Zao Jiao Ci - 皂角刺 - Spina Gleditsiae

Pharmaceutical Latin:	Spina Gleditsiae
Common English:	Chinese Honey Locust Spine Gleditsia Thorn

Category

Herbs that Transform Phlegm and Stop Coughing: Herbs that Warm and Transform Cold Phlegm (Warm Antitussives)

Properties

Taste	Temperature	Entering Meridians	Dosage
Acrid	Warm	Liver Stomach Lung (Large Intestine)	3-10g

Actions And Indications

Actions	Indications/Syndromes
Discharges pus, Draws out toxicity, Invigorates the Blood, Reduces swelling	Early-stages of swollen sores to encourage suppuration or to induce those already formed to burst
Expels Wind and kills parasites	Tinea and leprosy

Contraindications, Incompatibilities And Herb/Drug Interactions

Major Combinations

Flos Lonicerae Jin Yin Hua	Rx. Angelicae Dahuricae Bai Zhi	Concha Meretricis/Cyclinae Ge Qiao
Initial stages of abscesses and boils.	Un-ulcerated abscesses or those with difficulty discharging pus.	Acute mastitis - take 30 g of powder in a ratio of 1:10 Zao Jiao Ci to Ge Qiao followed warm grain-based liquor.
Rz. Bletillae Bai Ji
Topically for scrofula.

Notes

1. Boil this herb down to a thick paste for topical application to sores and dermatosis.
2. It draws out toxins and expels Wind-Heat and Wind-toxins from the Blood, which is how it treats leprosy.
3. For tonsillitis, it may be used by itself.
4. It resembles Fr. Gleditsiae Zao Jiao but is sharper and reaches the site of illness more directly.
5. It can ascend to treat upper Jiao disorders such as tonsillitis.
6. Ulcers, caked breasts, eczema, carbuncles, inflammation and fungal infections are also treated.
7. It inhibits cancer cell growth.
8. For mammary abscess, grind 30g of lightly charred Zao Jiao Ci with 3g Anodonta Pulveratum (mussel) into a powder and take 3 g per dose with warm wine.
9. For severe Wind-induced illness with loss of the eyebrows and collapse of the nose, char and decoct 1500g Zao Jiao Ci with 3g Rx. et Rz. Rhei Da Huang and take orally after meals.
10. Zao Jiao (Gleditsiae Fructus) has similar functions but dispels Phlegm more strongly, at 1-1.5g, while Zao Jiao Ci is more effective at activating the Blood.
11. For obstruction or adhesions of the fallopian tubes following PID, it is combined with Tao Ren and Bai Jiang Cao.
12. Zhang Xiao-Ping combines Zao Jiao and Zao Jiao Ci, 3-5g of each in decoction, for obesity, elevated cholesterol and lipoma, relying on their 'detergent' effect.