and descend qi and blood. Xing ren descends lung qi, which stands into the interior exterior relation to the large intestine, allowing for a heavy Metal downward pressure on the stomach and large intestine.
Xing ren Tai yin disperses and descends lung
Xu duan, Dipsaci radix
Bitter tonification of the true water and shao yin kidney and so the bones. It nourishes Water to give birth to Wood.
Xu duan Shao yin nourishes true water
Xuan fu hua, Inulae flos
Xuan fu hua moves qi, eliminates phlegm and breaks through accumulations. It ascends clear yang and descends turbid yin. It can move qi congestion and calm wood on earth. It is salty, bitter and pungent and the only flower that moves qi downward and softens amassment.
Xuan fu hua Yang ming softens and moves phlegm
Xuan fu hua Tai yin promotes transformation of food qi
Xuan shen, Scrophulariae radix
Xuan shen nourishes the nutritive yin blood while clearing deficiency heat. It enters the jue yin pericardium and cools fluids to temper heart fire flaring and calm vexation.
Bitter salty and cool it nourishes yin, moistens dryness and builds water to control fire.
Xuan shen Shao yin tonifies and nourishes true water
Xuan shen Jue yin cools blood while nourishing
Yi yi ren, Coicis semen
Yi yi ren is of sweet flavor and slightly cold. It tonifies the spleen and drains and leaches dampness out through urination. It transforms hot dampness and phlegm while disinhibiting urination and dispelling pus.
Yi yi ren Tai yang clears surface of dampness
Yi yi ren Tai yin drains the lungs and chest congestion
Yi zhi ren, Alpiniae oxyphyllae fructus
Yi zhi ren is warm pungent and it warms the kidney and bladder to excessive urination.
It warms the spleen and stops diarrhea
Yi zhi ren Tai yin warming to stop diarrhea
Yi zhi ren Shao yin warms the kidneys and bladder to control water
Yin chen hao, Artemisiae scopariae herba
Yin chen hao is of bitter flavor and neutral. It governs the treatment of the evil qi of wind damp chills and fever, it treats heat congestion jaundice.
It clears the congestion of gall bladder and liver stagnation damp heat resulting in dampness heating up causing yellowing. The ministerial fire is only hot when it stagnates.
Core herb for jaundice, it clears heat and percolates dampness.
Yin chen hao Tai yang clears damp and heat on the surface
Yin chen hao Shao yang damp and heat clearing in san jiao
Yin chen hao Tai yin clears heat and percolates dampness
Yu jin, Curcumae radix
Yu jin is cold, pungent, bitter and aromatic. It moves blood and breaks stasis that causes pain. It moves the ministerial fire that supports the burners. It cools blood and drains dampness.
Yu jin Shao yang moves and cools blood in the san jiao
Yu jin Jue yin blood moving and cooling
Yu yu liang, Limonitum aka Yu liang shi aka tai yu yu liang
Yu yu liang is sweet and astringent which stanches bleeding and checks diarrhea but also tonifies the spleen.
Yu yu liang Yang ming stops diarrhea
Yu yu liang Tai yin tonifies spleen
Yu zhu, Polygonati odorati rhizoma
Neutral and sweet, yu zhu moistens dryness.
Yu zhu Yang ming moistens dryness
Yu zhu Tai yin moistens dryness
Ze xie, Alismatis rhizome
Cold sweet ze xie promotes urination and leads stagnant fluids into the tai yang bladder system.
Ze xie restores normal qi transformation on the kidneys by disinhibiting urination and promoting the waterways.
Fu ling, zhu ling and ze xie form the core trio for the promotion of urination and the recovery of bladder water metabolism.
Ze xie Yang ming promotes water separation
Ze xie Shao yin move water
Zhi ke, Aurantii fructus
Courses gall bladder to free stomach and spleen and assists chen pi by harmonizing the movements of descending qi.
Disperses qi stagnation by moving and descending.
Together with chen pi they move qi to break stagnating fluids like phlegm. The pungent taste helps with dispersing fluids to the upper and the bitter helps dry earth and descend yang ming.
Zhi ke Yang Ming moves and descends stomach qi
Zhi ke Shao yang moves gall bladder qi
Zhi mu, Anemarrhenae rhizome
Bitter, sweet and cold, it enters the lung, tonifies deficiency, calms the heart and stops fright. It clears deficiency heat to preserve the yin blood of liver and heart, for only when yin blood is sufficient can the yang mind be controlled and pacified. It clears the heat in the jue yin liver and pericardium channels.
Zhi mu Jue yin nourishes and cools blood
Zhi shi, Aurantii fructus immaturus
Zhi shi is of bitter flavor and cold. Moves the gall bladder qi downward and promotes yang ming descent.
Zhi shi moves the shao yang gall bladder downward to descend yang ming stomach and large intestine qi and restores the descent of qi to eliminate stagnation and create space for the rising of clear yang of jue yin liver and tai yin spleen.
Often used together with chai hu which aides the ascension of liver qi while zhi shi aids the descent of gall bladder qi, and so restores the pivotal impairment of the middle.
Courses the flow of gall bladder qi and ministerial fire by breaking through the damp phlegm congestion that caused the ministerial fire to stagnate in the stomach and create mild stagnation heat.
Zhi shi Yang ming descends excess accumulation in stomach domain
Zhi shi Shao yang drains accumulations and moves qi in liver and gallbladder
Zhi zi, Gardeniae fructus
Cold and bitter, it clears heat affecting the upper burner causing vexation.
Clears heat in the upper burner.
Clears damp and damp heat in the middle and lower burners. Liver, gall bladder, stomach, intestines, bladder.
It drains the damp and heat out though the bladder by promoting urination.
Zhi zi Shao yang clears heat in the san jiao
Zhu ling, Polyporus sclerotium
Neutral sweet zhu ling is a strong diuretic that promotes tai yang bladder water metabolism by excreting excessive fluids from the body.
Fu ling, zhu ling and ze xie form the core trio for the promotion of urination and the recovery of bladder water metabolism.
Zhu ling Shao yin move water
Zhu ru, Bambusae caulis in taeniam
Zhu ru is cool and sweet, it cools heat and dissolves phlegm and descends yang ming stomach qi. It clears non material stomach fire.
Clears yang ming phlegm heat possibly affecting the heart and calms vexation. Zhu ru and fu shen combine to calm the mind.
Zhu ru Yang ming clears heat and phlegm in stomach
Zhu ye, Lophatheri herba aka Dan zhu ye
Zhu ye is of bitter flavor and neutral. Dispels heat, protects the heart shen from being influenced by high fever and eliminates the heat that has already reached the interior by flushing it out through the urine.
Clears heat from the heart and resolves toxins while pushing the evils outward toward the qi layer. Pure qi layer heat clearing herb but is milder than shi gao.
Zhu ye Yang ming clears heat stomach
Zhu ye Tai yin clears heat in lung
Zhu ye Shao yin clears heat in heart
Chao zhu ye, Lophatheri herba, aka dan zhu ye is dry fried. It makes the herb warmer.
Sweet and neutral clears heart fire and stops vexation while draining heat from the urine by opening the waterways to allow draining.
Clears yang ming dry heat without damaging the depleted fluids.
Zhu ye can assist sheng di huang in clearing heat from the heart.
Clears qi layer heat while promoting urination.
Combined with zhi zi to clear heat from the san jiao.
Pure qi layer heat clearing herb but is milder than shi gao.
Chao zhu ye Yang ming clears heat stomach
Chao zhu ye Tai yin clears heat in lung
Chao zhu ye Shao yin clears heat in heart
Zi shi ying, Fluoritum
Warms yang qi and calms internal wind due to deficiency.
Zi shi ying Jue yin calms wind
Zi su ye, Perillae folium
Zi su ye is warm, pungent and aromatic. It frees the surface of cold by promoting sweating and it penetrates the stagnation of phlegm in the airways as well as in the upper burner.
Zi su ye Tai yang clears cold on the surface
Zi su ye Yang ming descends stomach qi
Zi su ye Tai yin decongests upper burner of phlegm
Zi su zi, Perillae fructus
Warm, pungent and aromatic it opens the surface, descends qi, transforms phlegm and dries dampness. It disperses lung congestion and allows for lung qi descent by dissipating lung qi.
Moves qi and disperses stagnant qi and eliminates phlegm while descending qi.
Relieves the surface, descends lung qi and soothes the throat.
Zi su zi Tai yang warms the surface
Zi su zi Tai yin disperses and descends lung qi while clearing lung dampness
Zi wan, Asteris radix, aka zi wei
Zi wei is of sour flavor and mildly cold.
Warm pungent bitter it clears phlegm and drains it downward and so corrects counter flow qi of the lung and in this regard it works together with sang bai pi and wu wei zi.
Zi wan Tai yin disperses and descends the lungs