Ch4 Herbs that drain dampness Flashcards
Fu Ling ***
Poria, fungus that grows on roots of pine trees
Sweet, bland, neutral
HT, SP, KD, LU
Promotes urination and leaches out dampness; Strengthens the SP and harmonizes the middle burner; Strengthens the SP to transform phlegm; Quiets the HT and calms spirit
Fu Ling Cautions
Not for use with yin xu, sunken SP Qi, or cold from deficiency with spermatorrhea
Fu Ling Pi Vs. Fu Ling
More diuretic than Fu Ling but less tonifying. Good for subcutaneous edema
Fu Shen Vs. Fu Ling
The heart of the fungus (fu ling). Fu Shen is used primarily for spirit calming effect
Fu Ling with Ze Xie
Excel at eliminating dampness from middle and lower jiao by directing downward
Fu Ling with Gui Zhi
For water and dampness disorders to direct downward when water qi disturbs HT and running piglet qi
Zhu Ling ***
“Pig’s fungus”
Sweet, bland, neutral
SP, KD, BL
Promotes urination and leaches out dampness
Zhu Ling Vs. Fu Ling
Zhu Ling promotes urination strongly and leaches out dampness
Fu Ling promotes urination and leaches out dampness. Also tonifies SP, harmonize middle, calm spirit
Together for draining lower jiao dampness
Ze Xie ***
“Marsh drain/leach out”
(water plantain)
Sweet, bland, cold
KD, BL
Promotes urination and leaches out dampness; Settles ministerial fire in the KD (with yin fire heat) by draining damp-heat from lower jiao
Ze Xie cautions
Not for use in patients with sunken middle burner qi
Ze Xie with Bai Zhu
Used when SP xu leads to dampness, with urinary difficulty, loose stool/diarrhea, or vaginal discharge
Zi Xie Vs. Zhu Ling
Both for damp heat in lower jiao leading to spermatorrhea
Ze Xie with predominant heat
Zhu Ling with predominant damp
Yi Yi Ren ***
Job’s tears, coix seeds
Sweet, bland, slightly cold
LU, SP, ST, KD
Facilitates the resolution of dampness and strengthens SP; Facilitates the resolution of dampness to eliminate Bi; Clears heat and expels pus; Clears D-H for any damp-heat disorder with greasy tongue coating and GI problems – for edema, pus, internal abscess, diarrhea. Best in large doses
Yi Yi Ren Vs. Fu Ling
Both strengthen SP to remove dampness.
Yi Yi Ren often used for abscesses of LU and LI, removes damp from bones, muscles, sinews
Fu Ling augments HT and SP, calms spirit
Che Qian Zi ***
“Before the cart seed”
(Plantago seed)
Sweet, cold
BL, KD, LV, LU
Promotes urination and clears damp-heat; promote urination to solidify stool; clears the eyes (for LV or KD Xu); expels phlegm and stops cough
Che Qian Zi *** cautions
Not for use with loss of essence due to KD xu. Potential caution during pregnancy
Che Qian Zi Vs Ze Xie
Both facilitate water and reduce edema
Che Qian Ze benefits KD, clears eyes, transforms phlegm, more full heat
Ze Xie clears and drains ministerial fire, for yin fire, more empty heat