Stage 1: Channels Flashcards
Drain Dampness
Bian Xu: Polygoni Avicularis, Herba (Knotweed)
Bian Xu
Channel: Bladder
Properties: Bitter, slightly Cold
Actions:
Clears Damp Heat in the Lower Burner and promotes urination. Kills parasites and stops itching.
Drain Dampness
Bie Xie: Dioscoreae, Rhizoma (Fish-poison Yam Rhizome)
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.
Drain Dampness
Che Qian Zi: (seed before the Cart) - Plantaginis, Semen (Plantago Seeds)
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.
Drain Dampness
Chi Xiao Dou: Adzuki bean, rice bean, phaseolus
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
Drain Dampness
Deng Xin Cao: Juncus pith, rush pith
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
Drain Dampness
Di Fu Zi: (Earth Skin Seeds) - Kochiae Scopariae, Fructus (Broom Cypress)
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
Drain Dampness
Fu Ling: Poria
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
Guang Fang Ji:
Obsolete Herb - we now use Han Fang Ji
Drain Dampness
Hai Jin Sha: (Sea Golden Sand) - Lygodii, Spora
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
Drain Dampness
Han Fang Ji: Stephania Root,Four Stamen Stephania Root
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
Drain Dampness
Hua Shi: Talcum
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
Drain Dampness
Jin Qian Cao: (Gold Money Herb) - Lysimachiae, Herba (Lysimachia)
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 -
Drain Dampness
Mu Tong: (Open-ended Wood) – Mu Tong, Caulis (Akebia Caulis)
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
Drain Dampness
Qu Mai: Dianthi, Herba (Aerial Parts of Fringed Pink Dianthus)
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
Drain Dampness
Shi Wei: (Stone Reed) - Pyrrosiae, Folium (Pyrrosia Leaf)
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
Drain Dampness
Tong Cao: (Unblocking Herb) - Tetrapanacis Papyriferi, Medulla (Rice Paper Pith, Tetrapanax)
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
Drain Dampness
Yi Yi Ren: Coix seeds, Job’s tears
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
Drain Dampness
Yin Chen Hao: Artemisiae Yin Chen Hao, Herba (Yin Chen Hao Shoots and Leaves)
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.
Drain Dampness
Yu Mi Xu: Maydis Stigma, Corn silk
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.
Drain Dampness
Ze Xie: Alismatis Orientalitis, Rhizoma (Water Plantain Rhizome)
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)
Drain Dampness
Zhu Ling: Polyporus
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
