Zhi Mu - 知母 - Rhizoma Anemarrhenae

Pharmaceutical Latin:	Rhizoma Anemarrhenae
Common English:	Anemarrhena Rhizome Know Mother Root

Category

Herbs That Clean Heat and Drain Fire: Clear Heat in the Qi Stage

Properties

Taste	Temperature	Entering Meridians	Dosage
Bitter Sweet	Cold	Lung Stomach Kidney (DU)	6-12g Maximum dose: 30g Tincture: 2-4ml

Actions And Indications

Actions	Indications/Syndromes
Clears Heat and drains Fire (Clears Heat from the Qi Stage, from the Lungs and from the Stomach)	Heat in the Qi Stage with high fever, irritability, restlessness, thirst and a rapid, flooding pulse. Lung Heat and Dryness with cough and expectoration of thick, yellow Phlegm Yang Ming Heat Stomach Heat
Nourishes Yin and moistens Dryness	Lung and Kidney Yin Deficiency with night sweats, steaming bone disorder, irritability, afternoon or low grade fever, Five Sole Heat and bleeding gums (Stomach Yin Deficiency) Kidney Heat with spermatorrhea, nocturnal emissions and an abnormally elevated sex drive
Generates Fluids, clears Deficiency Fire and quenches thirst	Oral ulcers and inflammation, steaming bones and Xiao Ke (diabetes) due to Yin Deficiency
Ameliorates the Dryness of tonifying or warming herbs	For use with herbs such as Rx. Astragali Huang Qi, Ram. Cinnamomi Gui Zhi, Rx. Aconiti Lateralis Preparata Zhi Fu Zi when there is concern that these herbs may be too drying

Contraindications, Incompatibilities And Herb/Drug Interactions

Major Combinations

Cx. Phellodendri Huang Bai	Cx. Phellodendri Huang Bai Cx. Cinnamomi Rou Gui	Rz. Coptidis Huang Lian
Clears Heat and drains Fire for Yin Deficiency Fire. Steaming Bone disorder from Yin Deficiency with night sweats, dizziness, and vertigo.	Damp-Heat in the Lower Jiao causing obstruction and dysfunction of Bladder Qi with resulting urinary retention and afternoon fevers.	Blazing Stomach Fire with intense hunger, dry stools, dry, yellow tongue coat and a slippery rapid pulse.
Bul. Fritillariae Thunbergii Zhe Bei Mu	Rx. Scrophulariae Xuan Shen Rx. Rehmanniae Sheng Di Huang	Carapax Trionycis Bie Jia
Cough due to Lung Heat or Yin Deficiency with expectoration of thick, yellow sputum.	Ulcers of the oral cavity.	Steaming bone disorder.
Rx. Trichosanthis Tian Hua Fen Tub Ophiopogonis Mai Men Dong	Rx. Trichosanthis Tian Hua Fen Tub Ophiopogonis Main Men Dong Fr. Schisandrae Wu Wei Zi Rx. Puerariae Ge Gen	Rz. Dioscoreae Shan Yao Rx. Astragali Huang Qi Fr. Schisandrae Wu Wei Zi
Thirst and irritability due to Lung and Stomach Dryness.	Diabetes.	Wasting and thirsting.
Gypsum Fibrosum Shi Gao	Fr. Tsaoko Cao Guo	Cx. Phellodendri Huang Bai Rx. Rehmanniae Shu Di Huang
Epidemic diseases. Cools Heat in the Yang Ming or Qi Level while protecting Stomach fluids to treat high fever, profuse sweating, insatiable thirst, a red face, aversion to Heat and a large, strong pulse.	Regulates Cold and Heat, harmonizes the Exterior and Interior and treats malarial diseases with Tai Yin turbid Dampness fuming upward. (irritability, Heat, profuse sweating)	Yin Deficiency with Empty Fire.
Rx. Scutellariae Huang Qin	Gypsum Shi Gao Rx. Trichosanthis Tian Hua Fen Fr. Schisandrae Wu Wei Zi Rx. Astragali Huang Qi
Coughing with Excess Lung Heat.	Thirst due to Heat in the Lung and Stomach damaging the Fluids.

Notes

1. A moderate dose can lower blood pressure and depress respiration and cardiac function.
2. A large dose can stop respiration and cause Heart Heat.
3. It appears frequently in formulas for diabetes, dry cough and Deficiency Fire.
4. It is generally used for severe Yin Deficiency Fire.
5. Through gentle stimulation of the pituitary-adrenal cortex axis (associated with the Du Mai), it provides deep, systemic tonification.
6. It clears Excess energy from the Du Mai.
7. According to some sources, it is a sedative and a diuretic, lubricates the intestines, stops cough and resolves Phlegm.
8. It clears Heat from all three Jiaos and nourishes the Yin of the Lungs, Stomach and Kidneys, so it can be used when Excess Heat has damaged the Yin, as in diabetes.
9. Its Cold, moistening qualities allow it to drain the Spleen and drive water downward.
10. It can counteract the Heat and drying effects of Qi tonics.
11. When Rx. Aconiti Lateralis Preparata Zhi Fu Zi or Rz. et Rx. Notopterygii Qiang Huo are used to treat Bi Syndrome, this herb can be added to keep them from damaging Yin Fluids.
12. According to Li Shi-Zhen, Rx. Astragali Huang Qi works at the Blood level of the Kidneys, so the two herbs should be combined.
13. Zhi Mu and Gypsum Fibrosum Shi Gao both cool the Lungs and Stomach and clear Heat from the Yang Ming Qi Level. Zhi Mu mainly drains Heat and Dampness, cools the Lungs and Kidneys, nourishes Yin, and benefits Yin by generating fluids, whereas Shi Gao protects the fluids by draining Fire.
14. Dry-fried Anemarrhena Chao Zhi Mu is less cooling and drains Fire more moderately. When it is fried with wheat, it protects digestion in patients who have Deficiency Fire together with Spleen and Stomach Deficiency.
15. Honey-prepared Anemarrhena Mi Zhi Zhi Mu is the best choice for patients with damaged fluids and Blood, or for those too weak to tolerate strong, bitter, cooling herbs.
16. Vinegar-fried Anemarrhena Cu Chao Zhi Mu carries the herb's properties upward to cool the Lungs and drain Fire when Lung Heat produces hemoptysis, epistaxis, irritability, cough and wheezing.
17. Salt-fried Anemarrhena Yan Chao Zhi Mu has a stronger downward-directing action, nourishing Yin, moistening Dryness, and cooling and draining Ministerial Fire.
18. Wine-fried Anemarrhena Jiu Chao Zhi Mu directs the herb's action upward and reduces its Cold, draining properties.
19. It is particularly helpful in impending or established adrenal burnout with fatigue, poor stamina, Dryness and Heat, and it offers clear benefits in treating menopause.
20. Dui Yao pair with Chuan Bei Mu: for dry cough with scanty Phlegm that is hard to expectorate due to Lung Yin Deficiency, and cough from Lung Heat that leads to Lung Dryness.
21. Dui Yao pair with Bai He: for vexation, agitation, insomnia, vertigo and thirst from Yin Deficiency with Heat; dry mouth, irritability and agitation after a Warm-febrile disease; and Lily syndrome (from the Golden Cabinet). Used together in Bai He Zhi Mu Tang.