Hu Lu Ba - 胡蘆巴 - Semen Trigonellae - Fenugreek Seed

Pharmaceutical Latin:	Semen Trigonellae
Common English:	Fenugreek Seed Trigonella

Category

Herbs that Tonify the Yang

Properties

Taste	Temperature	Entering Meridians	Dosage
Bitter	Warm	Kidney (Liver)	3-10g Tincture: 1-3ml

Actions And Indications

Actions	Indications/Syndromes
Warms the Kidneys, disperses Dampness and alleviates pain	Kidney Yang Deficiency with Accumulation of Cold or Stagnant Qi with abdominal or flank distention and pain or bulging disorders Cold-Damp Leg Qi

Contraindications, Incompatibilities And Herb/Drug Interactions

Major Combinations

Rx. Aconiti Lateralis Preparata Zhi Fu Zi Fr. Psoraliae Bu Gu Zhi	Fr. Foeniculi Xiao Hui Xiang Fr. Evodiae Wu Zhu Yu	Fr. Chaenomelis Mu Gua Caulis Spatholobi Ji Xue Teng Fr. Psoraliae Bu Gu Zhi
Pain and Cold sensations in the lower abdomen, lower extremities, and lower back.	Cold Deficient bulging disorders in the abdomen and testicles or, in extreme cases, contraction of the scrotum and a localized sensation of iciness. Dysmenorrhea.	Cold-Damp Leg Qi - soreness and swelling of the legs; sensations of heaviness, Cold and pain exacerbated by Cold; a deep slow pulse; and a white greasy tongue coat.
Fr. Rubi Fu Pen Zi Rz. Polygonati Huang Jing	Fr. Foeniculi Xiao Hui Xiang	Rx. Aconiti Lateralis Preparata Zhi Fu Zi Fr. Evodiae Wu Zhu Yu
Spermatorrhea, back pain, and decreased sexual function from Deficient Kidneys.	Cold-type bulging disorders and abdominal distention due to Cold. Cold dysmenorrhea with painful abdominal distention.	Kidney Yang Deficiency with coldness, characterized by hypochondriac fullness and pain.
Fr. Evodiae Wu Zhu Yu Rx. Aconiti Preparata Zhi Chuan Wu Fr. Foeniculi Xiao Hui Xiang Grain-Based Alcohol
Gas in the Intestines. Colicky pain. Feelings of genital prolapse.

Notes

1. This herb belongs to the Right Kidney and the Ming Men.
2. Hu Lu Ba and Fr. Foeniculi Xiao Hui Xiang are frequently paired: both are warm and aromatic, both drive Cold out of the Lower Jiao, and both treat bulging disorders. Xiao Hui Xiang works in the Middle Jiao to improve appetite, calm nausea and relieve abdominal pain and distention, and in the Lower Jiao it warms and addresses every kind of bulging disorder. Large doses may prove overly drying. Hu Lu Ba, by contrast, stays confined to the Lower Jiao; it is essentially a powerfully warming Yang tonic, mildly aromatic, that expels lingering Cold Qi that has built up in the Lower Jiao.
3. Kidney Yang is warmed by Hu Lu Ba, Rx. Aconiti Lateralis Preparata Zhi Fu Zi and Rx. Curculiginis Xian Mao alike, with Hu Lu Ba being the gentlest of the three.
4. Anti-tumor activity has been demonstrated for this herb, particularly in cervical and liver cancer.
5. Dry-fried Fenugreek Seed Chao Hu Lu Ba is slightly less bitter and drying and a little more tonifying to Kidney Yang, yet it still resolves Dampness. Its capacity to expel Wind-Dampness is reduced, and it suits Deficiency Cold of the Kidneys accompanied by fullness and distention of the abdomen and ribs.
6. Salt-prepared Fenugreek Seed Yan Chao Hu Lu Ba goes straight to the Kidneys and strengthens the herb's ability to tonify Yang. Its uses include testicular pain from Cold-type bulging disorders, impotence, low back pain from Kidney Yang Deficiency, and dysmenorrhea.