Shān Zhū Yu
Corni Fructus
Dried fruit of Cornus Officinalis (dogwood/Cornelian Cherry)
Fruits: courtesy of hort.net
Taste: Sour
Temp: Sl Warm
Channels: Kidney, Liver
Actions:
- Tonifies essence and assists the yang to astringe kidney essence; controls ejaculation, urinary incontinence
- Tonifies kidney/liver relationship: low back pain, knee pain, if due to liver/kidney deficiency; tinnitus, hearing loss
- Stabilizes menses to stop bleeding
- Stabilizes and calms shen
Dose: 6-12 grams; very safe; no toxicity
Contra: Urinary tract infection (because holds in urine)
Cooking: Add to cereal or stewed fruit; eat every day to preserve yin; creates longevity
Formula: Liu Wei Di Huang Wan (Rehmannia 6)
Modern: cleans bacteria (staph, salmonella infection); contains tannins, saponins
Identification: Reddish brown dried fruits, shiny; sour taste (can look like Wu Wei Zi in color, but examined carefully, it is soft and juicy)
Note: Sometimes when purchased from inferior sources, it is covered in a whitish film (mold? Salts?) and is dried up. Look for juicy, shiny fruits. About $15/pound for good quality.
Wǔ Wèi Zǐ
Schisandrae Fructus
"Five-Flavored Seed"
Taste: Sour, sweet
Temp: Warm
Channels: Lung, Heart, Kidney
Actions:
lung (asthma, cough, shortness of breath, spontaneous sweat, night sweat due to yin deficiency, wasting and thirsting); heart (shen disturbance, insomnia, poor memory, agitation, restlessness – mildly sedating)
Astringent – Middle Jiao
Chronic diarrhea due to deficiency of spleen; prolapse of organs; cock's crow diarrhea (not to be used for diarrhea with infection, such as damp heat dysentery, because you want the pathogen out)
Astringent – Lower Jiao
Kidney deficiency causing frequent urination, spermatorrhea, premature ejaculation, impotence due to weak kidney qi
- Tonify Yin, generate body fluids – generates fluids by keeping fluids in – works on kidney, lung and heart yin
- Famous herb for female beauty and sexual tonic; premier longevity herb; Emperor's wives combined with Gou Qi Zi for enhanced youth, beauty and sexuality (fluids); general fatigue due to Qi deficiency
- Said to contain all 5 flavors, enter all 12 channels, and astringe all 3 Jiaos
- Contains adaptogens, as ginseng does (increases non-specific resistance); strengthens and quickens reflexes; contains lignoids (the cancer-fighting components in foods such as broccoli and flax seed)
Dose: 3-9 grams; very safe; no toxicity; lower dose for chronic cough;
higher dose for tonification
Contra: May cause heartburn (true of all sour things)
Cooking: Crush before decocting; prepare in wine for use as tonic
For a single tea, use 30 grams per ½ gallon of water
Soak in water several hours before cooking to reduce tannins; pour out water and add fresh water.
Try with Gan Cao and Gou Qi Zi. Drink daily.
Modern: Improves liver function; reduces liver inflammation (hepatitis); but for this, it must not be cooked – it could be soaked in warm water (less than 60 degrees F)
Directly stimulates nerve cells, increasing intellectual activity, coordination and sense perception; improves memory, increased work capacity of telegraph operators
Adaptogenic: low endurance, fatigue, frequent infections
Regulate immune function when overactive (allergies, auto-immune illness)
Formula: Sheng Mai San (for shock, palpitations, heart disease, collapse, lung qi and yin xu); consists of Ren Shen (tonify source qi), Mai Men Dong (nourish lung yin, clear heat) and Wu Wei Zi (astringe lung qi)
Identification: Should be shiny, not too shriveled, but harder and more seed-like than Shan Zhu Yu; similar color; very sour smell; can get moldy rather easily; if so, throw out
Wū Méi
Mume Fructus
"Dark Plum" (smoked immature prune plum)
Taste: Sour, astringent
Temp: Warm
Channels: Liver, Spleen, Lung, Large Intestine
Actions:
- A major herb for parasites (esp roundworms). Stimulates bile production and contraction of the bile duct, can sedate roundworms in the bile duct
Astringent
Upper Jiao – lung – chronic lung deficiency cough
Middle Jiao – Spleen/LI – diarrhea, dysentery, roundworms, vomiting, abdominal pain
Lower Jiao – uterine bleeding, blood in stool
- Clear ying stage heat – heat in blood from deficiency – dry mouth, thirst, irritability – clears heat by drawing in fluid; wasting and thirsting with deficiency heat
- Topical for warts and corns (as is Wu Wei Zi)
Dose: 3-9 grams
Contra: Exterior disorders
Cooking: Partially char to stop bleeding
Modern: Pronounced action to clean bacteria (E. coli, staph, strep, salmonella, mycobacterium tuberculosis, etc)
Formula: Wu Mei San (contains many contrasting herbs)
Identification: Black, very sour, dry and powdery
Hē Zǐ
Chebulae Fructus
Myrobalan Fruit
Taste: Bitter, Sour, Astringent
Temp: Neutral
Channels: Lung, Stomach, LI
Actions:
- Contains leakage of lung qi, stops cough, benefits throat (TB, lung cancer, pneumonia – stabilize lung qi); very strong and focused on upper and middle jiaos
- Binds up large intestine, stops diarrhea
Dose: 3-9 grams
Cooking: Raw for chronic cough and loss of voice; roasted for chronic diarrhea/dysentery
Modern: Cleans bacteria (shigella, salmonella, etc)
Contains a lot of acids and tannins; inhibits smooth muscle spasm (like opium poppy, codeine – which accounts for its effect against diarrhea)
Identification: Yellow brown, very shiny and hard; resembles Zhi Zi (Gardenia Fruit) but bigger and shinier
Ròu Dòu Kòu
Myristicae Semen
Nutmeg Seeds
Taste: Pungent
Temp: Warm
Channels: LI, Spleen, Stomach
Actions:
- Stops diarrhea at 20 feet!
- Mainly acts on digestive organs – binds up intestines; chronic diarrhea; daybreak diarrhea due to deficiency cold of spleen and kidney
- Warms middle jiao, moves qi, alleviates pain (cold stagnating in the spleen/stomach – hence the pungent taste)
Dose: 1.5 – 9 grams; do not exceed 7 g powdered
Contra: Pregnancy (because uterine stimulant)
Toxicity: The herb is hallucinogenic and can cause death in large doses, liver damage in animals. Adverse Effects: Nutmeg, taken in large doses may cause nausea and vomiting, flushing, dry mouth, tachycardia, stimulation of the central nervous system possibly with epileptiform convulsions, miosis, mydriasis, euphoria, and hallucinations.
Within 4 hours of taking 28 g of nutmeg in water and orange juice, a 19-year-old woman felt cold and shivery. This was followed after 6 to 8 hours by severe vomiting accompanied by hallucinations. For a week she had poor concentration and was disorientated. The hallucinogen in nutmeg was believed to be myristicin. - D. J. Panayotopoulos and D. D. Chisholm (letter), Br. med. J., 1970, 1, 754. A similar report. - R. A. Faguet and K. F. Rowland, Am. J. Psychiat., 1978, 135, 860.
Cooking: Roast to increase effect to warm middle/stop diarrhea
Identification: Smells like nutmeg; makes you want to whip up a batch of eggnog; all you have to do is smell this to ID it!
Yīng Sù Ké
Papaveris Fructus
Husk of Opium Poppy
Taste: Sour, Astringent, Toxic
Temp: Neutral
Channels: Lung, Large Intestine, Kidney
Actions:
- Astringent to all three jiaos
- Lung: chronic cough, combine with Wu Wei Zi and Wu Mei (A Chief Herb, with Ginseng, for stabilizing exterior and stopping wheezing)
- Intestine: for chronic diarrhea or dysentery, not acute; diarrhea with cramping pain
- Kidney: excessive urination, leucorrhoea, spermatorrhea
- Stops pain – like morphine
Dose: 3-9 grams; extremely toxic; side effects include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, headache, sweating, and especially respiratory depression, which can be fatal. This herb is not available commercially.
Contra: No long term use or high dose allowed
Modern: Puts a halt to diarrhea via its drying, constipating nature, like opium, morphine, codeine (inhibits smooth muscle contractions)
Identification: The poppy flower is a gorgeous wild red with fringed petals. Once the flower is finished, the husk remains and seeds are stored within it. The husk is dry, brown and acts as a receptacle for the seeds, which disperse due to wind, bird activity, etc.
Interaction Note: Any substance that decreases intestinal motility may increase absorption of other drugs or herbs – so you may need to adjust dosage
Shí Liú Pí♥
Granati Pericarpium
Husk of Pomegranate Fruit
Taste: Sour, astringent, toxic
Temp: Warm
Channels: Stomach, LI
Actions:
♥ Binds up intestines -- diarrhea
♥ Kills parasites
Dose: 3-9 grams
Identification:
Note: Pomegranate seeds are becoming very popular for their health benefits (anti-oxidants, cancer-fighting), and the juice makes a great martini!
Chūn Pí (Chun Gen Pi)
Cortex Ailanthi Altissimae
Bark or root bark
Taste: Bitter, astringent
Temp: COLD
Channels: LI, Stomach
Actions:
- Astringes and Clears! Think of it as a drying, bitter and cold substance for damp heat (sort of like Huang Lian in its drying, heat-clearing aspect)
- Astringent: clears heat and stops menstrual bleeding
- A minor ingredient in Gu Jing Wan (Stabilize Menses Pill), a state board formula; in it, this clears damp and stops bleeding
- Lower jiao – leucorrhoea due to damp heat
Dose: 3-15 grams
Formula: Gu Jing Wan (Stabilize Menses Pill): Gui Ban, Bai Shao, Huang Qin, Huang Bai, Xiang Fu, Chun Pi – to control "Beng Lou" (gushing and trickling syndrome of menstrual blood with heat, liver yin deficiency, etc. stemming from liver qi constraint)
Other uses: The dried fruit of this, Feng Yen Cao, is also used to stop bleeding and control leucorrhea and diarrhea, and kills Trichomonas vaginalis
Identification: Bark
Chì Shí Zhī♥
Main functions only
Halloysitum Rubrum
"Crimson Stone Resin"
Taste: Sweet, sour, astringent
Temp: Warm
Channels: Spleen, Stomach, LI
Actions:
♥ Astringent – topically for chronic sores; weeping damp sores, nonhealing ulcers, heals wounds, generates flesh; grind up and apply in a medium such as egg white; also topically for bleeding due to trauma
♥Astringent –middle jiao diarrhea, chronic dysenteric syndromes if due to cold; rectal prolapse (note that most mineral substances are cold, but this one is warm)
♥Astringent – lower jiao menstrual or abnormal uterine bleeding
Dose: 6-24 grams
Contra: Caution during pregnancy; contra in damp heat dysentery conditions
Cooking: Usually calcined (that means heated to a very high temp to increase its astringent action)
Identification: Red, smooth, fine, easy to grind
Lián Zǐ
Nelumbinis Semen
Lotus seed can be white or red (red is unpeeled, and is considered inferior)
Taste: Sweet, astringent
Temp: Neutral
Channels: Heart, Spleen, Kidney
Actions:
- Treats "disharmony between heart and kidney" – heart is hot, kidney yin is deficient – one manifestation of this could be sexual dreams with seminal emission; dark urine, restlessness, palpitations
- Middle jiao – strengthens spleen, stops diarrhea, increases appetite (combine with such herbs as Bai Zhu, Bai Bian Dou, Fu Ling, Dang Shen, Mu Xiang). Some books say "thicken the stomach and LI – hoù cháng wèi")
- Lower Jiao - stops excessive uterine bleeding
Dose: 6-15 grams; very safe; no toxicity
Cooking: Leaves: use to wrap around other foods. Seeds: grind into an almond-flavored flour. Stalks: slice and add to salads. Rhizome: eat raw or cooked.
Other uses: Compare to Lian Zi Xin (lotus plumule; drains heart fire and stops bleeding), Ou Jie (lotus rhizome node; stops bleeding from lung or stomach) and He Ye (lotus leaf; clears summerheat, stops diarrhea due to spleen yang def)
Identification: Mine is Lian Zi Hong (red lotus seed); compare to your samples
Qiàn Shí
Euralyes Semen
A water plant, in the Nymphaeaceae family
(not Foxglove, as some erroneously assert)
Taste: Sweet, astringent
Temp: Neutral
Channels: Spleen, Kidney
Actions:
- Main action: strengthens spleen, stops diarrhea, good for childhood enuresis
- Also astringes kidneys for premature ejaculation, polyuria
- Expels dampness (vaginal discharge, turbid urine)
Dose: 9-15, up to 30 grams; very safe; no toxicity
Cooking: Crush before using; add to cereal or stewed fruit; cook as cereal, add honey to tonify spleen (but I tried this and it was awful, chalky – experiment on your own)
Identification: Brown and white seeds; smells like beans
Note: Functionally, this herb is like Yi Yi Ren (pearled barley) and also like Lian Zi, but this is more tonifying to the spleenJīn Yīng Zǐ - Main Functions Only♥
Rosae Laevigatae Fructus
Wild Cherokee Rose Hip
Taste: Sour, astringent
Temp: Neutral
Channels: Kidney, UB, LI
Actions:
♥Astringe lower jiao – Chronic leaking urine, sperm
♥Astringe middle jiao - diarrhea
♥Prolapse of rectum, uterus
♥Excessive uterine bleeding
Dose: 6-18grams; very safe; no toxicity
Identification: Shiny elongated rose hips; brownish red
Fù Pén Zǐ
Rubi Fructus
Raspberry
Mary Vaux Walcott
Courtesy Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
Taste: Sweet, astringent
Temp: Neutral
Channels: Kidney, Liver
Actions:
- Stabilizes kidney Qi: dribbling, or copious urination, bedwetting, premature ejaculation (use with Shan Zhu Yu, Wu Yao)
- Tonifies liver/kidney: tinnitus, dizziness, blurred vision (like Gou Qi Zi, Tu Si Zi)
Dosage: 3-10 g
Caution: Yin deficiency with heat, difficult urination
Modern: Estrogen-like effects (all sources say this but none explain it)
Other Uses: The leaf is bitter, aromatic, astringent, cooling, a uterine tonic, binds up intestines, used a lot in western herbal gynecology
Identification: Dried raspberries, looks a little like Sang Shen Zi (mulberry, a blood tonic)
Note: similar function to Fructus Corni, but milder
Wǔ Bèi Zǐ♥
Galla Chinensis
A substance excreted on oak [and other] trees, produced by insect eggs and larvae imbedded in plant tissues; a source of gallic and tannic acids used in drugs for astringent properties
Taste: Sour, salty
Temp: COLD
Channels: Lung, Kidney, LI
Actions:
♥Primary use: astringe intestines to stop diarrhea with bleeding
♥Clear heat and detox – abscesses, boils, sores, ulcers, ringworm, etc. Can be used topically
Dose: 1.5 to 6 grams
Identification: No ID on this
Bái Guǒ
Ginkgo Semen
"White fruit"
Also known as Yín Xíng, Yín Guǒ ("silver apricot, silver fruit")
This is the oldest living tree species on earth; 200 million years old; monotypic
Taste: Sweet, bitter, astringent
Temp: Neutral, potentially toxic
Channels: Lung, Kidney
Actions:
- Primary use: lung problems – asthma due to leaking lung qi
- Eliminates dampness - leucorrhoea (deficiency and damp heat)
- Kidney leakage – polyuria and cloudy urine
Dose: 6-9 grams
Contra: Toxicity can occur if more than 10 seeds per day are consumed; skin reactions, and many internal reactions, including convulsions and death, can occur. Handle fleshy fruit with gloves, as it can cause skin reactions, mucous membrane irritation. Because the leaves invigorate blood, discontinue use 2 weeks before any surgery.
Cooking: The hard shell is removed; the fleshy fruit is also removed; the active part is the inner seed, which, if to be eaten, should be processed by steaming, roasting or stir-frying. In decoction, the entire raw herb can be used.
Bai Guo, Continued
Modern: The leaves (Yin Guo Ye, bitter, astringent, neutral and enter lungs) have been extensively used and studied in Asia and Europe. Modern research shows the leaves have blood invigorating properties (for angina pectoris, atherosclerosis), can lower blood cholesterol, can improve short term memory and mental symptoms related to senility; cerebral vascular insufficiency; leaves have very low toxicity
Identification: White oval shaped hard shell; if broken open, a liquid fleshy substance is found that surrounds the inner seed. When planting this tree for ornamental purposes, keep in mind that the females produce fruit in abundance, and can make a mess on the ground and also a foul (vomit like) odor
An experiential formula for angina pectoris: 4.5 g each of ginkgo leaves, He Shou Wu and Du Zhong; this constitutes a daily dose
Fú Xiǎo Mài
Tritici Fructus Levis
"Light Wheat Grain" – not quite ripe, floats on water*
Taste: Sweet, sl. salty
Temp: Cool
Channels: Heart
Actions:
- Stops sweat from deficiency; spontaneous sweat from Qi def; night sweat due to Yin def – often used for emotional spiritual problems, and especially useful for "restless organ syndrome" (use with licorice and black date -- Gan Cao and Da Zao, which then becomes Gan Mai Da Zao Tang)
- Bedwetting in children
Dose: 9-15 grams; very safe; no toxicity
Identification: Pale wheat grains, should float
*compare to Xiao Mai, sometimes called Huai Xiao Mai, the mature wheat grain, which is heavier, reddish and is used for more severe hysteria and shen disturbance (heavy to sink the shen)
Má Huáng Gēn
Ephedrae Radix
Photo: JR Manhart
"Hemp Yellow Root"
Taste: Sweet
Temp: Neutral
Channels: Lung
Actions:
- Stops sweating due to deficiency – used all the time for night sweats! (also spontaneous and post partum sweats)
- Pair with Fu Xiao Mai for sweating
Dose: 3-10 grams
Contra: Exterior conditions
Identification: Pale woody chips
Formula: Add to Da Bu Yin Wan ("Great Tonifying Decoction") for sweating (Shu Di Huang, deep-fried Gui Ban, dry-fried Huang Bai, wine-fried Zhi Mu); these 3 are fried to moderate their bitter or cold properties. This formula is stronger than Liu Wei Di Huang Wan to descend fire from deficiency of yin
Hǎi Piāo Xiāo
Sepiae Endoconcha
Cuttlefish Bone
Taste: Salty, astringent
Temp: Sl. Warm
Channels: Liver, Stomach, Kidney
Actions:
- Stomach ulcers – grind up into a powder – heartburn, stomach pain, acid vomiting
- Stops bleeding (uterine, lungs, stomach, external injury)
- Astringes lower jiao (seminal emission)
- Abscess, infection, topically used for damp sores, eczema, ulcerating sores
Dose: 6-12 grams; very safe; no toxicity
Contra: long term use can cause constipation
Modern: Digestive tract ulcers (use with Gan Cao); promotes bone repair
Identification: White cuttlefish bone, oval shape, this is the internal shell of Sepia esculenta or Sepiella
Interaction Note: any substance that neutralizes or inhibits stomach acid can interfere with the absorption of other drugs or herbs. To minimize this effect, such substances should be separated by at least one hour from the taking of other herbs or drugs.
Sāng Piāo Xiāo♥
Mantidis Oötheca
Taste: Sweet, salty
Temp: Neutral
Channels: Kidney, Liver
Actions:
♥Supplements kidney, reinforces yang, secures Essence; for frequent urination, but with no pain (use with Long Gu, Shan Yao, Jin Ying Zi)
♥Very important for bedwetting in children
Dose: 3-9 grams; very safe; no toxicity
Contra:
Identification: I will not ask you to ID this
When to use astringent herbs?
Abnormal leakages, usually due to deficiency
What to combine with astringent herbs?
Tonics that address the underlying weakness
If the patient's leakage is bleeding, then combine with herbs that stop bleeding (which themselves are often astringent in nature)
If the leakage has damp heat characteristics, such as yellow leucorrhoea, or bloody diarrhea, then combine with herbs that clear heat and dry dampness, such as Huang Lian and Huang Bai
If the leakage is shen-related, combine with herbs than calm the shen
Which herbs are best for cough and wheeze due to lung deficiency?
First, think of Wu Wei Zi. Next, He Zi, Wu Mei and Bai Guo
Which herbs are best for diarrhea?
Rou Dou Kou, Ying Su Ke, Jin Ying Zi
Which herbs astringe and also strengthen the spleen?
Lian Zi and Qian Shi
Which herbs are best for parasites?
Wu Mei, Shi Liu Pi
Which herbs are best for topical sores needing astringing?
Chi Shi Zhi, Hai Piao Xiao
Which herbs are best for lower jiao leakage (semen, urination)?
Shan Zhu Yu primarily! Wu Wei Zi, Jin Ying Zi, Fu Pen Zi
Which herb astringes and also clears heat and dampness (for menstrual bleeding and leucorrhoea)
Chun Gen Pi
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