Ku Shen - 苦参 - Radix Sophorae Flavescentis

Pharmaceutical Latin:	Radix Sophorae Flavescentis
Common English:	Flavescent Sophora Root Sophora Root Yellow Pagoda Tree Root

Category

Herbs that Clean Heat: Herbs that Clear Heat and Dry Dampness

Properties

Taste	Temperature	Entering Meridians	Dosage
Bitter	Cold	Urinary Bladder Heart Liver Large Intestine Stomach Small Intestine	3-15g Up to 30g when used topically Tincture: 1-4ml 3-9g, 30g (topical) (Secondary source)

Actions And Indications

Actions	Indications/Syndromes
Clears Heat and dries Dampness	Damp-Heat in the Lower Jiao with jaundice, diarrhea, dysenteric disorders, vaginal discharge and sores, viral hepatitis
Disperses Wind, kills parasites and stops itching	Damp-toxin skin lesions or infestations with chronic itching, scabies, seepage and bleeding (internal and topical) Genital itching and vaginal discharge (internal and topical) Bronchial asthma
Clears Heat and promotes urination	Damp-Heat in the Small Intestine Painful urinary dysfunction Hot edema

Contraindications, Incompatibilities And Herb/Drug Interactions

Major Combinations

Rx. Aucklandiae Mu Xiang	Cx. Phellodendri Huang Bai Rx. Angelicae Dahuricae Bai Zhi Fr. Cnidii She Chuang Zi	Fr. Cnidii She Chuang Zi Rx. Salviae Miltiorrhizae Dan Shen
Damp-Heat dysenteric disorder. Jaundice.	Thick, yellow vaginal discharge with itching.	Damp skin lesions such as eczema.
Flos Sophorae Huai Hua Rx. Sanguisorbae Di Yu	Periostracum Cicadae Chan Tui Hb. Schizonepetae Jing Jie	Fol. Pyrrosiae Shi Wei Sm. Plantaginis Che Quan Zi (Hb. Taraxaci) (Pu Gong Ying)
Hemafecia from Intestinal Heat, bleeding hemorrhoids. Hematemesis from Stomach Heat.	Generalized itching.	Urinary dysfunction with burning, rough, painful urination due to Damp-Heat.
Rx. Angelicae Sinensis Dang Gui Bul. Fritillariae Thunbergii Zhe Bei Mu	Poria Fu Ling	Fr. Gardeniae Zhi Zi Cx. Phellodendri Huang Bai Rx. Gentianae Long Dan Cao
Urinary dysfunction during pregnancy.	Edema due to hot painful urinary dysfunction.	Jaundice.
Rx. Aucklandiae Mu Xiang Rx. Glycyrrhizae Gan Cao	Cx. Phellodendri Huang Bai Fr. Cnidii She Chuang Zi	Cx. Meliae Ku Lian Pi
Diarrhea.	Yellow leukorrhea. As an herbal wash for general itching or vaginitis due to trichomonas infection.	Hemorrhoid pain.
Cx. Phellodendri Huang Bai Fr. Cnidii She Chuang Zi Alumen Ming Fan	Sm. Plantaginis Che Qian Zi	Cx. Dictamni Bai Xian Pi Rx. Paeoniae Rubra Chi Shao Flos Carthami Hong Hua Ram. Mori Sang Zhi Rx. Saposhnikoviae Fang Feng Fr. Forsythiae Lian Qiao Squama Manitis Chuan Shan Jia Spina Gleditsiae Zao Jiao Ci Periostracum Cicadae Chan Tui Periostracum Serpentis She Tui
Skin itching with lesions and abscesses topically.	As an herbal wash for itching.	Urticaria.
Sm. Hydnocarpi Da Feng Zi Fr. Xanthii Cang Er Zi
Leprosy.

Notes

1. It is commonly prepared as pills, powders, tinctures and ointments.
2. It is particularly helpful for skin complaints of the lower body.
3. It is a principal ingredient in several formulas for hot dysenteric disorders.
4. It clears Heat from the Heart/Small Intestine.
5. Used alone, it can treat diarrhea.
6. As a single-herb External wash, it treats general sores.
7. Used alone, it can also treat dysuria.
8. Its main use is when Damp-Heat disturbs the separating function of the Bladder.
9. According to some sources, the herb is best known for treating knotted syndromes and masses in the chest and abdomen.
10. It is said to protect the Liver.
11. It guards against anaphylaxis.
12. It has also been used for enterorrhagia.
13. Research shows that it inhibits the growth of cancer cells.
14. Ku Shen, Rx. Gentianae Long Dan Cao and Fr. Gardeniae Zhi Zi each clear and drain Damp-Heat, promote Gallbladder function and resolve jaundice. Ku Shen additionally expels Wind and kills parasites, and is used for itchy skin and hot dysenteric disorders. Long Dan Cao is particularly able to enter and clear Liver/Gallbladder Damp-Heat with swelling and to expel Bladder Fire. Zhi Zi also drains Heat via the urine and relieves irritable discomfort in the chest.
15. Ku Shen and Cx. Dictamni Bai Xian Pi both remove Damp-Heat from the Lower Jiao and the skin, and both promote urination. Ku Shen also expels Wind and kills parasites, so it is better for itching and vaginal discharge. Bai Xian Pi is preferred for Wind-Damp-Bi or Damp-Bi with Heat signs.
16. Ku Shen and Rz. Coptidis Huang Lian are both extremely bitter and cold, and both address Heart problems. Ku Shen treats Fire in the Heart channel and in the Small Intestine, cooling the Fire and draining Damp-Heat out through the urine. It is more drying than Huang Lian, so it can kill parasites associated with Damp-Heat. Huang Lian mainly cools Fire in the Heart organ itself.
17. Used externally, Ku Shen and Fr. Cnidii She Chuang Zi are both excellent at drying Dampness, killing parasites and stopping itching, and they are frequently combined for these purposes. Ku Shen is very bitter and cold; it clears Heat, dries Dampness and promotes urination. It is used for Damp-Heat dysenteric disorders, jaundice and difficult urination from clumped Damp-Heat. She Chuang Zi is acrid, bitter and warm and warms the Kidneys strongly.
18. Dry-fried Sophora Chao Ku Shen is less bitter and cold, which helps it reach the Blood Level. It is given to patients with Spleen and Stomach Deficiencies, Heat toxin dysenteric disorders, or Intestinal Wind with passage of Blood.