Single Herbs AFEA for clinical test Flashcards
Sheng di huang rehmannia
Clear heat cool blood-
Cold bitter sweet
Clear heat cools blood for nutritive level high fever/thirst/scarlet tongue
Nourishes yin generates fluids
Relieves wasting and thirsting disorder
Huang bai phellodendron
Clear heat dry damp
Bitter and cold
Drains damp heat esp from lower Joao, diarrhea, vag discharge
Clears damp heat in legs and knees and feet
Drains kidney fire with yin xu like nocturnal emissions
Drains fire resolves toxicity like damp skin lesions
T: sticky yellow
Zhi zi gardenia
Clear heat drain fire from all 3 burners
Bitter and cold
Drains heat eliminates irritability: insomnia restlessness stifling chest fever
Drains damp heat middle burner and face
Cools blood resolves toxicity nosebleed blood in stool urine
Reduces swelling and moves blood stasis from trauma: use topically
Zhi mu anemarrhena
Clears heat drains fire from excess and from
Bitter and sweet and cold
Treats yang Ming stage or Qi: high fever, irritability, thirst, lu or st excessive heat, cough with expectoration
Moistens dryness enriches yin
Generates fluids clears heat
Ameliorates dryness of Toni dying or warming herbs
Nourishes yin of lu and st and KI
Shi gao gypsum
Clears heat drains fire
Acrid sweet very cold
Coldest herb
Main herb for yang Ming stage and Qi portion: high fever irritability, thirst, sweating 4 BIGS, red tongue yellow coat
Clears excess heat from lungs cough and wheezing
Clears blazing st fire: toothache headache
Eczema burns sores
Long dan cao gentiana
Clear heat dry damp
Bitter and cold
From liver and Gb: red swollen sore throat and eyes swollen painful ears sudden deafness
Drains damp heat in liver or gb esp lower burner pain swelling genitalia
Drains pacified excess liver fire headache red eyes
Clears wind liver heat: fever spasms convulsions
Huang qin scutellaria
Clear heat dry damp
Bitter and cold
Damp heat in stomach, diarrhea stifling chest upper burner problems
Clear heat resolves toxicity upper Joao high fever thirst cough irritability expectoration of thick yellow sputum hot sores
Stops bleeding
Calms fetus
Sedated liver yang red eyes, headache, irritability, bitter taste flushed face
Huang lian coptis
Clears heat dry damp
Bitter and cold
Middle Joao: vomiting or diarrhea, regurgitation
Drains fire resolves fire toxicity: high fever irritability disorientation delirium red tongue rapid pulse painful red eyes sore throat
Clears heat stops bleeding
Clears heat topically
Drains fire esp in ht or stomach
Fang deny saposhnikov
Warm acrid release exterior
Releases exterior and expels wind
Expels wind damp and alleviates pain
Expels wind and relieves spasms
For all wind disorders
SP, UB, LV
Sheng huang freewheeling ginger
Warm acrid release exterior
Releases exterior disperses cold
Warms middle burner stops vomiting
Warms lung and stops cough
Reduces toxicity of some herbs, seafood
Together with da zao jujube protects GI tract from other herbs and adjusts nutritive and protective Qi
St, SP, LU
Fu zi aconite
Zhi fu zi prepared aconite
Warms interior and expel cold
For devastated yang: diarrhea, chills, cold extremities, faint pulse.
Hottest herb
Restores yang
Warms fire
Assists yang
Warms SP, HT,KI
Toxic
Ha huang ephedra
Warm acrid release exterior
UB, LU
Induces sweating releases ex
Facilitates lu movement controls wheezing
Promotes urination reduces edema
Warms and dispels cold pathogens
Jing jie schozonepeta
Warm acrid release exterior
Releases Ext and dispels wind
Vents rashes and alleviates itching
Stops bleeding charred form
LU, LR
GUI zhi cinnamon I
Warm acrid release exterior
LU, HT, UB
Releases Ext and assist yang for WC exterior both xu and excess
Warms unblocks channels and collaterals
Assists ht yang and unblocks yang Qi of chest
Warms channels vessels and collaterals removes painful stagnation and regulate menses
Warms middle directs turbid yin down
Balance nutritive and protective Qi together with bai shao
Sheng ma cimicifuga black cohosh
Cool acrid release exterior
Discharges exterior and vents measles
LI,ST, SP, LU
Clears heat resolves toxicity
Raises yang Qi and lifts sunken
Chai hi bupleurum
GB, LV, PC, TE
Cool acrid release exterior
Resolves lesser yang stage disorders reduces fever: alternative fever and chills, pain lower back, bitter taste, stifling chest, heat from xu
Spreads liver Qi relieves constraint: dizziness vertigo chest flank pain emotional instability menstrual problems
Liver spleen disharmony
Raises yang Qi clears Qi of stomach and GB, moves everything outward
Bo he mint
Cool acrid release exterior
LIver, LU
Disperses wind heat clears and benefits head, eyes, throat
Vents rashes
Unconstrains liver Qi
Expels turbid filth: sommerheat gastric disturbance with abs pain N/V greasy and yellow T
Mu dan pi Moutan tree peony root bark
Clear heat cool blood
hT, KI, Liver
Clears heats cools blood: from blood level heat
Not as hard on SP to T and T
Clears fire from yin xu in absence of sweating
Clears ascending liver fire headache eye pain, flank pain, flushing, dysmenorrhea
Drains out and reduces swelling topically
“Lurking fire or steaming bones disorder
Ze zie alismatis water plantain
Drain dampness
UB, KI
Sweet bland cold
Promotes urination
Edema, painful UTI
Leaches out damp from stagnation: edema and urinary difficulty and diarrhea and dizziness. Damp heat lower burner
Settle ministerial fire in kidneys by draining damp heat in lower burner: spermatorrhea
Fu ling poria
Drain dampness
KI, sp, lu, ht
Promotesburination and leaches out damp
Strengthens spleen harmonizes and balance middle burner
Strengthens spleen and transforms phlegm
Quiets heart calms spirit
Together with fu shen for heart calms spirit
Gan jiang dried ginger
Hot hot hot
Warm interior expel cold
Warms middle and expels cold
ST, SP,LU, HT
Rescues devastated yang and expels interior cold weak pulse cold limbs
Warms lungs and transforms thin mucus thin sputum
Warms channels and stops bleeding from xu, uterine bleeding and chronic hemorrhage
Rou GUI cinnamon Bark
Warm interior and expel cold
Hot herb
Fortifies kidney and spleen yang and heart yang: aversion to cold weak back impotence frequent urination KI not grasping the lu Qi, and pain and cold reduced appetite, diarrhea from KI and sp waning yang
Leads fire back to source principal herb for upwards floating of yang: flushed face wheezing cold extremities xu pulse heat above and cold below
Encourages Qi and blood generation and used a lot with Qi and blood tonics
Hou po Magnolia Bark
Aromatic Transform Damp
LU, LI, ST, SP
Phlegm in ST and LI, stuffy face and sinuses
Resolves stagnation, promotes movement in middle burner, moves qi down, dries damp, reduces phlegm and calms wheezing
Cang zhu atractylodes
Black atractylodes
Aromatic transform Damp
ST, SP Dries damp Strengthens SP Induces sweating, dispels wind damp Clears damp heat from lower jiao Improves vision GREY BAI SHU - TONIFIES QI SO AFFECTS SPLEEN ALSO
Niu Xi Achyranthis
Invigorates Blood
KI, LR
Achey ranthis: lower burner damp heat: knee pain, lower back, painful obstruction, vag discharge
Invigorates blood and dispels blood stasis, dysmenorrhena, amenorrhea, retained luo his, post traumatic pain
Movement DOWN of blood and fire for chaotic hot blood in upper burner or yin xu with ascending fire like nosebleed, vomiting blood, toothaches, bleeding gums, dizzy, HA, blurred vision due to ascendant liver yang
Tao Ren Persia peach kernel
Invigorate Blood
Sweet bitter neutral
Breaks up blood stasis: menstrual disorders, abd pain, traumatic injury, flank pain,
Stops cough and wheezing
Moistens intestines and unblocks bowels
LR, LU, LI, HT
Dan Shen Salvia Root
LR, HT, PC
Invigorates blood
Bitter, cold
Invigorates blood, dispels stasis, tonifies blood
Clears heat and soothes irritability
Cools blood and reduces abscesses
Chen Pi Tangerine Peel
Regulates qi
ST, LU, SP
Regulates qi
Adjusts middle
Relieves diaphragm
Dries damp, transforms phlegm
Helps prevent stagnation because can be used with cloying herbs to prevent stag
For abd distention, belching, N/V, directs qi down, cough with sputum, damp turbidity in middle with stifling check,
Mu Xiang Aucklandia
REgulate Qi
Acrid, bitter, warm
Moves qi and stops pain: sp or st stagnant qi, lack of appetite, N/V
Relieves stagnant liver and GB qi: flank pain, distention
Adjusts and regulates stagnant qi in intestines: diarrhea, tenesmus
STrengthens sp and prevents stagnation: lessens side effects of other herbs, useful when SP T and T is weak
Xiang Fu Cyperus nut grass
Regulate qi
Acrid, sl bitter, sl sweet, neutral
Spreads and regulates LR qi: hypochondriac pain, epigastrium distention
Regulates menses and alleviates pain: facilitates flow
When qi stag affects menses, or hernia
Zhi Ke or Zhi Qiao aurantis bitter orange
Regulate qi
Bitter, acrid, sl cold
ST, LI, SP
Promotes movement of qi for qi stag in cough, distention, constipation
Like zhi shi auranti but gentler
So earth colored SP and ST and LI moves qi in digestive tract, cold and bitter so intestine, phlegm stagnant in chest, diarrhea and cramping, raises prolapse
Bai Zhu Atractylodes whole thing
Tonify qi
Bitter sweet warm
ST SP
Tonifies sp and augments qi: diarrhea, fatigue, lack of appetite
Dries damp and promotes water metabolism: edema, reduced urination
Stabilizes exterior and stops sweating: sweating spontaneously from qi stag.
CALMS FETUS:
Da Zao Jujuba Fructus Chinese Dates
ST SP
Tonify qi
Sweet, warm
Tonifies spleen and augments qi: weakness, SOB, lassitude, reduced appetite, loose stools from ST/SP xu,
Nourishes blood and calms spirit: emotional lability due to restless organ disorder
Moderates and harmonizes harsh properties of other herbs
Dang Shen Codonopsis
SP, LU
Tonify qi
Tonifies middle burner and augments qi: no appetite, fatigue, tired limbs, diarrhea, vomiting
Tonifies Lungs: chronic cough, SOB
Use with herbs that release exterior or drain down when significant qi XU: supports the normal while others expel the pathogen
Gan Zao Licorice Root
All 12 channels
LU, ST, SP, HT
Sweet, neutral, or warm dry fried
Tonifies SP and augments qi: SOB, lassitude, loose stools, irregular pulse, palpitations
Moistens LU and stops cough
Moderates spasms and alleviates pain:
Clears heat and relieve fire toxicity: sore throat
Antidotes for toxic substances
Moderates the harmonizes characteristics other herbs
Huang Qi Astragalus Milkvetch Root
Tonify qi
LU, SP
Sweet, sl warm
Tonifies qi and blood
Tonifies SP and LU qi and raises yang: no appetite, fatigue, diarrhea, SP qi XU, sinking and collapse of middle qi
Augments protective qi and stabilizes exterior, for sweating, frequent colds, SOB
Promotes urination and reduces edema
Discharges pus and generates flush
Ren Shen Ginseng
Tonify qi
SP, LU
Sweet sl bitter/warm
Powerfully tonifies primal qi: SOB, Shallow breathing, cold limbs, profuse sweating, weak pulse
Tonifies LU and augments qi: SOB, kidneys not grasping qi
Strengthens SP and tonifies ST: lethargy, no appetite, diarrhea, prolapse
Generates fluids stops thirst
Benefits HT qi and calms s;poria
Stops heavy bleeding
Shan Yao Dioscorea Chinese Yam
KI, LU SP
Tonify qi
Tonifies and augments sp and st: diarrhea, fatigue, spontaneous sweating lack of appetite
Tonifies lung qi and augments lung yin: cough
Tonifies KI, secures essence and stabilizes and binds since herb is neutral and moistens, it benefits both yin and yang of LU and KI
SWEET NEUTRAL
Bai Shao white peony
Tonify Blood
LV, SP
Bitter, sour, mildly cold
Nourishes blood and regulates menses
Calms and curbs liver yang and alleviates pain and comforts liver: for flank or chest or abd pain, or HA and dizziness from ascending Liver yang
Preserves yin and adjusts nutritive and protective level: vaginal discharge, spontaneous sweating
Dang Gui Angelica sinensis
Tonify blood
The tail of the root is the moving part
SP, LV, HT
Sweet acrid warm
Tonifies blood regulates menses
Invigorates and harmonizes blood and disperses cold
Moistens intestines and unblocks bowels
Reduces swelling, expels pus, generates flesh, alleviates pain
Weakly treats cough
Long Yan Rou Longan fruit
Tonify Blood
HT, SP
Sweet warm
Tonifies and augments HT and SP
Nourishes blood
Calms Spirit
Insomnia, heart palpitations, forgetfulness, dizziness
Commonly used for excessive pensiveness or overwork. Can be taken as a tea
Shu Di Huang Rehmannia prepared chinese foxglove
Tonify Blood
HT, LR, KI
Sweet, sl warm
Tonifies blood and augments marrow: dizziness, uterine bleeding, insomnia, palpitations, postpartum bleeding, irregular menstruation
Nourishes Yin (LR and KI yin xu): weak low back and limbs, dizziness, tinnitus, tidal fevers, night sweats, nocturnal emissions
Strongly enriches yin and relieves wastering and thirsting disorder: esp for lower burner wasting
Nourishes Blood and tonifies the essence: delayed development during childhood, blunted affect, premature aging, premature aging, diminished mental acuity, graying of hair, importance, memory loss
Bai Zi Ren platycodon seeds
Nourish heart, calm spirit
HT, LI, KI
Sweet, neutral
Nourishes ht, calms spirit: irritability, insomnia, forgetfulness, palpitations with anxiety due to HT yin xu and insufficient blood, night terrors in children,
Moistens intestines and unblocks bowels: constipation in the elderly, debilitated or postpartum women due to blood or yin xu
Also used for night sweats due to yin xu
Suan Zao Ren Ziziphus (sour Jujube) seed
Nourish heart, calm spirit
HT, GB, LR, SP
Sweet, sour, neutral
Nourishes heart yin, augments liver blood, quiets spirit: irritability, insomnia, palpitations with anxiety from blood xu or yin xu
Prevents abnormal sweating
Long Gu Fossilized dragon bone
Anchor settle calm spirit
LV, KI, HT
Sweet, astringent, neutral (cook first when in Decoction s)
Prevents leakage of fluids
Settled anxiety and calms spirit
Calms liver, anchors and preserves floating yang: irritability, restlessness, dizziness, vertigo, blurred vision, bad temper due to liver yin xu with deficiency yang transgressing up
Prevents leakage of fluids: spermatorrhea, night sweats, spontaneous sweating, nocturnal emissions, vaginal discharge, uterine bleeding
Secures the normal qi
Topically for chronic non healing sores
Mu Li Oyster Shell
Anchor Settle Calm Spirit
KI, LV
Salty, astringent, cool
Heavily settles and calms spirit
Benefits yin and anchors floating yang: irritability, insomnia, dizziness, HA, tinnitus, burred vision, temper, red/flushed face
Prevents leakage of fluids: continuous sweat with steaming bone, aftermath of warm febrile disease. Astringent for spontaneous sweating, night sweats, nocturnal emissions, spermatorrhea, vaginal discharge, uterine bleeding
Softens hardness and dissipates nodules: various lumps, esp in neck
Absorbs acidity and alleviates pain: excessive ST pain with sour taste in mouth
Mai Men Dong Ophiopogon tuber (mondo grass)
Tonify Yin
HT, ST, LU
Sweet, sl bitter, sl cold
Moistens lungs and nourishes yin: hacking, dry cough, cough with thick sputum hard to expectorate, coughing up blood, can cool lungs
Augments ST yin and generates fluids: dry tongue and mouth
Clears Heart and eliminates irritability: irritability from yin xu, or warm heat pathogen disease at NUTRITIVE level, fever and irritability worse at night
Moistens intestines: constipations, dry mouth and irritability as in aftermath of fever or any yin xu pattern
Jie Geng Platycodon balloon flower root
Warm and transform phlegm cold
LU
Bitter, acrid, neutral
Opens up and disseminates lung qi and dispels phlegm, benefits throat: cough, wheeze with profuse sputum, throat pain, loss of voice.
Pushes out pus:
Opens up and raises lung qi while also directing the actions of other herbs to upper parts of the body: clears and drains upper burner or focuses formulas on upper parts of body
Du Zhong Eucommia
Tonify Yang
Sweet, slightly acrid, warm
LV, KI
Tonifies LR and KI
Strengthens sinews and bones: weak sore painful lower back and knees, fatigue, frequent urination
Aids smooth flow of qi and blood: promotes circulation,
Calms fetus: bleeding during pregnancy, prevents miscarriage, pregnant women with back pain
Hypertension from liver yang rising
Wu Zhu Yu Evodia (pepper)
Warm Interior and Expel Cold
LV, ST, SP
Acrid, bitter, sl toxic, hot
Warms middle and lower burners, disperses cold, promotes movement of qi, alleviates pain: liver and stomach channel disorders due to congealing cold or phlegm, HA, epigastrium pain with nausea, drooling, reduced taste, pale tongue, wiry pulse, cold bulging disorders in liver channel
Redirects rebellious qi down and stops vomiting
Warms spleen and stops diarrhea, expels damp cold
Leads fire downward: mouth and tongue sores, herb ground in powder and mixed with vinegar and placed on center
Xi Shao Red Peony Root
Invigorates blood
Liver, SP
Sour, bitter, sl cold
Invigorates blood and dispels blood stasis: dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, abdominal pain, fixed abdominal masses, pain and swelling from trauma, early stages or abscesses and boils
Clears heat and cools blood: fever, purple tongue, bleeding from chaotic hot blood,
Related to bai shao, which is also cool, tonifies BL and goes to Liver
Yin Yang Hun Epimedia Goat Wort
Tonify Yang
Acrid, sweet, warm
LIVER, KI
Tonifies kidney yang and fire at the gate of vitality: impotence, infertility, frequent urination, forgetfulness, withdrawal, painful and cold lower back and knees
Dispels wind cold damp and warms and unblocks the flow of yang qi: cramps and spasms in hands and feet, joint pain, numbness in extremities, contracture/numbness/hemiplagia following wind-stroke
Can injure yin
To increase libido
Sang Piao Xian Mantis Egg Case
KD, LR
Sweet salty neutral
Unscatter and stabilize shen
Tonifies KD yang
Constrains Kidney essence
Shan Zhu Yu Corni Fructus (cornelian cherry)
Stabilize and Bind
Liver, Kidney
Sour, sl warm
Stabilizes kidneys and secures essence: fluid leakage due to weak essence, excessive urination, incontinence, spermatorrhea, excessive sweating
Stops excessive sweating and supports the collapsed: excess sweating, esp with devastate yang and collapsed qi as in shock. Don’t use if trying to release exterior.
Tonifies and augments liver and kidneys and assist yang: liver and kidney xu with lightheadedness, dizziness, sore and weak low back and knees, impotence
Stabilizes menses and stops bleeding: xu patterns of excess, uterine bleeding, prolonged menses, weak effect on bleeding
Wu Mei Mume Fructus (sour plum)
Stabilize and bind
LI, SP, LU, LV
Sour astringent warm
Inhibits leakage of lung qi and stops coughing
Binds up intestine and stops diarrhea
Generates fluids and alleviates thirst
Expels roundworms and alleviates pain
Stops bleeding
Use as a plaster: corns and warts
Wu Wei Zi Schisandra berry
Stabilize and bind
KI, HT, LU
Sour, sweet warm
Contains leakage of lung qi and stops coughing
Tonifies kidneys, binds essence, stops diarrhea
Inhibits sweating, generates fluids
Don’t give if releasing the exterior
Quiets spirit while calming and containing the heart qi: palpitations, irritability, dream disturbed sleep, insomnia due to injury to blood and yin of heart and kidneys
Shen Qu massa fermentation
Relieve Food Stagnation
SP and ST
Sweet, acrid, warm
Reduces food stagnation, harmonizes stomach: cold stomach with food stabnation or accumulation with epigastric and abdominal fullness
Also added to pills containing minerals to aid their absorption and digestion
Xing Ren Apricot Seed (da ren is peach kernel)
Relieve Cough and Wheeze
LI, LU
Bitter, sl toxic, sl warm
Stops coughing and calms wheezing
Moistens intestines and unblocks bowels
Oily seed: moistens intestines so not for diarrhea
Has cyanamide so LOW dose and short term
Da Huang Rhubarb
Downward draining, purgatives
Clearing heat and moving stool
HT, LV, ST, LI
Bitter and cold
Drains heat and purges accumulation
Drains fire
Clears heat and transforms damp, promotes urination
Drains heat from blood
Invigorates blood and dispels stasis
Reduces fire toxicity (internally or topically)
Tian Ma Gastrodia
Extinguish Wind Stop Tremors
Subdue Yang
Liver
Sweet neutral
Calms liver, extinguishes wind and controls spasms and tremors
Treating internal stirring of liver wind from heat or cold
Extinguishes wind and alleviates pain: HA, dizziness, migraines, wind stroke, numb extremities
Disperse painful obstruction:
Gastrodia and Uncaria Decoction to relieve wind (wind-stroke)
Gou Teng Uncaria
Extinguish Wind, Stop Tremors
Subdue Yang
PC, Liver
Sweet, sl cold
Extinguishes wind and alleviates spasms: internal stirring of liver wind: tremors/seizures/eclampsia
Drains liver heat and pacified liver yang: HA, irritability, red eyes, dizziness, hypertension
Releases exterior: fever, HA, red eyes
Chuan Xiong Ligusticum (lovage Root)
Invigorate Blood
Acrid warm
LV, GB, PC
Invigorates blood and promotes movement of qi: blood stasis patterns, important Gino herb
Expels wind and alleviates pain: leading herb for any exterior wind disorder: HA, dizziness, painful obstruction, skin problems from wind
Stops pain, esp for HA: wind, heat, cold, blood xu causes
Hong Hua Safflower
Invigorate Blood
Liver HT
Acrid, warm
Invigorates blood, dispels stasis and esp good at unblocking menstruation: amenorrhea, abdominal pain, pp dizziness, retained lock-in, abd masses, trauma, sores, painful obstruction of chest, MEASLES
Fu Shen Poria
Nourish HT, Calm Spirit
Used more for shen calming
Innermost part of fungus (fu ling poria is outer layer of fungal node)
Sweet bland neutral
HT, SP, KI, LU
Tonifies spleen
Eliminates damp
Calms heat spirit
Be careful with yin xu
Ban Xia Pinellia (roots)
Warm and Transform Cold Phlegm
Acrid warm
Remove phlegm so can be drying
Not for hot phlegm
CI: yin xu
