Lu Dou - 绿豆 - Semen Phaseoli Radiati

Pharmaceutical Latin:	Semen Phaseoli Radiati
Common English:	Mung Bean Phaseolus

Category

Herbs that Clear Heat and Purge Fire: Herbs that Clear Heat and Relieve Toxicity; Herbs that Clear Heat and Relieve Summerheat

Properties

Taste	Temperature	Entering Meridians	Dosage
Sweet	Cold (Slightly Warm)	Heart Stomach (Spleen)	15-30g

Actions And Indications

Actions	Indications/Syndromes
Resolves Summerheat and relieves thirst	Summerheat patterns of irritability and fever, especially when thirst is an important symptom Often made into a tea in Summer to prevent Summerheat
Clears Heat and relieves toxins	Toxic sores and swellings (grind into a powder and take as a tea)
Antidote	Antidote for poisoning from toxic herbs such as Aconite Fu Zi, Chuan Wu or fava beans

*Contraindications, Incompatibilities And Herb/Drug Interactions

Major Combinations

Rz. Coptidis Huang Lian Rx. Glycyrrhizae Gan Cao	Alcohol Borneol Bing Pian	Powdered Rx. et Rz. Rhei Da Huang Fresh Peppermint Juice Mel Feng Mi
Thirst, irritability, and fever due to Summerheat	Made into a paste to treat first and superficial second-degree burns	As an ointment
Rx. Glycyrrhizae Gan Cao	Rx. Glycyrrhizae Gan Cao Rz. Imperatae Bai Mao Gen	Rx. et Rz. Rhei Da Huang Hb. Menthae Bo He
Antidote for poisoning from toxic herbs such as Aconite Fu Zi, Chuan Wu or Crotonis Ba Dou As a summertime beverage to prevent summerheat and heat rash and to reduce the probability of poisoning from spoiled food	Food poisoning	Topically for Heat and toxins on the Exterior
Rx. Glycyrrhizae Gan Cao Rz. Coptidis Huang Lian
Overdose of Rx. Lateralis Aconiti Preparata Zhi Fu Zi and Fr. Crotonis Ba Dou

Notes

1. As an antidote for Rx. Lateralis Aconiti Fu Zi poisoning, use 120 gm. together with 60 gm. of Rx. Glycyrrhizae Gan Cao.
2. On its own, it can be used for overdose of Fr. Crotonis Ba Dou and Rx. Lateralis Aconiti Preparata Zhi Fu Zi.
3. It is used when thirst is a prominent symptom.
4. To prevent Summerheat, this herb is commonly prepared as a tea and drunk in summer.
5. Taken alone internally, it treats Heat and toxins on the Exterior.
6. Lu Dou, Sm. Phaseoli Chi Xiao Dou, and Sm. Glycinis Hei Dou all promote urination, eliminate edema and resolve toxicity, and treat skin lesions, abdominal distention, Damp-Heat jaundice, and Heat-toxin swelling and abscesses. Chi Xiao Dou is sweet, sour, and neutral or slightly cool; it enters the Heart and Small Intestine channels and the Qi level, where it benefits the Stomach, cools Heat and promotes urination. It leads Summerheat or pathogenic water out through the urine and treats jaundice, edema, and diarrhea or dysenteric disorders. It also enters the Blood level to descend Fire, move the Blood and reduce Heat toxin, treating ulcerations, abscesses and boils caused by intense heat toxin in the Blood. It may be taken internally or applied externally. Lu Dou is sweet and cool, enters the heart and Stomach channels, cools Summerheat and lessens toxic reactions to other herbs. It is useful for insatiable thirst and Heat Stroke and is frequently paired with Rx. Glycyrrhizae Gan Cao as an antidote for poisoning, particularly from herbs. Compared with Chi Xiao Dou, it suppresses Heat and resolves toxins more strongly without drying. Hei Dou Black Soybeans are sweet and neutral, enter the Spleen and Kidney channels, and move Blood, promote urination, expel Wind and resolve toxicity. They treat edema, reduce distention, descend rebellious Qi, control Wind-Heat, invigorate the Blood and reduce toxicity. Together with Rx. Glycyrrhizae, it is an antidote for all herbal poisoning, and it is frequently combined with other herbs for Wind-predominant Bi with spasms, postpartum convulsions, and Heat toxin abscesses and swellings. It can be used both internally and externally.
7. Mung Bean Skin Lu Dou Yi is sweet and cold, enters the Heart and Stomach channels, and functions much like Lu Dou. It is weak at clearing Summerheat but stronger at relieving toxicity and clearing Heat. It can also benefit the eyes and reduce superficial visual obstruction. Its dosage is 6-12g.