Stage 1: Channels

Question 1

Drain Dampness

Bian Xu: Polygoni Avicularis, Herba (Knotweed)

Answer 1

Bian Xu

Channel: Bladder

Properties: Bitter, slightly Cold

Actions:

Clears Damp Heat in the Lower Burner and promotes urination. Kills parasites and stops itching.

Question 2

Drain Dampness

Bie Xie: Dioscoreae, Rhizoma (Fish-poison Yam Rhizome)

Answer 2

Bie Xie

Channels: Bladder, Liver, Stomach

Properties: Bitter, Neutral

Actions:

Separates the pure from the turbid. Expels Wind Dampness, relaxes the sinews and opens up the Connecting Channels. Clears Damp Heat from the skin.

Question 3

Drain Dampness

Che Qian Zi: (seed before the Cart) - Plantaginis, Semen (Plantago Seeds)

Answer 3

Che Qian Zi

Channels: Bladder, Kidney, Liver, Lung

Properties: Sweet, Cold

Actions:

Promotes urination and clears Heat.

Stops diarrhea due to Damp Summerheat.

Clears the eyes for eye problems due to Liver and Kidney Deficiency or Heat in the Liver.

Expels Phlegm associated with Lung Heat and stops cough.

Question 4

Drain Dampness

Chi Xiao Dou: Adzuki bean, rice bean, phaseolus

Answer 4

Chi Xiao Dou

Channels: Heart, Small Intestine

Properties: Sweet, Sour, Neutral

Actions:

• clear heat, promote urination – abdominal fullness/swelling with edema
• disperse blood stasis – reduce swelling and fire toxicity, sores, carbuncles
• clears damp heat – jaundice

Question 5

Drain Dampness

Deng Xin Cao: Juncus pith, rush pith

Answer 5

Deng Xin Cao

Channels: Heart, Lung, Small Intestine

Properties: Sweet, Bland, slightly Cold

Actions:

Promotes Urination and Treats Dysuria (Lin Zheng) Clears heat drains fire, clears lung heat, cools blood heat and stops bleeding

Question 6

Drain Dampness

Di Fu Zi: (Earth Skin Seeds) - Kochiae Scopariae, Fructus (Broom Cypress)

Answer 6

Di Fu Zi

Channels: Bladder, Kidney

Properties: Sweet, Bitter, Cold

Actions:

clear damp heat, promote urination – lin syndrome, re lin.

-expel dampness, stop itch – damp skin disorder, eczema, scabies, genital itch.

Class: not in any classical formulas

Question 7

Drain Dampness

Fu Ling: Poria

Answer 7

Fu Ling

Channels: Heart, Spleen, Kidney, Lung

Properties: Sweet, Bland, Neutral

Actions:

• promotes urination, drains damp
• strengthen spleen, harmonize middle Jiao
• quiet’s heart and calms spirit

Question 8

Guang Fang Ji:

Answer 8

Obsolete Herb - we now use Han Fang Ji

Question 9

Drain Dampness

Hai Jin Sha: (Sea Golden Sand) - Lygodii, Spora

Answer 9

Hai Jin Sha

Channels: BLADDER, SMALL INTESTINE

Properties: Sweet, Bland, Cold

Actions:

• clear heat, promote urination – stone lin, xue lin,
• clear heat and toxic fire – swollen-painful throat

Question 10

Drain Dampness

Han Fang Ji: Stephania Root,Four Stamen Stephania Root

Answer 10

Han Fang Ji

Channels: BLADDER, SPLEEN, KIDNEY

Properties: Bitter Acrid, Cold

Actions:

-edema in lower part of body

-easily damages stomach due to cold.

Class: Guang Fang Ji on page 1056 is the unsafe version. Han Fang Ji is the safe version

Question 11

Drain Dampness

Hua Shi: Talcum

Answer 11

Hua Shi

Channels: Stomach, Bladder (Ann’s note just says Kidney)

Properties: Sweet, Bland, Cold

Actions:

promote urination, drain Heat from bladder lin syndrome -clear heat, summer heat and damp heat through urine. -absorbs dampness (oozing eczema) used topically. *contraindicated during pregnancy

Class: used topically – summer heat herb – diaper rash – resolves dampness – Bai Zheng San

Question 12

Drain Dampness

Jin Qian Cao: (Gold Money Herb) - Lysimachiae, Herba (Lysimachia)

Answer 12

Jin Qian Cao

Channels:

BLADDER, GALLBLADDER, KIDNEY, LIVER

Properties: Sweet, Salty, slightly Cold

Actions:

• promote urination, stone lin syndrome
• clears damp, jaundice (yang or yin), red-swollen eyes-snake bite

Class: Stone herb good for any stones -

Question 13

Drain Dampness

Mu Tong: (Open-ended Wood) – Mu Tong, Caulis (Akebia Caulis)

Answer 13

Mu Tong

Channels Entered: BLADDER, HEART, SMALL INTESTINE

Properties: Bitter, slightly Cold

Actions:

promote urination, drain heat from heart through the small intestine.

-promotes lactation, Un-blocks blood vessels.

Class: is in dou zhi tang – heart has an affinity for blood – good for increasing lactation especially if due to XUE Yu. This is a biggie in drain damp heat

Question 14

Drain Dampness

Qu Mai: Dianthi, Herba (Aerial Parts of Fringed Pink Dianthus)

Answer 14

Qi Mai

Channels: BLADDER, HEART, SMALL INTESTINE

Properties: Bitter, Cold

Actions:

promote urination, drain Damp Heat from bladder, lin syndrome- re lin, xue lin, stone lin

• breaks up blood stasis.

Class: it is in Ba Zheng San – Blood Lin Herb

Question 15

Drain Dampness

Shi Wei: (Stone Reed) - Pyrrosiae, Folium (Pyrrosia Leaf)

Answer 15

Shi Wei

Channels: BLADDER, LUNG

Properties: Bitter, Sweet, slightly Cold

Actions:

-promote urination, drain damp heat from bladder, re lin, xue lin, stone lin

-stops bleeding

Class: good herb if addicted to carbohydrates – should chew on it to prevent cravings (Jeffery)

In the formula San Jin Tang

Question 16

Drain Dampness

Tong Cao: (Unblocking Herb) - Tetrapanacis Papyriferi, Medulla (Rice Paper Pith, Tetrapanax)

Answer 16

Tong Cao

Channels: LUNG, STOMACH

Properties: Sweet, Bland, slightly Cold

Actions:

• promote urination, clear heat – lin syndrome, damp warm-febrile disease
• promote lactation

Class: make rice paper out of this – promotes lactation when there is insufficient lactation

Question 17

Drain Dampness

Yi Yi Ren: Coix seeds, Job’s tears

Answer 17

Yi Yi Ren

Channels: Lungs, Spleen, Stomach, Kidney -(Ann does not include Stomach)

Properties: Sweet, Bland, slightly Cold

Actions:

-Promote urination, drains damp

-strengthenspleen, stops diarrhea

-expel wind-damp, relieve joint and muscle pain

*contraindicated during pregnancy

Question 18

Drain Dampness

Yin Chen Hao: Artemisiae Yin Chen Hao, Herba (Yin Chen Hao Shoots and Leaves)

Answer 18

Channels: Liver, Spleen, Gallbladder, Stomach

Properties: Bitter, slightly Cold

Actions:

clear damp heat from liver and gallbladder, relieves jaundice (yang or yin)

-clear heat, Shao Yang Syndrome.

Question 19

Drain Dampness

Yu Mi Xu: Maydis Stigma, Corn silk

Answer 19

Channels Entered: Bladder, Gallbladder, Liver

Properties: Sweet, Bland, Neutral

Actions:

promote urination – re lin, stone lin, edema

regulate gallbladder – jaundice

wasting, thirst disorder

Class: food therapy herb, cooking as a tea for diabetes.

Question 20

Drain Dampness

Ze Xie: Alismatis Orientalitis, Rhizoma (Water Plantain Rhizome)

Answer 20

Channels Entered: Kidney, Bladder

Properties: Sweet, Bland, Cold

Actions:

promote urination, drains damp in lower burner

drain deficient kidney fire

Class: it is in Ju li Tang – Liu wei di Huang wan (drains heat from the lower burner) draining Kid fire from yin Xu. Liu Wei … is a modification of Jin Gui Shen Qi Wan – a very important formula in Chinese medicine. Drain turbidity but preserve Yin. Really important especially when working with fluid metabolism – prostate issues, dribbling, any fluid metabolism (Ze Xie drains ministerial fire)

Question 21

Drain Dampness

Zhu Ling: Polyporus

Answer 21

Channels Entered: Spleen, Kidney, Bladder

Properties: Sweet, Bland, slightly Cold

Actions:

promotes urination, drains damp (combine with Fu Ling)

Yang jaundice – lin syndrome

Class: turbid painful Lin syndrome – heat