Class #: / 1 / Prof: / Violet Song
Need to know ratios between herbs in the formulas. Need to know toxic herbs and doses. Know the doses for emergency herbs too.
Reviewing: V will give paired up herbs for review – commonalities, differences. Differences between similar herbs.
General Stuff
Herbal Properties
Some q’s won’t directly test you about the nature, but will give q’s in which you have to know the temp in order to answer the question correctly.
–Nature (temperature)
Temperature of herbs may be reflected in questions – like you wouldn’t choose a hot herb for someone with heat, balah balah balah.
–Flavor
–Acrid: Disperse (Bo He), Move (qi: Xiang Fu, Blood, Chuan Xiong)
–Sweet: Tonify (Ren Shen), Relieve (Yi Tang), Harmonize ( Da Zao)
–Sour (acerbity) : astringent (Wu Mei)
–Bitter: Purge (Huang Lian, Xing Ren, Da Huang), Dry ( Cang Zhu)
–Salty: Soften (Kun Bu), Purge (Mang Xiao)
–Bland: diuresis (Fu Ling)
Channel tropism (what channel an herb goes to) is hard to memorize one at a time. Not all that necessary. Hard to memorize all of the channels an herb goes to. Combine function for this. Generally only 1-2 questions related to this. Can get a clue from the effect. Some are special, however. Example: bai zhi treats frontal headache, so Stomach. Qiang huo treats back of the head and thus Bladder.
Memorize these!!
–18 Incompatibilities
–Gan Cao with: Gan Sui, Da Ji, Yuan Hua, Hai Zao
–WU Tou/ Fu Zi with: Bei Mu, Gua Lou, Ban Xia, Bai Lian, Bai Ji
–Li Lu: 5 “shen” herbs (xuan shen, dang shen, etc.), 2 Shao Yao herbs, and Xi Xin
–19 Antagonisms
–Ding Xiang+ Yu Jin
–Rou Gui+ Chi Shi Zhi
–Pregnancy forbidden
–This is a high risk group. The board loves to test you on this. No blood movers for preggers – except Dan Shen. That’s ok.
•Dosages
Know this! Esp Gui Zhi and Bai Shao (1:1).
•Administration
–Morning
–Before meals (tonify)
–After meals (digestive)
–Before sleep
–Certain time
–Frequent taking (emergency rescue type, for pts who are vomiting – freq small doses)
Pediatric doses are also tested. 1/6th, 1/3rd of adult, etc.
New Born Baby (0-28days) / 1/6 of adult dose1 month - 1 year / 1/3 of adult dose
1-6 years / ½ of adult dose
7 – 12 years / 2/3 of adult dose
Over 12 years / Same as adult
Herbs-Release Exterior
General Information
•Herbs are predominantly: Acrid going to LU, UB channels
•Function to:
–Release exterior syndrome
–Disperse LU
–Promote diuresis /urination
–Vent rashes
•Caution for these herbs:
–Patient should stop when syndrome is controlled
–Not suitable for people with poor body constitution – combine with tonification herbs
–Should only be decocted for a short time because they contain aromatic/volatile oils – long term decoction will decrease effectiveness.
Herbs - Release Exterior: Wind/Cold
Ma Huang / Stronger for sweatingCalms wheezing
Promotes urination
Better for edema and wheezing than gui zhi / Common:
Promote sweating
Release exterior
Gui Zhi / Milder for sweating
Dredges and warms channels
Opens chest bi and yang
Zi Su Ye / Regulates Qi
Calms fetus
/ Common:
Release W/C
Harmonize/regulate Middle Jiao
Antidote for poisoning from fish
Sheng Jiang / Warms Middle Jiao to stop vomi
Jing Jie / Vents rashes and stops itching
Tan form stops gynecological bleeding as this herb goes upward
/ Common:
Release exterior
Treats either WH or WC as both are very mild
Fang Feng / Treats dampness to stop pain and convulsions
Qiang Huo / Taiyang headaches
/ Common:
Release W/C
Relieve headaches due to WD
Gao Ben / Jueyin headaches (goes to LV ch)
Xi Xin / Strongest to stop pain
Most aromatic, strongest, harshest
Warms LU to resolve water retention
/ Common:
Open the nose
Stop pain (especially sinus pain)
Bai Zhi / Yangming/frontal headache
Astringes dampness in the upper - nose
Astringes dampness in the lower – vagina
Xin Yi Hua / Nothing special
Cang Er Zi / Slightly toxic – use chao/stir-fried version
Dries dampness
Often paired with Xin Yi Hua
Release exterior W/C (cont’d)
Xiang Ru / Used in summer time / Common:Release W/C
Promote urination, reduce edema
Ma Huang / Stoops wheezing/asthma
Release Exterior: Wind Heat
Bo He / Refreshes the mindBenefits throat (cools burning)
Soothes LV qi
/ Common:
Expels WH
Vents rashes
Niu Bang Zi / Expels both WH and heat toxins
Benefits throat (sore throat)
Eliminates sores
Chan Tui / Brightens eyes
Treats hoarse voice
Expels wind to stop convulsions
Night crying
Sang Ye / Stronger to release WH
Clear LU heat
Moisten dryness
/ Common:
Expel WH
Calm LV
Brighten eyes
Ju Hua / Stronger calm LV than Sang Ye
Clears heat toxins
Ge Gen / Weakest to lift yang
Pain/rigidity of upper back and neck
Moistens body fluids to stop thirst
Vents rashes
/ Common:
Release WH
Lift yang
Chai Hu / Medium in strength to lift yang
Treats shaoyang syndromes
Soothes LV
Sheng Ma / Strongest to lift yang
Clears heat toxins
Vents rashes
Man Jing Zi / Releases WH
Clears head
Stops headache
Dan Dou Chi / Releases exterior
Treats restlessness
often combined with Zhi Zi for this
Caution: Soy based – beware allergies/sensitivs
Herbs-Clear Heat
General Information
•These herbs clear interior Heat (not exterior)
•Cautions
–Herbs are cold or cool in nature and can damage Middle Jiao (esp MJ yang qi). Watch for loose stools and SP deficiency
–Stop taking them when syndrome is controlled
Drain Fire
Shi Gao / Sheng shi gao – very strong to clear excess heatShu shi gao – calcinated for plasters
/ Common:
Clear heat and drain fire
Eliminate restlessness due to excess heat and high fevers
Stop thirst
Zhi Mu / Nourishes yin and LU
Nourishes ST to increase body fluids
Treats dryness constipation
Tian Hua Fen / Stronger to promote body fluids
/ Common:
Clear heat
Promote body fluids
Relieve cough
Expel pus
Lu Gen / Milder to promote body fluids
Stops vomiting
Promotes urination
Lung channel
Zhi Zi / Drains through all 3 jiaos
Eliminates damp heat
Cools blood
Reduces toxicity
/ Common:
Clear heat
Eliminate restlessness
Promote body fluids
Promote urination
Dan Zhu Ye / Stronger to promote urination
Xia Ku Cao / Dissipate nodules d/t phlegm and fire
Lower blood pressure
/ Common:
Clear LV fire
Brighten eyes
Jue Ming Zi / Moisten intestines
Cool Blood
Sheng Di / More nourishing than xuan shenMore cloying than xuan shen
Promotes body fluids
Stops heat type bleeding / Common:
Clear heat, cool blood
Nourish yin
Moisten intestines
Xuan Shen / Dissipates nodules
Clears heat toxins
Mu Dan Pi / Better to cool blood
Specialty 1: eliminate deficient heat
Specialty 2: Treat internal (intestinal) abscesses
/ Common:
From similar botanical flowers
Clear heat/cool blood
Move blood, remove stasis
Chi Shao / Better to stop pain
Specialty 1: clears LV fire
Specialty 2: for external abscesses
Zi Cao / Clear heat, cool blood
Detoxifies
Vents rashes – diaper rash external but stains skin/clothing
Can cause LV damage taken internally
Shui Niu Jiao / Clear heat, cool blood
Detoxifies
For Xue stage of heat disease
Clear Heat/Dry Damp
Huang Qin / Upper jiaoCalm fetus
LU and LI fire / Common:
Clear heat
Dry damp
Detox
Huang Lian / Middle Jiao
Strongest for heat toxins
HT and ST fire
Huang Bai / Lower jiao
Yin deficiency with fire
Deficient fire
Long Dan Cao / Enters LV channel
Clears LV fire, excess heat/damp heat in LV / Common:
Clear heat
Dry damp
Ku Shen / Enters HT channel
Kills insects/stops itching
Promotes urination
Clear Heat/Relieve Toxicity
Jin Yin Hua / Stronger to clear heat toxinsClears summer heat / Common:
Often paired – couplet herbs
Clears heat toxins (longer cook time - acne)
Expels WH (shorter cook time)
Lian Qiao / Treats sores, carbuncles, skin issues
Promotes urination
Pu Gong Ying / Breast abscesses
Promote urination
Dispel dampness / Common:
Clear heat toxins
Zi Hua Di Ding / Abscesses – skin and skin issues
Ye Ju Hua / Calms LV
Yu Xing Cao / Lung abscesses
Promote urination
Bai Jiang Cao / Intestine, LU, LV abscesses
- Blood stasis
- Pain
Commonly used post-partum with blood stagnation causing pain
Hong Teng or Da Xue Teng / Intestinal abscesses
Moves blood, relieves pain
Da Qing Ye / Cool blood
Eliminates heat-related purpura / Common:
From same plant
Clears heat toxins, cools blood
Benefits throat
Ban Lan Gen / Benefits throat – specialty for this
Qing Dai / Clears LV
Calms convulsions
Treats LV fire invading LU with coughing of blood
She Gan / Eliminate phlegm / Common: Throat Grouping!
Sore throat
Clears heat toxins
Shan Dou Gen / Stronger to stop pain – very cold
Ma Bo / Stops bleeding, spitting blood, deep red spots on back of the throat. (Fungal – could cause allergic rx)
Bai Tou Weng / Amoebic dysentery - #1 choice / Common: Dysentery/diarrhea Grouping
Clear heat, cool blood
Stop dysentery
Ya Dan Zi / Kill insects
Treat malaria
Eliminate warts
Toxic – used in China for gastric cancers
Chuan Xin Lian / Clear heat toxins
Dry damp
Clear LU/heat, stop cough
Mostly respiratory stuff
Bai Xian Pi / Clear heat toxins
Dry damp
Expel wind
Stop itching
Ban Bian Lian / Clear hat toxins
Promote urination
Cancer – esp LV cancer
Bai Hua She She Cao / Cancer – esp GI tract
Tu Fu Ling / Essential for syphilis
Clear heat toxins
Dry damp
Mercury poisoning
Clear Deficient Heat
Qing Hao / Clear LV heatClear summer heat
Treat malaria / Common:
Clear xu heat
Cool blood
Di Gu Pi / Clear LU heat
Stop cough, cough + blood
Promote body fluids
(Bark of root of gou qi zi)
Bai Wei / Promote urination
Yin Chai Hu / / Common
Clear deficient heat
Eliminate/treat deficient heat assoc’d with malnutrition
Hu Huang Lian / Clear damp heat
Di Gu Pi / Clear LU heat
Stop cough / Common
Clear deficient heat
Cool blood
These aren’t from the same category
Mu Dan Pi / Move blood
Stop pain
Downward Draining Herbs
General info: Purges downward to drain interior excess heat. Includes purgatives, laxatives, and harsh expellants.
Cautions:
Easily damage vital Qi. Take care with weak/young/old px.
Stop taking when syndrome is controlled
Preggers: caution or just no.
Take purgatives and harsh expellants on an empty stomach
Laxatives are strong and harsh.
Purgatives
Da Huang / Much stronger than mang xiaoSpecial functions:
- Elim damp, tx jaundice (w/yin chen hao and zhi zi)
- Move blood (liquor proc’d)
- Stops bleeding (tan)
- Treats burns (powdered, topical)
Often paired
Purge downward
Clear heat
Mang Xiao / Weaker than da huang
Strongly softens
Used externally can reduce lactation.
Fan Xie / Not as strong as da huang
Purges downward
Promotes urination
Eliminates distention / When combined w/da huang:
Causes strong peristalsis and px will have ab pain.
Laxatives
Huo ma ren / / CommonMoisten dryness
Promote defecation
Yu li ren / Promotes urination, drains edema
Harsh Expellants
Gan sui / The more gan cao you use the more toxic gan sui becomes / CommonAll 3 partially drive out water.
All are cold in nature
Don’t mix any of these with gan cao
Use da zao as the harmonizer
Da ji
(jing and hong da ji) /
Yuan hua /
Ba dou / The only harsh expellant that is hot in nature
Has to be processed to get toxic oils out.
Warm Interior, Expel Cold
General info:
Warm interior cold syndromes
Herbs are acrid, warm or hot
Go to SP/ST, KI, HT, and some to LU and LV
Category includes 8 herbs:
fu zi, gan jiang, rou gui, wu zhu yu, ding xiang, xiao hui xiang, hua jiao, gao liang jiang
Warms whole body like nuclear bomb, but heat doesn’t last that long (“fu zi walks”):
- Upper jiao: HT yang
- Middle jiao: SP yang
- Lower: KI yang
Rescue prolapsing yang
Disperse cold
Stop pain
Gan jiang / Non-toxic
Warms, but is stable and heat stays where targeted (“gan jiang stays”):
- Upper jiao: LU
Cold in lung, wheezing - Middle jiao: SP
Cold epi pain, vomit/diarrhea
Fu zi / Better than rou gui to rescue yang / Common
Tonify yang
Expel cold
Stop pain
Rou gui / Warms channels – especially good for cold blocking the channels.
Guides fire back to the origin/vital gate
Rou gui / Focus is on the Interior
Guides fire back to the interior
/ Common
Both from same plant – cinnamon related
Gui zhi / Focus is on the Exterior
Ding xiang / Stops vomiting (descends) due to deficient cold.
Warms deficient Ki yang to treat impotence
/ Common
Warm middle jiao
Disperse cold
Xiao hui xiang / Regulates qi.
Treats lower ab pain due to cold coagulation
Hua jiao or shu jiao
/ Kills parasites
Treats toothache
Gao liang jiang / Warms middle jiao
Treats stomach cold
Wu zhu yu / To LV (Jueyin) to treat:
- liver cold type pain (hernia)
- headaches at the vertex due to internal cold
- Treats vomiting
- KI yang xu induced cocks crow diarrhea
Drink it cool and rest afterwards for 30-45 minutes.
Drain Dampness
General Info:
3 sections: 1) promote urination/relieve edema, 2) promote urination and relieve PUD, 3) drain damp and relieve jaundice.
About these herbs:
Dredges water passages to drain dampness
- Treats edema, dysurias, jaundice, excessive leucorrhea, eczema, etc.
- Promote urination, drain damp, eliminate jaundice.
Flavors are sweet bland or bitter
Temp is neutral mostly
These herbs go to UB, SP, and SI
Promote urination, relieve edema
Fu ling / Stronger to promote urination than yi yi ren.Calms shen
The closer to the exterior of the fungus the more it promotes urination.
The closer to the interior the more it calms shen.
Not water soluble
Neutral – use for any temperature.
/ Common
Promote urination
Drain dampness
Strengthen SP
Yi yi ren / Treats water retention with heat
Eliminates pus both on the skin and in the intestines
Slightly cold/cool
Fu ling / Calms shen
The closer to the exterior of the fungus the more it promotes urination.
The closer to the interior the more it calms shen.
Not water soluble
Neutral – use for any temperature.
/ Common
Bland
Promote urination
Eliminate dampness
Zhu ling / (Just the + urination, -dampness…damp stagnation, edema, dysuria, diarrhea, d/h syndromes)
Ze xie / Cold in nature – good for heat type damp conditions
Drains KI fire, doesn not damage kidneys – used for xiao ke/diarrhea.
Promote urination, relieve PUD
Che qian zi / Eliminates dampnessStops diarrhea (by moving excess water from Li to Bl)
Clears LU, stops cough (esp d/t LU heat)
Lowers BP
/ Common
Cold.
Promotes urination
Treats Lin syndrome
Hua shi / Clear summer heat
Eliminates dampness
Promotes healing process externally
Mu tong / Clears Ht fire via SI
Promotes lactation
Use chuan mu tong (guan mu tong = KI toxins)
/ Common
Promotes urination
Treats D/H PUD
Tong cao / Promotes urination to clear heat
Promotes lactation.
Max dose: 6g
Deng xin cao / Clears Ht fire and eliminates restlessness.
Jin qian cao / Clears DH in Bl and Gb (stones, jaundice)
Yaoyao for stones!
Clears heat sx
+ urination, unblock PUD
Also tx snakebite (topical) / Common
Use cautiously as it moves stones and can get stuck in the gut.
All are cold or slightly cold
All clear damp/heat
Hai jin sha / + urination, dispel stones (GB and Bl stones)
+ urination, - edema
Coldest of the 3 (dispels DH)
Shi wei / Cool blood, stop bleeding.
-DH, unblock PUD
Expel phlegm, stop cough
Di fu zi / Expel wind, stop itching, esp for W/D chronic itching. Can be used internally or externally. / Common
Clear damp heat
Treat PUD
These are often compared on the boards! Know the specialties
Bian xu / Pruritis, vaginal itching too
Qu mai / Moves blood
Dredges channels.
Bi xie / Cloudy or gao lin
Expels W/D
Drain Damp, Relieve Jaundice
Yin chen hao / Yaoyao for jaundice/ Common
Clear heat
Reduce/eliminate damp
Jin qian cao / Yaoyao for stones
Snakebite (topical)
-DH
+urination, -PUD
Expel Wind Damp
General:
Treats W/D Bi, either cold or heat. They aren’t all that strong, so must be used in combo. Arthritis pain =focus
Acrid/bitter in flavor
Go to Liver/Kidney
Cautions:
- Combine with blood and qi moving herbs.
- For chronic Bi add Lv/Ki tonics, bone/sinew strengthening herbs.
Relieve Wind/Cold/Damp
Du huo / Milder than qiang huoInterior focus
Goes to lower areas of body
Treats the Shaoyin including headaches related to hidden wind. / Common
Expel W/D
Disperse W/C
Stop pain
Not in the same category, but weren’t separated until the Tang dynasty.
Qiang huo / Stronger than du huo
Exterior resolution/focus
Goes to the upper areas of the body.
Treats Taiyang including headaches in the occiput and upper back/neck areas.
Wei ling xian / Strong, fast
Tx numbness/spasms in extremities due to W/C/D
Tx stuck fish bones in doses over 30g / Common
Expels W/D
Dredge channels
Hai feng teng / Milder
Moves blood
Good to tx channel blockage d/t traumatic injury
Qi she (bai hua she) / Common
Unblocks channels
Extinguishes wind / Stops tremors
Skin itching/numbness
Childhood convulsions
Wu shao she
Mu gua / Expel wind/pain
Strong elim damp fnx, but not drying
Tx stomach spasms vomiting
Promo’s body fluids, but not greasy
Relieve Wind/Heat/Dampness