Cool, Acrid Herbs that Release the Exterior Flashcards
Bo He ***
“Thin Lotus”
Acrid, Aromatic, cool, 3-6g
Enters Lung, Liver
Disperses wind-heat, clears the eyes, head, and throat (early stage of EPF. For HA & Liver fire)
Vents rashes, and early measles (induces to surface)
Allows constrained Liver Qi to flow freely (pain, distention in flanks, chest constraint)
Expels turbid filth (Summer exposure to unclean Qi)
Chan Tui/Chan Yi ***
cicada molting
Sweet, salty, slightly cold (not harsh, lightweight ascends to upper body)
Enters Lung, Liver
Disperses wind, clear heat, benefits throat and voice
Vent rashes: early stage measles
Clears the eyes and removes superficial vision obstruction (painful, red, swollen eyes)
Stops spasms, extinguishes wind (calms convulsions)
Chan Tui Cautions
Animal substance
Do not administer to vegetarian and Jewish clients
Best to inform clients and ask for consent
Chan Tui with Quan Xie
Cicada and Scorpion skin
Commonly used for seizures, tetany, and childhood convulsions.
Chan Tui disperses exterior W-H and extinguishes interior W.
Quan Xie is stronger at stopping tremors and convulsions, guides Chan Tui to interior to pathogenic locus. Combo enhances Quan Xie’s stopping convulsion ability.
Chan Tui with Gou Teng
For continuous night crying in children under 4 months of age
Sang Ye ***
White mulberry leaf
Sweet, bitter, cold (gentle, moistening)
Enters Lung, Liver
Disperses and scatters W-H (good for early stages EPF, twitching and spasms)
Calms Liver and clears the eyes, vertigo (ascendant yang, liver heat or yin xu)
Clears Lungs and moistens dryness
Sang Ye with Ju Hua
Commonly used for expelling W-H, both work synergistically, especially in early stages with fever, HA, cough, sore throat.
Also to cool and calm liver patterns like W-H in channel, fire blazing upward, or vertigo and dizziness due to ascendant Liver yang
Sang Ye with Xing Ren
Sang Ye good for dispersing W-H and draining Lung heat
Xing Ren directs Qi downward while moistening dryness and stopping cough. Their lightness disperses EPF and disseminates lung Qi without damage to yin fluids. Great for HA, fever, and dry, non-productive cough in warm-dry exterior patterns
Ju Hua ***
(chrysanthemum flower)
Ye Ju Hua - wil
Sweet, bitter, slightly cold (mild), 4.5-15g
Enters Lung, Liver
Disperses wind and clears heat
Calms liver and clears the eyes (from W-H and ascendant Liver yang) and treats eye floaters/blurry
Calms liver and extinguishes the wind (spasms, especially in children)
Ye (wild) Ju Hua - clears toxicity, mostly of the skin, superficial level, upper body
Ju Hua with Gou Qi Zi
Gou Qi Zi nourishes, tonifies Liver and Kidneys, increases essence and brightens eyes. Ju Hua expels wind, cools, relieves toxins, cools liver and improves vision.
Best for treating eyes in cases of deficient Liver and Kidney, or rising Liver yang or wind
Ge Gen ***
Sweet, acrid, cool, 9-21g
Enters Spleen, Stomach
Discharges exterior conditions, releases muscles (esp. neck and shoulders)
Relieves heat and generates fluids
Vents and discharges measles (esp. early stage)
Raises the yang and stops HOT diarrhea (relieve heat without damaging fluids good for high, deep fever)
Treats symptoms of hypertension
Ge Gen with Chai Hu
Chai Hu releases the exterior, Ge Gen releases muscle layer heat. Used with exterior patterns where, as chills improve, the fever and stiffening of neck and upper back increase, though sweating is absent.
Ge Gen creates access to muscle layer for Chai Hu to release the heat
Chai Hu ***
Bing’s favorite herb
Bitter, acrid, cool
Enters GB, Liver, PC, SJ
Resolves ShaoYang disorders and reduces fever (#1 shaoyang herb)
Spreads Liver Qi and relieves constraint
Raises and lifts Yang Qi, specifically to clear Qi of Stomach and GB (for sinking organs)
Chai Hu cautions
Raises Yang, so patients may need to take earlier in day or avoid altogether if they have trouble sleeping
Rising and dispersing herb
Chai Hi with Huang Qin
Chai Hu pushes EPF in ShaoYang to exterior, while Huang Qin cools Liver and GB qi level heat and resolves half-internal pathogens.
Also used for GYN heat entering the blood chamber
Chai Hu with Bai Shao
Move (harmonize) Liver Qi and nourish blood (yin aspect)
Moderates the otherwise blood/yin damaging capability of dispersing/moving liver qi
Chai Hu with Qian Hu
Rising and dispersing, draining heat at exterior, ALSO directs Qi down, expels phlegm, while expelling W-H, for phlegmy cough
Sheng Ma ***
“Rising Cloth”
Sweet, acrid, slightly cold
Enters Large Intestine, Lung, Spleen, Stomach (Yangming)
Discharges exterior conditions and vents measles
Clears heat and resolves toxicity, specially from upper part like teeth and throat (topically for ulcers and canker sores)
Raises the yang and lifts what has sunken
Stops bleeding (Charred)
Sheng Ma with Ge Gen
Both herbs acrid, cool , and light. Releases exterior, expels excess, enhanced release of muscle layer (focus on YangMing, interstices, and pores. Best for unblocking pores and W-H EPF with damage to the fluids because they generate fluids
Sheng Ma with Chai Hu
Clear ShaoYang and Yang Ming of wind-heat EPF (qi and muscle layers).
Move Yang in yang channels and raise what has sunken.
Sheng Ma Vs. Ge Gen Vs. Chai Hu
Sheng Ma - disperses wind in muscle layer and exterior, stop YangMing HA. Raises Yang, especially in ST/SP to stop diarrhea and prolapse. Resolves toxicity, vent rash
Ge Gen - Release muscle layer, treat heat and stiff neck. YangMing. Encourages ST Qi to rise, producing fluids and stopping thirst. Baked can stop diarrhea. Vent rash
Chai Hu - disperses ShaoYang pathogens (alternating fevers/chills), raises Yang, but not as strong as Sheng Ma. Spreads liver qi
Niu Bang Zi **
burbock fruit
Acrid, bitter, cold, 6-12g
Enters Lung, Stomach
Disperses W-H and benefits throat
Resolves toxicity and vents (externally contracted) rashes
Moistens the intestines (good for constipation, but NOT for diarrhea)
Niu Bang Zi with Lian Qiao
Unblock and drain heat toxins, disperse clumps and swellings, and ideal for treating sore swollen throats, swellings like mumps, and all types of boils or other lesions from internal preponderance of heat toxin.
May cause loose stools (good for eliminating heat) so caution with Spleen Qi deficiency, use dry friend Niu Bang Zi instead
Man Jing Zi **
Vitex fruit
Bitter, acrid, cool, 6-12g
Enters Bladder, Liver, Stomach
Disperses wind and clears heat
Clears ad benefits the head/face and eyes (HA and eye problems like swollen, red, tearing, or floaters)
Drains dampness and expels wind, not its strongest function (use for wind-damp Bi)
Dan Dou Chi **
Soy bean, prepared
Sweet, slightly bitter, cold or warm (depending on preparation), 6-12g
Enters Lung, Stomach
Releases the exterior, good for both heat and cold (works best above diaphragm)
Eliminates irritability - insomnia, restlessness, stifling chest following febrile disease
Dan Dou Chi with Zhi Zi
Together, Zhi Zi guides heat downward, cooling and draining the irritability from the heat constrained in the chest and diaphragm. Dan Dou Chi vents the heat towards exterior and releases constraint. They support each other’s actions. Often used soon after heat enters interior or in late stage febrile disease with residual heat trapped in chest
Mu Zei **
“Wood thief”
(horse tail plant)
Sweet, bitter, neutral
Enters Lung, Liver, Gallbladder
Typically used as auxiliary herb (for blood in stool and hemorrhoids)
Disperses W-H, clears eyes, reduces superficial visual obstruction
Clears heat and stops bleeding
Da Dou Juan *
soy bean, germinated
Sweet, neutral, 10-15g
Enters Stomach
Clears summerheat and damp heat - releases the exterior
Fu Ping *
Duckweed
Acrid, cold Enters Bladder, Lung Induces sweating and releases the exterior Vents rashes and stops itching Promotes urination and reduces swelling Sometimes used in place of Ma Huang
