Herbs - Study Cards
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Hai Piao Xiao
Chinese
海螵蛸
English
Cuttlefish Bone
Category
Stabilize and Bind
Sub Cat
Kidney
Organs
Lung • Stomach
Taste
Sweet • Slightly Bitter
Temperature
Slightly Warm
Dosage
3g to 9g
Sang Piao Xiao
Chinese
桑螵蛸
English
Mantis Egg Case
Category
Stabilize and Bind
Sub Cat
Kidney
Organs
Kidney • Liver
Taste
Sweet • Salty
Temperature
Neutral
Fu Pen Zi
Chinese
覆盆⼦
English
Palmleaf Raspberry
Category
Stabilize and Bind
Sub Cat
Kidney
Organs
Bladder • Kidney
Taste
Sweet • Sour • Astringent
Temperature
Slightly Warm
Actions
Tonify Kidneys • Reduce leakage of body fluids
Indications
Yang deficiency • Urinary incontinence • Enuresis • Spermatorrhea • Premature ejaculation • Back pain • Diarrhea • Leukorrhea
Dosage
6g to 12g
CC
Yin Deficiency
Ying Su Ke
Chinese
罂粟壳
English
Opium Poppy Husk
Category
Stabilize and Bind - Lung & Intestines
Sub Cat
Exterior
Organs
Lung • Large Intestine • Kidney
Taste
Sour • Astringent • Toxic
Temperature
Neutral
Wu Bei Zi
Chinese
五倍子
English
Chinese Sumac Gallnut
Category
Stabilize and Bind - Lung & Intestines
Sub Cat
Exterior
Organs
Kidney • Lung • Large Intestine
Taste
Sour • Salty
Temperature
Cold
Chi Shi Zhi
Chinese
⾚⽯脂
English
Hallosite
Category
Stabilize and Bind
Sub Cat
Lung & Intestines
Organs
Spleen • Stomach • Large Intestine
Taste
Sweet • Sour • Astringent
Temperature
Warm
Dosage
9g to 18g
Rou Dou Kou
Chinese
⾁⾖蔻
English
Nutmeg Seeds
Category
Stabilize and Bind
Sub Cat
Lung & Intestines
Organs
Large Intestine • Spleen • Stomach
Taste
Pungent
Temperature
Warm
He Zi
Chinese
诃⼦
English
Myrobalan Fruit
Category
Stabilize and Bind
Sub Cat
Lung & Intestines
Organs
Lung • Stomach • Large Intestine
Taste
Bitter • Sour • Astringent
Temperature
Neutral
Dosage
3g to 9g
Ma Huang Gen
Chinese
麻⿈根
English
Ephedra Root
Category
Stabilize and Bind - Exterior
Sub Cat
Exterior
Organs
Lung
Taste
Sweet
Temperature
Neutral
Dosage
3g to 9g
Wu Wei Zi
Chinese
五味⼦
English
Schisandra Fruit
Category
Stabilize and Bind
Sub Cat
Lung & Intestines
Organs
Kidney • Heart • Lung
Taste
Sweet • Sour
Temperature
Warm
Dosage
3g to 6g
Nuo Dao Gen Xu
Chinese
糯稻根须
English
Glutinous Rice Rhizome
Category
Stabilize and Bind - Exterior
Sub Cat
Exterior
Organs
Heart • Kidney • Liver • Lung
Taste
Sweet
Temperature
Neutral
Dosage
15g to 30g
Fu Xiao Mai
Chinese
浮⼩⿆
English
Wheat Grain
Category
Stabilize and Bind
Sub Cat
Exterior
Organs
Heart
Taste
Sweet • Slightly salty
Temperature
Cool
Actions
Nourish heart • Calm spirit • Reduce sweating • Clear yin deficiency heat
Indications
Yin deficiency heat • Steaming bone disorder • Night sweating • Spontaneous sweating
Dosage
15g - 30g
Wu Mei
Chinese
乌梅
English
Mume Fruit
Category
Stabilize and Bind
Sub Cat
Lung & Intestines
Organs
Liver • Large Intestine • Lung • Spleen
Taste
Sour • Astringent
Temperature
Neutral
Ling Zhi
Chinese
灵芝
English
Reishi Mushroom
Category
Calm Shen
Organs
Heart • Liver • Lung
Taste
Sweet
Temperature
Neutral
Dosage
3g to 15g
He Huan Pi
Chinese
合欢⽪
English
Silktree Bark
Category
Calm Shen
Organs
Heart • Liver
Taste
Sweet
Temperature
Neutral
Dosage
6g to 15g
Ye Jiao Teng
Chinese
夜交藤
English
Polygonum Vine
Category
Calm Shen
Organs
Heart • Liver
Taste
Sweet
Temperature
Neutral
Dosage
15g to 30g
Yuan Zhi
Chinese
元 志
English
Siberian Milk-Wort Root
Category
Calm Shen
Organs
Heart • Lung
Taste
Bitter • Pungent
Temperature
Slightly Warm
Key Things
Cough (phlegm, lung), insomnia (heart)
Actions
Calms Shen • Calms heart • Reduce swelling and abscesses • Clear phlegm from heart and lung
Indications
boils, sores, swelling, or hearing loss due to phlegm blocking orifices • stubborn phlegm • insomnia • anxiety • palpitations • heart and kidney deficiencies
Dosage
3g to 9g
CC
Drying • caution with heat or hot phlegm, gastritis, or peptic ulcers • Pregnancy
Bai Zi Ren
Chinese
柏⼦仁
English
Platycladus Seed
Category
Calm Shen
Organs
Heart • Kidney • Liver
Taste
Sweet
Temperature
Neutral
Dosage
3g to 9g, Crush before decoction
Suan Zao Ren
Chinese
酸枣仁
English
Sour Jujube Seeds
Category
Calm Shen
Organs
Gallbladder • Heart • Liver • Spleen
Taste
Sweet • Sour
Temperature
Neutral
Key Things
Insomnia from SP/HT/KD deficiencies
Actions
Calm Shen
Indications
Insomnia from SP/HT/KD deficiencies • Spontaneous seating from Yin or Qi deficiency
Dosage
9g to 15g • Crush before decocting • Max 30g
CC
Drowsiness • Insomnia from hot phlegm or excess heat • Pregnancy -uterine stimulant • Diarrhea
Hu Po
Chinese
琥珀
English
Amber
Category
Calm Shen
Organs
Bladder • Heart • Liver
Taste
Sweet
Temperature
Neutral
Actions
Calm shen • Invigorate blood • Promote urination • Generate flesh • Close sores
Indications
Palpitations • Anxiety • Profuse dreaming • Insomnia • Poor memory• Painful menses • Amenorrhea • Blood stasis • Bloody Lin • Topically: sores, carbuncles, ulcerated sores • scrotum or vulva swelling and pain • Tremor • Seizure
Dosage
1.5g to 3g • swallow in powder form • do not decoct
Ci Shi
Chinese
磁石
English
Magnetite
Category
Calm Shen
Organs
Kidney • Liver
Taste
Pungent • Salty
Temperature
Cold
Actions
Calm Shen • Calm Liver • Nourish Kidney • Nourish Liver • Helps Kidney grasp Lung Qi • Anchors floating Liver yang • Sharpen hearing • Brighten eyes
Dosage
9g to 30g • Cook 30 minutes before other herbs
CC
Weak Spleen • Weak Stomach • Long term use
Zhu Sha
Chinese
硃砂
English
Cinnabar
Category
Calm Shen
Organs
Heart
Taste
Sweet
Temperature
Cold • Toxic
Actions
Anchors and calms Shen • Clear heat • Resolve toxicity
Dosage
0.3g to 1g in powered form
CC
Pregnancy • Long term use • Can cause mercury poisoning if used inappropriately
Hei Zhi Ma
Chinese
黑芝麻
English
Black Sesame Seed
Category
Tonify Yin
Organs
Liver • Kidney • Large Intestine
Taste
Sweet
Temperature
Neutral
Actions
Nourish Liver • Nourish Kidney • Moisten intestines
Dosage
9g-30g
CC
Diarrhea
Bie Jia
Chinese
鳖甲
English
Soft shelled Turtle Shell (dorsal)
Category
Tonify Yin
Organs
Liver • Kidney
Taste
Salty
Temperature
Cold
Actions
Nourish yin • Anchor yang • Dissipate nodules • Invigorate blood • Promote menses
Dosage
9g-30g • Crush before cooking • Cook for 30 minutes before adding other herbs
CC
Pregnancy • Spleen Xu Cold with poor appetite and diarrhea
Gui Ban Jiao
Chinese
龟板
English
Fresh Water Turtle Shell
Category
Tonify Yin
Organs
Liver • Kidney • Heart
Taste
Sweet • Salty
Temperature
Cold
Actions
Nourish yin • Anchor yang • Benefit kidneys • Strengthen bones and sinews • Stop bleeding • Cool blood • Tonify heart • Nourish blood
Dosage
9g-30g
Han Lian Cao
Chinese
旱莲草
English
Eclipta
Category
Tonify Yin
Organs
Liver • Kidney
Taste
Sweet • Sour
Temperature
Cold
Actions
Nourish Liver • Nourish Kidney Yin • Stop bleeding • Cool blood
Dosage
9g-15g
Sang Shen
Chinese
桑椹
English
Mulberry Fruit
Category
Tonify Yin
Organs
Liver • Kidney
Taste
Sweet
Temperature
Cold
Actions
Nourish yin • Nourish Blood • Generate fluids • Moisten intestines
Dosage
6g-15g
Huang Jing
Chinese
黄精
English
Siberian Solomon Seal Rhizome
Category
Tonify Yin
Organs
Kidney • Lung • Spleen
Taste
Sweet
Temperature
Neutral
Actions
Nourish Kidney • Moisten Lungs • Tonify Spleen qi and yin • Tonify Kidney essence
Indications
Wasting and thirsting disorder • Chronic cough from yin deficiency dryness • Speen and Stomach deficiencies • Kidney Jing deficiency
Dosage
10g-15g
CC
Cloying and may cause stagnation or dampness • Cough with copious mucus • Spleen deficiency
Bai He
Chinese
百合
English
Lily Bulb
Category
Tonify Yin
Organs
Lung • Heart
Taste
Sweet • Slightly Bitter
Temperature
Slightly Cold
Actions
Nourish yin • Moisten Lungs • Stop cough • Clear heart • Calm spirit
Dosage
9g-30g
Yu Zhu
Chinese
玉竹
English
Polygonatum
Category
Tonify Yin
Organs
Stomach • Kidney
Taste
Sweet
Temperature
Slightly Cold
Actions
Nourish yin • Moisten Lungs • Relieve thirst • Generate fluids • Wind-heat invasion Yin Xu
Dosage
9g-15g
