Herbs that clear Heat

Question 1

shí gāo

Answer 1

shí gāo

gypsum fibrosum

Temp: very cold

Taste: sweet, acrid

Channels: Lung, Stomach.

Dosage - 15 to 60 g

1. clears heat and drains fire

• for qi-level or Yang Ming heat characterized by the “Four Bigs”: big fever (without chills), big sweat, big thirst, big pulse

2. clears excess heat from the Lung

• for cough with thick, yellow, sticky sputum

3. clears blazing Stomach fire

• for hunger, thirst, bad breath
• for headache, toothache, painful gums, mouth sores

Prepared Shi Gao (called Shu Shi Gao) can be applied topically to treat skin conditions such as eczema, burns, and sores.

Question 2

zhī mǔ

Answer 2

zhī mǔ

Rhizoma Anemarrhenae

Temp: cold
Taste: bitter, sweet

Channels: LU, ST, KI

Dosage: 6-12 grams

1. clears heat and drains fire

• for high fever, irritability, thirst, rapid flooding pulse (qi-level heat)
• clears Lung and Stomach heat

2. clears heat from deficiency

• for heat signs due to Kidney yin deficiency (night sweats, 
 five-center heat, irritability, steaming bone disorder)

3. tonifies Kidney yin and moistens dryness

• generates fluids

Question 3

lú gēn

Answer 3

lú gēn

phragmitis rhizoma (reed rhizome)

Temp: cold
Taste: sweet

Channels: LU, ST

1. clears Lung and Stomach heat

• for thirst, irritability, cough with thick or blood-streaked phlegm

2. generates body fluids

• a.k.a. tonifies Lung and Stomach yin • stronger than Tian Hua Fen

3. promotes urination to treat Lin syndrome

• for urgent, scanty, dark, painful urination

Clears Heat and Damp stagnation. Qi level rather than Blood level but as Lu Gen helps qi circulate it CAN be used with Blood level herbs to guide heat pathogens out of the blood level.

Good for early stage Blood Level disease.

Question 4

zhī zǐ

Answer 4

zhī zǐ

gardeniae fructus

Cape Jamine Fruit, Gardenia Pod

Temp: cold
Taste: bitter
Channels: HT, LU, ST, LV, SJ (gall bladder), (yin wei)

Dosage: 6-9 grams

1. clears heat and drains fire

• clears heat from all three jiao; for heat anywhere in the body
• treats shen disorders due to heat (irritability, insomnia, delirious speech)

2. clears damp-heat

• for lin syndrome due to damp-heat in the lower-jiao, jaundice

3. cools blood to stop bleeding

• for nosebleed, vomiting blood, blood in the stool or urine
• use charred (Zhi Zi Tan)

4. use topically for injury and trauma

5. Relieves toxicity

Question 5

Zhu Ye

Answer 5

Shu Ye

Herba Phylostachys Nigra

Bamboo Leaf

Taste - Sweet, Bland

Temperature - Cold

Channel - Heart, Stomach, Lung

• Clears Heat, relieves irritability and generates body fluids
• Clears Heat, promotes urination
  *

Question 6

dàn zhú yè

Answer 6

dàn zhú yè

lophatheri herba

Temp: cold
Taste: sweet, bland

Channels: HT, SI, ST

Used nowadays more instead of zhu ye, bamboo leaf.

Dosage: 6-9 grams

1. clears Heart heat

• for shen problems (anxiety, irritability, insomnia, palpitations), difficult urination, and mouth sores

2. promotes urination to treat Lin syndrome

• for Heart heat pouring into Small Intestine

Question 7

Sheng Di Huang

Answer 7

Sheng Di Huang

Rehmannia Root

Taste - Sweet, Bitter

Temperature - Cold

Channels - Heart, Liver, Kidney

• Clears Heat and cools Blood
• Nourishes Yin, generates Fluids, increases saliva - – - treats wasting and thirsting
• Cools Heart Fire

Question 8

xià kū cǎo

Answer 8

xià kū cǎo

prunellae spica

Temp: cold
Taste: bitter, acrid

Channels: LV, GB

1. clears Liver heat and brightens eyes

• for red, painful, swollen eyes; headache; dizziness

2. dissipates nodules

• for neck lumps, scrofula, goiter, lipoma, or swollen glands due to phlegm-heat

3. lowers high blood pressure

NOT ON PHOENIX COURSE?

Question 9

xī guā

Answer 9

xī guā

citrulli fructus

Watermelon

Temp: cold
Taste: sweet (bland)

Channels: UB, HT, ST

1. clears heat and summerheat

• for thirst, dark scanty urine, dry heaving

2. generates body fluids

3. promotes urination

• for edema and jaundice

Question 10

tiān huā fēn

Answer 10

tiān huā fēn

tricosanthis radix

Temp: cold
Taste: bitter, slightly sweet

Channels: LU, ST

1. clears Lung and Stomach heat

• for thirst, irritability, cough with thick or blood-streaked phlegm

2. generates body fluids

• a.k.a. tonifies Lung and Stomach yin

3. resolves toxicity and expels pus

• for carbuncles and sores with yellow, sticky, foul-smelling pus • for breast abscess

Question 11

juē míng zǐ

Answer 11

juē míng zǐ

cassiae semen

• Cassia Seeds

Temp: slightly cold

Taste: bitter, sweet, salty

Channels: LV, LI, KI

Dosage: 9-15 grams

1. clears Liver heat to brighten eyes

• for eye problems, headache, dizziness

2. moistens Large Intestine

3. lowers high blood pressure 
 and cholesterol