Class Teachings: Herbs

• 'Muzhang' — likely Yuan Zhi (Polygala): Strengthens willpower and directs formulas into the Jing, with harmonizing properties (name garbled in transcript). → Yuan Zhi
• 'Poison against poison' (yi du gong du): Scorpion, centipede, snake venom used against toxic residue — like chemotherapy, which began with mustard gas. (Yuen)
• Ai Ye (Artemisia/mugwort) — origin of moxa: Mugwort grows where humans disturb the land and was burned to drive off evil spirits; moxibustion came from it, and acupuncture likely from moxa. (Yuen) → Ai Ye
• Anti-Gu herb categories I–V: Anti-Gu herb categories: I disperse Gu toxins (Zisuye, Chaihu), II tonify qi/blood (Danggui, Huangqi), III calm spirit (Baihe), IV kill parasites (Dasuan, Qinghao), V break biofilm (Ezhu). (Fruehauf)
• Astringents: Qian Shi (fox nut) vs kidney astringents; Wu Wei Zi: Postnatal astringents like Qian Shi stop spleen leakage; Wu Wei Zi brings the po back via lung-kidney; astringency 'buys time' and isn't used when helping someone leave. (Yuen) → Wu Wei Zi, Qian Shi
• Astringing Jing to prevent leakage: Floating weak pulse = leakage: Huang Qi supports Yuan qi with astringents Gou Qi Zi, Suan Zao Ren, Fu Pen Zi, Wu Wei Zi; evening spotting = yin weakness. (Lewis)
• Bai He (lily bulb) + Zhi Mu: Lily bulb nourishes lung fluids and qi and lifts deep sadness; with Zhi Mu (clears heat) it treats the Jin Gui Yao Lue 'Bai He syndrome' of rumination. (Yuen) → Zhi Mu, Bai He
• Bai Ji (Bletilla): Treats aggressive wounds that destroy the flesh. (Lewis) → Bai Ji
• Bai Tou Weng (Pulsatilla): Mentioned for gout/uric acid build-up as a Chinese-herb parallel to colchicine. (Yuen) → Bai Tou Weng
• Bai Zhi (Angelica dahurica): Lung-stomach (Yang Ming) affinity; provokes a strong reaction — for the Yang Ming cell picture. (Yuen) → Bai Zhi
• Bai Zhu (white atractylodes): Transforms dampness, separates pure from turbid; 12 g. (Yuen) → Bai Zhu
• Bai Zhu / Cang Zhu / E Zhu ('three zhu'): Counter magic: Cang Zhu fumigation for areas of electromagnetic disturbance (flickering lights, failing appliances). (Yuen) → Cang Zhu, Bai Zhu, E Zhu
• Bai Zi Ren / Suan Zao Ren / Fu Xiao Mai: Biota seed, jujube seed and floating wheat all nourish blood and calm the shen (an shen) — insomnia; entering sleep/death is a yin state. (Yuen) → Suan Zao Ren, Fu Xiao Mai, Bai Zi Ren
• Bing Lang (betel nut, Areca): Bing Lang removes stagnation, breaks accumulations and expels parasitic attachments (in the classics not only physical parasites); also a metaphor for the ripening soul. (Lewis) → Bing Lang
• Bitter melon, fenugreek, chromium picolinate, chlorophyll: Regulate blood sugar and reduce insulin resistance before medication. (Lewis)
• Black radish (or red radish + celery juice): Juiced daily to warm the interior and move fluid phlegm out through urination; black radish reaches the Kidneys. (Yuen)
• Blood movers: Dan Shen, Chuan Xiong, Hong Hua, Tao Ren, Mo Yao, Ru Xiang, Yu Jin: Pericardium-affinity blood invigorators; resins (myrrh, frankincense) help heal wounds inside the vessels. (Gioioso) → Chuan Xiong, Ru Xiang, Hong Hua, Dan Shen, Tao Ren, Yu Jin, Mo Yao
• Cang Zhu (Atractylodes): Invigorates the Spleen, dries dampness, improves the ability to see in the dark. (Lewis) → Cang Zhu
• Chai Hu (Bupleurum): Strong for liver-qi stagnation and drying dampness, but overly drying in yin deficiency — avoid Chai Hu formulas then. (Lewis) → Xiang Fu, Mu Xiang, Chen Pi, Chai Hu
• Chai Hu — dose changes the action: Small-dose Chai Hu raises clear yang; moderate (6–9 g) regulates and unbinds qi; higher (9–12 g) resolves the exterior. (Rabinowitz) → Chai Hu
• Chi Shao / Mu Dan Pi / Pu Huang: For heavy bleeding (adenomyosis) with blood stasis and heat: add chi shao, mu dan pi; pu huang to control bleeding, alongside a qi-lifting base. (Lewis) → Mu Dan Pi, Chi Shao, Pu Huang
• Contraindicated herbs in pregnancy (used at term): Zao Jiao Ci, Mu Dan Pi, Li Lu, Niu Xi and Da Huang are contraindicated in pregnancy yet used at the very end to facilitate labor. (Lewis)
• Da Huang (rhubarb): Purgative to drain via stool and urine, also reduces pain; 6 g. (Yuen) → Da Huang
• Damp strategies: Cang Zhu; Che Qian Zi/Ze Xie; San Huang (Huang Lian, Huang Qin, Huang Bai); Gan Jiang: Scalloped greasy tongue: Cang Zhu; swollen moist: drain with plantago or alisma; red sticky: three yellows; cold: dried ginger. (Yuen) → Che Qian Zi, Huang Lian, Huang Bai (Huang Bo), Huang Qin, Gan Jiang, Cang Zhu, Ze Xie
• Dan Nan Xing / ox bile: Ox bile (1 capsule twice daily between meals) breaks up cholesterol feeding estrogen; otherwise use Dan Nan Xing for hot phlegm; milk thistle protects the liver. (Yuen) → Dan Nan Xing
• Dan Shen and Ku Shen (five 'shen' roots): Ku Shen + Dan Shen invigorate blood to transform life's bitterness, for stuck liver blood (trauma, drinking to forget, dementia). (Yuen) → Dan Shen, Ku Shen
• Dan Zhu Ye (bamboo leaf) — residual/latent heat: Signals chronic recurring infection with residual (latent, fu) heat, distinct from herbs for wind-heat or internal heat; bamboo shoots act as the food catalyst. (Yuen) → Dan Zhu Ye
• Dang Gui & Chuan Xiong for implantation: Historically used to tonify and invigorate blood simultaneously to support implantation, esp. with blood stasis (unresolved stasis leads to bleeding/loss). (Lewis) → Chuan Xiong, Dang Gui
• Dang Gui (Angelica sinensis): Dang Gui, classically a blood tonic, also raises white blood cells (monocytes, T-lymphocytes) — you can't map one Western marker to one herb. (Yuen) → Dang Gui
• Dang Shen (Codonopsis): Tonifies Spleen and Lungs; also assists the Lungs in releasing and the Spleen in its integration function (life review). (Lewis) → Dang Shen
• Du Huo Ji Sheng Tang (for injury): Acupuncture, lots of moxa and Du Huo Ji Sheng Tang (plus collagen support) can treat injury instead of NSAIDs/ice. (Lewis) → Du Huo Ji Sheng Tang
• Du Zhong (Eucommia): Liver-kidney herb, yang tonifying, popular for the sinews. (Yuen) → Du Zhong
• E Jiao (donkey-hide gelatin): E Jiao encourages a warm, sticky environment for implantation and nourishes blood, but watch for too much stickiness (damp heat in lower jiao). (Lewis) → E Jiao
• E Jiao alternatives for vegans: There is no true vegan E Jiao substitute; divide its functions: Wu Wei Zi astringes, Ce Bai Ye for bleeding with heat, Ai Ye for bleeding with cold. (Gioioso) → E Jiao
• E Jiao, Ban Xia, Tu Si Zi (24 g) for malposition/early delivery: For abdominal energy rushing to the heart: E Jiao prevents early delivery (don't needle/moxa Kidney channel), Ban Xia harmonizes rebellious qi, large-dose Tu Si Zi when maternal qi lacks. (Lewis) → Tu Si Zi, E Jiao
• E Zhu (Curcuma zedoaria) + San Leng (Sparganium): E Zhu breaks blood and food stasis, is anti-angiogenic and treats fire/blood toxins; classically paired with San Leng; avoid Da Huang as too harsh on spleen. (Yuen) → San Leng, Tao Ren, E Zhu
• Early-pregnancy additions: Sang Ji Sheng, Da Zao, Ai Ye, E Jiao, Wu Zhu Yu: Early pregnancy: Sang Ji Sheng supports Jing, Da Zao calms the spirit, Ai Ye warms the uterus and pacifies the fetus, E Jiao nourishes blood, Wu Zhu Yu harmonizes. (Lewis) → Sang Ji Sheng, Wu Zhu Yu, Da Zao, E Jiao, Ai Ye
• Enemas by flavor: Enemas by flavor: bitter (dark tea, coffee) promotes peristalsis; salty (Mang Xiao, Epsom salt, baking soda) softens hardness; think temperature and flavor over specific herbs.
• Fire-toxin herbs: Isatis (Ban Lan Gen/Da Qing Ye), Chuan Xin Lian (Andrographis), Bai Hua She She Cao (Hedyotis): Fire-toxin herbs are antimicrobial/anti-cancer; isatis is strongly antiviral, and Hedyotis is said to grow with a viper and be the antidote to its venom. (Yuen) → Bai Hua She She Cao, Chuan Xin Lian, Ban Lan Gen, Da Qing Ye
• Fragrant herbs and incense open the portals: Aromatic substances open the orifices and illuminate the spirit (consciousness); old character for Jing had a dot — a drop of spirit in every drop of blood. (Gioioso)
• Fu Ling (Poria): Tonifies Spleen and drains damp; can penetrate and uncover suppressed hidden aspects of the mind. (Lewis) → Fu Ling
• Fu Ling / Fu Shen: To move fluid around the heart after acute stage. (Gioioso) → Fu Shen, Fu Ling
• Fu Ling / Zhu Ling / Che Qian Zi: Damp-draining herbs for high potassium where kidneys aren't grasping qi to promote urination. (Lewis) → Che Qian Zi, Zhu Ling, Fu Ling
• Fu Pen Zi (raspberry) — Chong Mai herb: Per Wang Haogu, raspberry builds the Chong Mai because it builds blood; berries in general (e.g., Gou Qi Zi/goji) nourish a little blood. (Yuen) → Gou Qi Zi, Fu Pen Zi
• Fu Zi (aconite) and Xi Xin (asarum): Very strong herbs acting on the kidneys/adrenaline-driven aggressive reactions. (Yuen) → Xi Xin
• Ge Gen (Pueraria): Named as another lung-stomach affinity herb for the Yang Ming picture. (Yuen) → Ge Gen
• Gou Qi Zi (goji/lycium berry): Goji berry juice is suggested for cancer patients needing iron-type blood support when greens (vitamin K) are restricted. (Yuen) → Gou Qi Zi
• Gou Qi Zi (lycium/goji): Liver-kidney herb affecting liver fat storage and liver function. (Yuen) → Gou Qi Zi
• Gou Teng (hook), shells & insects for wind: Gou Teng's hook shape hooks back what moves too fast; shells, minerals and insects are heavy hitters for wind; Bai Ji Li is gentler for long-term use. (Gioioso) → Bai Ji Li (Ci Ji Li), Gou Teng
• Gua Lou fruit & white mustard seed (Bai Jie Zi) to unbind the chest: Wiriness at both cun positions with substernal distension: add Pericardium points and Ren-17, plus chest-unbinding Gua Lou fruit or dietary white mustard seed. (Yuen) → REN-17 Shanzhong, Bai Jie Zi, Gua Lou
• Gui Ban (tortoise plastron): Opening herb for the Ren Mai. (Yuen) → Gui Ban
• Gui Ban (tortoiseshell) — key herb for Ren: Key opening herb for the Ren Mai. (Yuen) → Gui Ban
• Gui Zhi (cinnamon twig): Used instead of Ma Huang when that can't be used, to raise neutrophils. (Yuen) → Ma Huang, Gui Zhi
• He Shou Wu: Chosen over goji for floaters: nourishes blood, treats fire toxins, travels upward (hair, eyes) — like LV-8; 6 g. (Yuen) → He Shou Wu
• He Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum, fo-ti): Builds marrow; used during the AIDS era for low red and white counts / immune compromise. (Yuen) → He Shou Wu
• He Shou Wu / Sang Shen (liver blood tonics): If liver blood isn't engendering heart qi, choose blood tonics that go to the liver specifically. (Peck) → He Shou Wu, Sang Shen
• Heat-clearing yet moistening herbs: Ju Hua, Sang Ye, Bo He, Sheng Di, Zhi Mu, Lu Gen: Heat-clearing yet moistening herbs reverse the heat→dryness→phlegm→wind progression in neurology; Ju Hua and Sang Ye also clear external wind and go to the eyes. (Shea) → Long Dan Xie Gan Tang, Jia Wei Xiao Yao San (Dan Zhi Xiao Yao San), Sang Ye, Ju Hua, Zhi Mu, Lu Gen, Bo He
• Herbs as a family, not singly: Most herb safety problems come from single-herb use; matching the diagnosis accurately with a group of herbs avoids problems. More powerful doesn't mean better. (Rabinowitz)
• Hong Jing Tian (Rhodiola): Supplement that increases lung oxygenation; used for altitude sickness ('arctic ginseng'). (Yuen) → Hong Jing Tian
• Hot-phlegm herb groups: Fritillaria, Trichosanthes, bamboo, seaweed: Hot-phlegm herbs: Chuan Bei Mu nourishes yin (Zhe Bei Mu doesn't), Gua Lou unbinds the chest, bamboos quiet the heart, seaweeds soften phlegm masses (goiter, scrofula). (Yuen) → Tian Zhu Huang, Chuan Bei Mu, Tian Hua Fen, Gua Lou, Zhu Ru
• Hou Po (Magnolia bark): Regulates qi to move stagnation, transforms damp accumulation, helps redirect the Lungs. (Lewis) → Hou Po
• Hu Po (Amber): Settles the spirits, kills Gui in the Jing, and breaks blood stasis especially along the Heart–Kidney axis. (Lewis) → Hu Po
• Huang Bai (Phellodendron): Kidney/bladder affinity, bitter-cold; treats damp heat, hot bi and skin bi; helps heal the scar, can be applied topically. (Yuen) → Huang Bai (Huang Bo)
• Huang Qi raw vs toasted: Raw dried Huang Qi ascends qi and stops sweating; it only tonifies qi when toasted/roasted. (Yuen) → Huang Qi
• Huang Qin (Scutellaria): Important herb to cool the blood to prevent miscarriage; clears Heart heat that can cause early miscarriage. (Lewis) → Huang Qin
• Immune herbs: Huang Qi, Ren Shen, Bai Zhu: Fu zheng therapy (used mostly in cancer) builds the immune system with herbs like astragalus, ginseng and white atractylodes. (Yuen) → Huang Qi, Ren Shen, Bai Zhu
• Insects and blood movers for memory: Wiry pulse: Chuan Xiong moves blood; choppy pulse: Jiang Huang invigorates; insects invigorate blood and treat wind/change. (Yuen)
• Ji Nei Jin (chicken gizzard): Ji Nei Jin grinds stones, so it breaks down plaque and food stagnation; used for mitral valve conditions, with chicken gizzards as diet therapy. (Gioioso) → Ji Nei Jin
• Jiang Huang (turmeric): Moves qi to move blood; mentioned for blood masses/tumors. (Yuen) → Jiang Huang, San Qi, Yu Jin
• Jie Geng (Platycodon) — opens the chest to expel phlegm: Jie Geng is neutral, spicy, with Stomach/Lung affinity; it opens the chest, treats cough and expels phlegm, featuring in many phlegm formulas. (Yuen) → Jie Geng
• Ku Shen (Sophora flavescens root): Citing a Tang-dynasty clinician: soak Ku Shen ('bitter ginseng root') in wine and drink it when there is bitterness (heart pain). (Yuen) → Ku Shen
• Lei Gong Teng (Tripterygium): 'Vine of the thunder god'; used for rheumatoid arthritis/damp bi and researched for cancer. (Yuen) → Lei Gong Teng
• Li Shizhen's Ben Cao Gang Mu: Most classical Chinese herbal medicine rests on Li Shizhen's Ben Cao Gang Mu; he also wrote on pulse diagnosis and the eight extraordinary vessels. (Yuen)
• Li Zhi He (lychee pit): Lychee pit infusion goes to the genitourinary area for urinary pressure; decocted it treats testicular swelling — daily tea for benign prostate swelling. (Yuen) → Li Zhi He
• Lian Zi (lotus seed): Astringes urination and draws Fire energy into Water — calms anxiety and fear (not grief). (Yuen) → Lian Zi
• Ling Zhi (reishi) — five colors: Shen Nong Ben Cao starts with five-colored ling mushrooms; take the color of the element you want to cultivate (black for water, green for wood). (Yuen) → Ling Zhi
• Lipase: Shan Zha, ox bile, Wen Dan Tang: High lipase: damp heat/qi stagnation; low lipase: spleen yang can't process damp — use enzymes, Shan Zha, ox bile and Wen Dan Tang for a sluggish gallbladder. (Lewis) → Wen Dan Tang, Shan Zha
• Long Dan Cao (Gentiana scabra): Ingredient in the Ku Shen heart-pain wine. (Yuen) → Long Dan Cao, Ku Shen
• Long Dan Cao, Zhi Zi, Huang Qin (?) / Yin Chen Hao / milk thistle: Clear liver fire in statin users; Yin Chen Hao protects the liver from statin toxicity but can slow drug metabolism; milk thistle reduces liver toxicity. → Long Dan Cao, Yin Chen (Hao), Huang Qin, Zhi Zi
• Long Yan Rou (longan): Builds spleen blood when hematocrit is low. (Yuen) → Long Yan Rou
• Long Yan Rou (longan): For emotions and poor memory. (Yuen) → Long Yan Rou
• Lu Rong (deer antler velvet): Lu Rong strongly builds qi and blood and nourishes marrow (where RBCs and WBCs originate, the Jing level); historically given to women after childbirth. (Yuen) → Lu Rong (Lu Jiao, Lu Jiao Jiao, Lu Jiao Shuang)
• Lu Rong (deer antler): Opening herb for the Du Mai. (Yuen) → Lu Rong (Lu Jiao, Lu Jiao Jiao, Lu Jiao Shuang)
• Lu Rong (deer antler) — key herb for Du: Wang Haogu's opening herbs for the 'first ancestry' (Ren, Chong, Du): deer antler for the Du. (Yuen) → Lu Rong (Lu Jiao, Lu Jiao Jiao, Lu Jiao Shuang)
• Ma Huang (ephedra): Lung/bladder affinity herb to raise neutrophils (immediate reaction). (Yuen) → Ma Huang, Gui Zhi
• Mai Men Dong / Zhi Mu / Lu Gen: For hydration with downward movement: Mai Men Dong generates stomach fluid and descends (12 g); Zhi Mu and Lu Gen promote urination; Ge Gen rejected as it rises. (Yuen) → Mai Men Dong, Zhi Mu, Lu Gen
• Mu Dan Pi / Chi Shao / Di Gu Pi / Sheng Di / Xuan Shen / Shi Hu: Bitter-cold blood-cooling herbs; Mu Dan Pi and Chi Shao go to the pericardium. (Gioioso) → Xuan Shen, Mu Dan Pi, Di Gu Pi, Chi Shao, Shi Hu
• Nourishing the shen with seeds and vines (supportive approach): Seeds plant new consciousness: Fu Xiao Mai (spleen blood), Suan Zao Ren (liver blood), Bai Zi Ren (heart blood); Ye Jiao Teng supports all and addresses wind. (Yuen)
• Opening herbs for the eight extras (Wang Haogu): Wang Haogu (Yuan dynasty) developed opening herbs instead of opening points: deer antler (Lu Rong) opens the Du, tortoise shell (Gui Ban) the Ren Mai. (Yuen)
• Orifice-opening substances: She Xiang, Niu Huang, Su He Xiang, Bing Pian: Orifice-opening aromatics (She Xiang, Niu Huang, Su He Xiang, Bing Pian) arouse shen but deplete jing long-term — use only in emergencies, then rebuild jing. (Yuen) → Su He Xiang, Bing Pian, Niu Huang, She Xiang
• Pao zhi (processing): Sheng Di vs Shu Di; Bai Zhu preparations; calcined (Duan) Mu Li: Processing changes category: Sheng Di clears heat, Shu Di tonifies yin/blood; bran-fried Bai Zhu gains qi-tonifying; calcined Mu Li's calcium binds heat and calms the Shen. (Rabinowitz) → Bai Zhu, Mu Li
• Phlegm herbs: Ban Xia, Tian Nan Xing, Bai Fu Zi (warming); Zhe Bei Mu, Tian Zhu Huang, Zhu Li (cooling): Choose warm vs cool phlegm herbs by the heat picture. (Shea) → Tian Zhu Huang, Zhe Bei Mu, Zhu Li
• Qin Jiao (Gentiana macrophylla): For damp bi. (Yuen) → Qin Jiao
• Qing Hao (Artemisia annua) / Tao Ren / Da Huang: Qing Hao (first used for malaria) is studied for anti-cancer properties; about 3,000 of 2.5 million researched herbs show anti-cancer activity but must fit the individual. → Da Huang, Qing Hao -青蒿, Tao Ren
• Qing Hao (wormwood) / Shen Qu (master fermenter) / Pu'er tea: Wormwood breaks down gluten; Shen Qu tea helps digest gluten and increases mineral absorption; Pu'er tea aids digestion of fat and dairy. (Yuen) → Qing Hao -青蒿, Shen Qu
• Radish (Lai Fu Zi seed) — dietary medicine: For a heavy, stuck chest with shallow breathing, eat white/red radish; radish seed treats cold-phlegm stasis and blood stagnation. (Yuen) → Lai Fu Zi
• Raising red cells: Lu Rong, Gui Pi Tang, Ba Zhen Tang, Si Wu Tang: Marrow stimulants (deer antler) and blood formulas raise RBCs but must fit the pattern; if qi/blood is obstructed use a moving-tonifying formula like Xiao Yao San. (Lewis) → Ba Zhen Tang, Gui Pi Tang, Si Wu Tang, Lu Rong (Lu Jiao, Lu Jiao Jiao, Lu Jiao Shuang)
• Rediscovered anti-Gu herbs (Shennong bencao jing, Bencao gangmu): Rediscovered anti-Gu herbs from the Shennong bencao jing and Bencao gangmu include Guijianyu, Qingdai, Caowu, Feizi, Xuchangqing and Changshan. (Fruehauf)
• Releasing the exterior by archetype: Earth/metal: Ge Gen (lung/spleen/stomach, spicy-sweet-cool); fire: Dan Zhu Ye (heart affinity); water/Tai Yang: Gui Zhi, Ma Huang, Zi Su Ye. (Yuen)
• Rose and He Huan Hua (albizia flower): Gentle flowers that open and spread qi, resonate with the shen — single-herb draft before meditation/journaling. (Shea) → He Huan Hua
• Rou Gui & Gui Zhi (Kidney → Heart), Ren Shen & Dang Gui: Agitation can harass the child's heart in pregnancy; strengthen the Kidneys supporting the Heart with small amounts of Rou Gui/Gui Zhi; Ren Shen/Dang Gui tonify qi and blood. (Lewis) → Dang Gui, Ren Shen, Gui Zhi, Rou Gui
• Rou Gui (cinnamon bark): Example for establishing kidney-heart communication in the separation phase while restraining yang from escaping. (Yuen) → Rou Gui
• San Qi (notoginseng, pseudo-ginseng): San Qi moves qi to move blood, is a component of Yunnan Bai Yao, and is used to reduce tumors/blood masses. (Yuen) → San Qi
• Seaweed (Kun Bu, Hai Zao) / plankton: Soften hardness and dissipate nodules for tumors; plankton stronger than seaweeds; bring oxygen and cellular repair. (Yuen) → Hai Zao, Kun Bu
• Seaweeds + blood movers for phlegm with edema: Seaweeds plus blood-moving herbs added to Er Chen Tang to soften phlegm and the Kidneys when there's edema. (Yuen) → Er Chen Tang
• Shan Yao (Dioscorea yam): Shan Yao tonifies Spleen/Stomach qi; its stickiness absorbs sugar (wasting-thirsting), binds protein to rebuild flesh and helps clear dampness. (Yuen) → Shan Yao
• She Xiang / Niu Huang substitutes: Su He Xiang, Shi Chang Pu, Bing Pian: For closed (bi) syndrome in the dying: replace warming musk with styrax or acorus; replace cooling Niu Huang with tiny amounts of borneol. (Yuen) → Shi Chang Pu, Su He Xiang, Bing Pian, Niu Huang, She Xiang
• Sheng Ma (Cimicifuga): Releases toxic guilt and lifts the qi — guilt/remorse is often big at end of life. (Lewis) → Sheng Ma
• Sheng Ma (Cimicifuga): Alchemical herb — a good one to go to when a patient is encountering a lot of guilt. (Lewis) → Sheng Ma
• Sheng Ma (Cimicifuga): 'The ascending root'; ingredient in the Ku Shen heart-pain wine. (Yuen) → Sheng Ma, Ku Shen
• Sheng Ma (Cimicifuga) with Spleen tonics: Adding Sheng Ma to Spleen-fortifying herbs lifts one out of the heaviness of guilt/remorse that bogs down the Spleen. (Lewis) → Sheng Ma
• Shi Chang Pu (Acorus, sweet flag): Gentler warming orifice-opener for tea for the dying; affinity with spleen, heart, liver; warms middle burner like SP-6. (Yuen) → Shi Chang Pu, Su He Xiang
• Shi Chang Pu / Yuan Zhi: Open-orifice herbs; acorus slightly mind-altering — changes how we see; Yuan Zhi opens the heart orifice ('a change of heart'). (Shea) → Shi Chang Pu, Yuan Zhi
• Slimy/mucilaginous substances for kidney yin: Practitioners who burn up kidney yin can replenish it with slimy herbs and sea substances (e.g., sea cucumber), using a formula fitted to their five-element pattern. (Johnson)
• Spleen tonic teas + warming spices: Simple herbal teas and warming spices nourish the Spleen and stabilize the center so what arises can be processed; a healthy Spleen must ascend to the Heart. (Lewis)
• Spleen-strengthening herbs: Mu Xiang/Sha Ren, Lian Zi, Fu Ling: Materia medica differentiates herbs that strengthen the Spleen — e.g., Sha Ren, lotus seed (Lian Zi), Fu Ling — the root (ben) treatment of phlegm. (Yuen) → Mu Xiang, Sha Ren, Lian Zi, Fu Ling
• Su Mu (sappan wood): Su Mu, 'wood of revival', is burned to invite the spirit and bring closure; it warms the middle burner, transforms turbidity and revives memory of being stuck. (Yuen) → Su Mu
• The 'ren' seeds of virtue: Tao Ren, Bai Zi Ren, Sha Ren, Xing Ren, Huo Ma Ren, Yi Yi Ren: The 'ren' seeds are allies for cultivating Ren (compassion); Yi Yi Ren represents postnatal qi aware of cultivation; take a few drops of tincture daily as ritual affirmation. (Yuen) → Huo Ma Ren, Bai Zi Ren, Yi Yi Ren, Xing Ren, Yuan Zhi, Sha Ren, Tao Ren
• Tian Zhu Huang (wind-hot phlegm) & Tian Nan Xing (wind-cold phlegm): When phlegm displaces with wind to joints, tendons or spine, use Tian Zhu Huang for wind-hot phlegm and Tian Nan Xing for wind-cold phlegm. (Yuen) → Tian Zhu Huang
• Tian Zhu Huang / Tian Hua Fen: Hot-phlegm herbs that unbind the chest, open the lungs and promote forgiveness for the dying. (Yuen) → Tian Zhu Huang, Tian Hua Fen
• Trichosanthes seed (Gua Lou Ren) & phlegm via the colon: Gua Lou seed moistens stool so phlegm leaves via the colon; Chen Pi regulates qi upward, Zhi Shi purges downward, Fu Ling strengthens Spleen. (Yuen) → Gua Lou Ren, Chen Pi, Fu Ling, Zhi Shi
• Turmeric: Blocks several inflammatory cascades; 500–1500 mg/day, especially with pain. (Ross)
• Vitex vs Letrozole: Vitex increases yang; letrozole depletes yin and raises yang; neither treats underlying yin/yuan qi deficiency — tonify yin, qi and blood first. (Lewis)
• Warming herbs to keep the Kidneys warm: Fu Zi, Gan Jiang, Ai Ye, Wu Zhu Yu: Phlegm needs warmth: aconite, dry ginger, mugwort and evodia warm the interior/Kidneys. (Yuen) → Wu Zhu Yu, Gan Jiang, Ai Ye
• Warming the interior: Rou Dou Kou (nutmeg), Rou Gui, Xiao Hui Xiang: Warm middle heater (separation), lower (transition), upper (deliverance) so yang can hold yin. (Yuen) → Xiao Hui Xiang, Rou Dou Kou, Rou Gui
• Willow bark (aspirin origin): Willow grows in damp swampy places and so treats dampness/stickiness (sugar, cholesterol, fungus), explaining why baby aspirin also lowers cholesterol. (Yuen)
• Wind herbs: Gou Teng, Tian Ma, Bai Ji Li, Shi Jue Ming, Fang Feng, Chan Tui, insects: Thorny vines hook out hidden wind; abalone anchors yang; Fang Feng treats internal and external wind; Chan Tui for itching; insects indispensable for some (stroke). (Shea) → Shi Jue Ming, Bai Ji Li (Ci Ji Li), Fang Feng, Gou Teng, Chan Tui, Tian Ma
• Winter pregnancy support: Gui Pi Tang, ginger, Hou Po, Gan Cao, Tu Si Zi, An Zhong Tang: Decoctions preferred over pills; sticky herbs helpful; ascending herbs for a weak Spleen; Tu Si Zi warms the center without too much heat. → Gui Pi Tang, Tu Si Zi, Gan Cao, Hou Po
• Wu Jia Pi (Acanthopanax): For damp bi; commonly used today. (Yuen) → Wu Jia Pi
• Wu Jia Pi (Acanthopanax): Releases Tai Yang along the paraspinals down to the knees. (Yuen) → Wu Jia Pi
• Wu Ling Zhi, Wei Ling Xian, Xian Ling Pi (Yin Yang Huo): 'Ling' herbs: Wu Ling Zhi clears blood-contaminated ling, Wei Ling Xian phlegm-contaminated; Ling Zhi or Xian Ling Pi (epimedium) affirm who you are. (Yuen) → Wei Ling Xian, Yin Yang Huo, Wu Ling Zhi
• Wu Wei Zi (Schisandra): Calms shen while restraining jing; lung-kidney affinity (kidney grasping lung qi) — anchors the spirit. (Yuen) → Wu Wei Zi
• Xi Yang Shen (American ginseng): Generates fluids, clears heat, tonifies qi — the herbal equivalent of Ren-12; 15 g. (Yuen) → Xi Yang Shen
• Xia Ku Cao (Prunella, 'heal all'): Releases the neck/SCM; glandular swellings and tumors in neck and throat; 9 g. (Yuen) → Xia Ku Cao
• Xiang Fu (Cyperus): The one herb said to rectify qi (made famous by Zhu Danxi) — 'fragrant resonance'. (Yuen) → Xiang Fu
• Xiang Fu (Cyperus) / Zhi Zi (Gardenia): Shao Yang / San Jiao herbs for basophils as mediators. (Yuen) → Xiang Fu, Zhi Zi
• Xiang Fu / Mu Xiang / Chen Pi: Harmonizing qi movers that don't dry as much — alternatives to Chai Hu when yin deficient. (Lewis) → Xiang Fu, Mu Xiang, Chen Pi
• Xiao ke (wasting-thirst) herb groups: Xiao ke herbs: qi tonics (Huang Jing), blood tonics (He Shou Wu, Gou Qi Zi, Shu Di), yin tonics (Yu Zhu), and heat-clearers (Tian Hua Fen, Di Gu Pi, Zhi Mu). (Rabinowitz) → Sang Bai Pi, Huang Jing, Di Gu Pi, Yu Zhu
• Xing Ren (apricot kernel) — bitter vs sweet: Opens and moistens the Lungs and regulates Lung qi; bitter apricot kernel (Prunus armeniaca) regulates qi and helps expectorate (bitter irritates and dries). (Yuen) → Xing Ren
• Xing Ren (apricot kernel/almond) for Lung excess: To break up excess in the Lungs, Prunus armeniaca (Xing Ren) — patients can eat more almonds. (Yuen) → Xing Ren
• Xing Ren / Jie Geng / Zhi Ke: Xing Ren diffuses lung qi and moistens intestines; Jie Geng diffuses lung qi (envoy upward); Zhi Ke opens the diaphragm. (Gioioso) → Jie Geng, Xing Ren
• Xing Ren for 'insidious' phlegm causing GERD: GERD returning after clearing Stomach fire (swollen tongue, midline crack) may be phlegm — add counterflow herbs like Xing Ren (Prunus armeniaca). (Yuen) → Xing Ren
• Xu Duan (Dipsacus): Goes to sinews and bone; name means 'mend what is broken'. (Yuen) → Xu Duan
• Yi Mu Cao (motherwort) / Dang Gui: Added to move liver blood in the endometrium. (Lewis) → Yi Mu Cao, Dang Gui
• Yi Yi Ren (Job's tears/'pearl barley'): Polished coix promotes diuresis and is very drying. (Yuen) → Yi Yi Ren
• Yin Chen Hao (Artemisia capillaris): Opens the Dai Mai; spicy, bitter, cool; liver/GB/stomach/spleen; clears damp heat and fire toxins, stimulates bile; catalyst 6 g. (Yuen) → Yin Chen (Hao)
• Yin Xing Ye (ginkgo leaf): Helps exchange across the blood–brain barrier after a brain bleed; transforms phlegm to reduce plaque; neuropathy. (Gioioso)
• Yu Jin (curcuma tuber): Another curcuma that moves qi and blood, mentioned with turmeric. (Yuen) → Yu Jin
• Yu Jin (Curcuma tuber): Lung/liver/GB, cooling (vs warming Jiang Huang); tea for family who can't let go of the deceased's things — move from depression to acceptance. (Yuen) → Yu Jin
• Yu Jin (Curcuma): Opens the diaphragm; treats lung fullness and liver insulting lung ('constrainment of metal'); 9 g. (Yuen) → Yu Jin
• Yu Xing Cao (Houttuynia): Main herb for lung heat causing spread, pain and sleeplessness (12 g); decoct 4 cups to 2, one cup twice daily between meals. (Yuen) → Yu Xing Cao
• Yu Zhu, turtle shells (Bie Jia, Gui Ban): Yu Zhu generates fluid and releases external wind; turtle shells anchor yang, tonify, move a little blood; stomach yin needed to release exterior. (Shea) → Gui Ban, Bie Jia, Yu Zhu
• Yuan Zhi (Polygala) / He Shou Wu 30–60 g: To strengthen the will to live (suicidal, depressed, dying): Yuan Zhi ('far-reaching will'), and He Shou Wu at 30–60 g nourishes blood and willpower. (Yuen) → He Shou Wu, Yuan Zhi
• Yunnan Baiyao (acute dosing): Acute: relatively high dose — two capsules twice daily for five days; keep the red pill for cuts; then reevaluate. (Gioioso)
• Zhi Mu (Anemarrhena): Herb to engender fluids. (Yuen) → Zhi Mu
• Zhi Zi (Gardenia): Ingredient in the Ku Shen heart-pain wine. (Yuen) → Ku Shen, Zhi Zi
• Zi Hua Di Ding (Viola): Used to regulate the liver and bring monocytes into range; teacher equates it with chickweed in Western herbalism. (Yuen) → Zi Hua Di Ding