Stabilize and Bind Substances

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:    

 

• Astringent – Upper Jiao
  

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