Herbs that Cool the Blood

Question 1

Properties and actions of herbs that cool the blood?

Answer 1

• These herbs are cold, and either bitter and sweet or salty
• They clear heat from the ying (nutritive) level or xue (blood) level with symptoms such as:
• Irritability, restlessness, insomnia, delirium
• Bleeding (nosebleed, vomiting blood, coughing blood, blood in the urine or stool
• Maculopapular rashes (flat red area with small bumps)
• Scarlet tongue, possibly dry or with prickles
• Because heat at the blood level tends to damage yin and exhaust fluids, many of these herbs generate fluids as well

Question 2

xī jiǎo

Answer 2

xī jiǎo

rhinocerotis cornu

Temp: cold
Taste: bitter, salty
Channels: HT, LV, ST
Dosage: 1.5-6 grams (or swallow 0.5-2 grams as powder with decoction)

1. clears heat and cools blood

• for ying (nutritive) or xue (blood) level heat

2. clears Heart heat

• for shen disturbance due to heat, e.g. delirium, mania, loss of consciousness

3. clears heat and stops tremors

• for convulsions due to heat

As rhinocerus horn is no longer used shui niu jiao is used as a substitiute

Question 3

shuǐ niú jiǎo

Answer 3

shuǐ niú jiǎo

bubali cornu

Water Buffalo Horn - used instead of rhinocerus horn (but even this isn’t allowed in the UK?)

Temp: cold
Taste: bitter, salty
Channels: HT, LV, ST

Dosage: 30-120 grams (or swallow 6-15 grams as powder with decoction) ⻆

1. clears heat and cools blood

• for ying (nutritive) or xue (blood) level heat

2. clears Heart heat

• for shen disturbance due to heat, e.g. delirium, mania, loss of consciousness (acu - prick tips of fingers & ears)

3. clears heat and stops tremors

• for convulsions due to heat

Question 4

shēng dì huáng

Answer 4

shēng dì huáng

rehmanniae radix

Rehmannia Root

Temp: cold
Taste: bitter, sweet
Channels: HT, KI, LV
Dosage: 9-15 grams

1. clears heat and cools blood

• for ying (nutritive) or xue (blood) level heat ‣ high fever, thirst, scarlet tongue, bleeding, etc.

2. nourishes yin and generates fluids

• for thirst, dry mouth, constipation

Good for blood weakness with Heat

Question 5

xuán shēn

Answer 5

xuán shēn

scrophulariae radix

Scrophularia, Black figwort root

Temp: cold
Taste: salty, sweet, bitter

Channels: KI, LU, ST

(Heart, Pericardium, Yin Wei - Phoenix)

Dosage: 9-15 grams

1. clears heat and cools blood

2. nourishes yin and generates fluids

• esp. for aftermath of warm disease with symptoms such as dry cough, constipation, and irritability

3. softens hardness and dissipates nodules

• for throat pain, throat swelling, and lumps in the 
 neck such as goiter and scrofula, mumps, chronic tonsillitis.

4. Drains fire and clears toxins (Phoenix)

Question 6

mǔ dān pí

Answer 6

mǔ dān pí

moutan cortex

Moutan root bark, tree peony root bark

Temp: slightly cold
Taste: acrid, bitter
Channels: HT, LV, KI
Dosage: 6-12 grams 皮

1. clears heat and cools blood

• for bleeding due to heat at the xue level
• for frequent or profuse menstruation due to blood heat

2. invigorates blood

• esp. for amenorrhea, fibroids, abdominal masses due to blood stasis.

• Phoenix - for dark, clotted menstrual blood with a short cycle.

3. clears heat

• clears ascending Liver heat → headache, eye pain, flank pain, dysmenorrhea
• clears deficiency heat → lingering heat after febrile disease, steaming bone disorder
• drains pus and reduces swelling → non-draining sores (topical), LI abscess

Bensky - cools heat from either excess or deficiency, gently invigorates the blood without injuring the blood or yin, clears lurking fire from the blood.

Phoenix - cortex + bark = skin - good for ezcema and psoriasis due to blood heat and stagnation

Question 7

zǐ cǎo

Answer 7

zǐ cǎo

arnebiae/lithospermi radix

Temp: cold
Taste: sweet, (salty)

Channels: HT, LV

Dosage: 3-9 grams

1. cools blood and invigorates blood
• for skin eruptions and rashes due to fire toxin (dark purple rashes)

• not as strong as Mu Dan Pi

2. moistens Large Intestine and promotes urination

3. treats damp-heat skin problems

• applied topically for damp-heat related lesions, 
 vaginal itching, burns, sores, diaper rash

Zi Cao can be used externally. Soak in oil for several weeks, then apply oil with cotton ball.

Shiunko (aka Zi Yun Gao, aka Purple Cloud Ointment), a burn cream used in Japanese moxibustion, 
 is made from Dang Gui and Zi Cao mixed with sesame oil and beeswax.