Bai Guo (Yin Xing Ye) - 白果 - Semen Ginkgo

Pharmaceutical Latin:	Semen Ginkgo
Common English:	Ginkgo Nut

Category

Herbs that Stabilize and Bind (Astringents)

Properties

Taste	Temperature	Entering Meridians	Dosage
Sweet Bitter Astringent	Neutral Slightly Toxic	Kidney Lung (Heart)	3-10g Tincture: 2-4ml Remove the husk and crush the seed before use. 4.5-9g (Secondary source)

Actions And Indications

Actions	Indications/Syndromes
Astringes the Lungs, expels Phlegm and stops wheezing	Phlegm in the Lungs with wheezing and coughing (especially useful for chronic coughs or those with copious Phlegm) Lung Heat asthma
Astringes the urine, Eliminates Dampness, Stabilizes the Lower Jiao, Stops discharge	Lower Jiao Deficiency with vaginal discharge and turbid urine (used for both Deficiency and Damp-Heat)

Contraindications, Incompatibilities And Herb/Drug Interactions

Major Combinations

Hb. Ephedrae Ma Huang Sm. Armeniacae Xing Ren Cx. Mori Sang Bai Pi	Rx. Glehniae/Adenophorae Sha Shen Colla Corii Asini E Jiao	Sm. Euryales Qian Shi Rx. Dioscoreae Shan Yao
Coughing and wheezing with excessive yellow sputum due to Lung Deficiency with Hot Phlegm.	Chronic cough with Lung Deficiency.	Vaginal discharge due to Spleen Deficiency with Dampness.
Cx. Phellodendri Huang Bai Sm Plantaginis Che Qian Zi	Sm. Nelumbinis Lian Zi Fr. Piperis Hu Jiao Chicken	Ootheca Mantidis Sang Piao Xiao Fr. Alpiniae Oxyphyllae Yi Zhi Ren
Damp-Heat induced, yellow vaginal discharge with a foul odor.	Thin, watery vaginal discharge due to Lower Jiao Deficiency.	Urinary frequency and incontinence.
Hb. Ephedrae Ma Huang	Hb. Ephedrae Ma Huang Fr. Perillae Zi Su Zi Flos Farfarae Kuan Dong Hua Rz. Pinelliae Preparatum Zhi Ban Xia Cx. Mori Sang Bai Pi Sm. Armeniacae Xing Ren	Cx. Mori Sang Bai Pi Periostracum Cicadae Chan Tui Rx. Ophiopogonis Mai Men Dong
Calms wheezing.	Asthma, dyspnea or coughing.	Chronic coughing with loss of voice.
Gecko Ge Jie	Rx. Scutellariae Huang Qin Cx. Mori Sang Bai Pi	Rx. Glehniae/Adenophorae Sha Shen Colla Corii Asini E Jiao Rx. Codonopsis Dang Shen
Chronic wheezing due to Kidney and Lung Qi Deficiency.	Accelerated respiration with yellow Phlegm.	Feeble, dry cough.
Cx. Mori Sang Bai Pi Periostracum Cicadae Chan Tui Rx. Ophiopogonis Mai Men Dong Rx. Scrophulariae Xuan Shen	Rx. Dioscoreae Shan Yao	Fol. Celosiae Ji Guan Hua
Chronic loss of voice with Dryness.	Spermatorrhea.	White vaginal discharge due to Kidney Deficiency.
Rx. Dioscoreae Hypoglaucae Bei Xie Fr. Alpiniae Oxyphyllae Yi Zhi Ren	Rx. Linderae Wu Yao Fr. Alpiniae Oxyphyllae Yi Zhi Ren Fr. Rubi Fu Pen Zi Rx. Dioscoreae Shan Yao Fr. Corni Shan Zhu Yu
Cloudy urine. Frequent urination	Frequent urination. Enuresis

Notes

1. According to some sources, this herb stops bleeding.
2. Signs of overdose include headache, fever, tremors, irritability and dyspnea.
3. As an antidote, use 60 gm of Rx. Glycyrrhizae Gan Cao or 30 gm of boiled Ginkgo shells.
4. To prevent side effects, include the hard shells and thin linings of the seeds.
5. Overdose can cause skin disorders and, in serious cases, shedding of the mucous membranes.
6. It is used when sputum is copious, particularly in the presence of Lung weakness.
7. Although Ginkgo seeds are eaten as food, they are slightly toxic and can harm children if consumed in excess.
8. For coughs and wheezing, it is best suited to patterns tending toward Heat.
9. Of all tree species alive today, the Gingko is the oldest.
10. Another name for it is silver apricot.
11. Bai Guo and Fr. Schisandrae Wu Wei Zi both astringe the Lungs to treat cough and wheezing, and both treat lower burner pathology. Bai Guo mainly restrains the Lungs to stop wheezing and is best for wheezing from Lung Heat with copious Phlegm. It treats turbid vaginal discharge mainly caused by Dampness. Wu Wei Zi mainly astringes the Lungs to stop coughs, but being warmer it is better for chronic coughs from Lung Deficiency or for cough and wheezing from Lung Cold with copious Phlegm. It astringes the Lower Jiao and enriches Kidney water, and is used mainly for enuresis, urinary frequency, spermatorrhea and diarrhea. It also generates Fluids and restrains Heart Qi to treat injury to Qi and Yin that results in insatiable thirst, excessive sweating, irritability and insomnia.
12. Dry-fried Gingko Chao Bai Guo is less toxic and astringes more strongly to settle wheezing, astringe urine and stop vaginal discharge.
13. Gingko Leaf (Folium Gingko) Bai Guo Ye or Yin Xing Ye is sweet, bitter, astringent and neutral. Entering the Lung channel, it preserves the Lungs and calms wheezing while invigorating the Blood and stopping pain. It is used for cough from Lung Deficiency, a stifling sensation in the chest and chest pain. The dosage is 3-6g. Powdered and formed into cakes, the leaves stop dysenteric disorder. It also treats peripheral, cerebral and coronary vascular disorders and is helpful for varicose veins. It tonifies Kidney Jing to address poor mental focus, poor memory, dizziness and depression linked to premature senility. It protects against premature aging and damage from environmental toxins.
14. Also known as Yin Xing.