Clear Deficient (asthenic) Heat

Question 1

Herbs that Clear Heat from Deficiency

Answer 1

In cases of yin deficiency, Herbs that Tonify Yin are used to treat the root, while these herbs are used to treat the branch symptoms of heat:

• Tidal fever or afternoon fever
• Malar flush, five center heat (face, palms, soles) • Night sweats
• Seminal emission
• Steaming bone disorder
• Red tongue with little coat
• Thin, rapid pulse

These herbs can also be used in the later stage of warm diseases when heat lingers and the fluids have been damaged.

These herbs are often combined with other herbs that clear heat and tonify yin, such as Sheng Di Huang or Xuan Shen.

Question 2

What are the properties of herbs that clear deficient heat?

Answer 2

Taste: bitter
Temperature: cold
Channels: LV, KI

Cautions & 
 Contraindications:
•These herbs are cool in temperature; use caution with weak middle-jiao

Main Action:
• Clear heat due to Liver and Kidney yin deficiency

Other
• These herbs also treat aftermath of febrile disease where heat has damaged the yin

Question 3

List herbs that Clear Heat from Deficiency?

Answer 3

qīng hāo
dì gǔ pí
bái wéi
yín chái hú

Question 4

Qīng Hāo ***

Answer 4

Sweet Wormwood

Temp: cold
Taste: bitter, acrid
Channels: KI, LV, GB
Dosage: 6-12 grams (add at the end of cooking)

1. clears deficiency heat
   • esp. for lingering fever after warm disease, fever due to blood deficiency, and steaming bone disorder
2. clears summerheat
3. cools blood and stops bleeding
   • for rashes or nosebleed due to heat in the blood
4. treats malaria
   • for alternating chills and fever with malaria

Question 5

Dì Gǔ Pí **

Answer 5

Wolfberry Root Bark

Temp: cold
Taste: sweet, bland
Channels: LU, LV, KI
Dosage: 6-15 grams

1. clears deficiency heat
   • for night sweats, chronic low-grade fever, irritability, thirst, steaming bones
2. clears excess heat
   • clears heat and cools blood; for bleeding 
 due to blood heat
   • clears Lung heat; for cough with sticky, 
 yellow phlegm

Question 6

Yín Chái Hú *

Answer 6

Starwort Root

Temp: slightly cold
Taste: sweet
Channels: LV, ST
Dosage: 3-9 grams

1. clears deficiency heat
   • for yin deficiency fever and steaming bones
2. treats Five Delay syndrome in children
   • for heat associated with childhood nutritional impairment, e.g. fever, thirst, irritability

五迟 wǔ chí: delayed standing, delayed walking, delayed hair growth, delayed teething, delayed speech
五软 wǔ ruǎn: soft head, limp neck, limp hands and feet, limp flesh, limp mouth
Yin Chai Hu is not related to Chai Hu in any way, except for its appearance. Yin means “silver”.

Question 7

Hú Huáng Lián *

Answer 7

Figwort Flower Root

Temp: cold
Taste: bitter
Channels: LV, ST, LI
Dosage: 1.5-9 grams

1. clears deficiency heat
   • for yin deficiency fever and steaming bones
2. treats Five Delay syndrome in children
   • for heat associated with childhood nutritional impairment • esp. with abdominal distention, afternoon fever, diarrhea
3. clears damp-heat