1. Jin Yin Hua (Honeysuckle Flower)
Jin Yin Hua is the flower bud of the Lonicera japonica plant, containing chlorogenic acid, inositol, flavonoids, and other components. Pharmacological tests have demonstrated that Jin Yin Hua has anti-inflammatory and antipyretic effects, inhibiting influenza viruses and various pathogenic bacteria and skin pathogens, reflecting its heat-clearing and detoxifying properties.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), it is considered cold in nature, sweet in flavor, and functions to clear heat and detoxify, suitable for febrile diseases, heat-toxicity blood dysentery, sores, carbuncles, and other conditions of excessive heat-toxicity.
Dosage: Generally 6-12 grams; however, it is not suitable for those with deficiency-cold diarrhea or sores with clear pus without heat-toxicity.
2. Ban Lan Gen (Isatis Root)
Ban Lan Gen is the root of the Isatis tinctoria and Isatis indigotica plants, containing indirubin, isatisin, and β-sitosterol. Ban Lan Gen has significant antiviral effects and inhibits various pathogenic bacteria, including Leptospira. Clinically, Ban Lan Gen decoction is used orally or by intramuscular injection to treat epidemic viral encephalitis with significant efficacy; it is also effective for acute and chronic hepatitis, alleviating or resolving symptoms and promoting liver function improvement. It has varying degrees of therapeutic effects on viral skin diseases such as herpes simplex, shingles, pityriasis rosea, and flat warts.
In TCM, it is considered cold in nature, bitter in flavor, and functions to clear heat and detoxify, cool the blood, and benefit the throat, suitable for influenza encephalitis, viral encephalitis, pneumonia, erysipelas, heat-toxicity rashes, fire eyes, and herpes.
Dosage: Generally 5-9 grams; however, it is not suitable for those with spleen and stomach deficiency-cold.
3. Pu Gong Ying (Dandelion)
Pu Gong Ying is the whole herb of the Taraxacum mongolicum plant, containing taraxasterol, choline, inulin, and fruit acids. Its decoction has antimicrobial effects and also has liver-protective, choleretic, and immune-enhancing properties. In TCM, it is considered cold in nature, sweet and bitter in flavor, and functions to clear heat and detoxify, reduce swelling and disperse nodules, suitable for acute mastitis, lymphadenitis, parotitis, gastritis, hepatitis, cholecystitis, and urinary tract infections. Dosage: 9-15 grams, crushed for external application, can be used for breast abscesses, rashes, and carbuncles.
4. Zhi Zi (Gardenia Fruit)
Zhi Zi is the fruit of the Gardenia jasminoides plant, containing various bitter glycosides, as well as mannitol and ursolic acid. Zhi Zi has a choleretic effect, increasing bile secretion; it also has cooling, sedative, analgesic, and anticonvulsant effects, and exhibits antimicrobial activity against various pathogenic bacteria and skin pathogens.
In TCM, it is considered cold in nature, bitter in flavor, and functions to drain fire and eliminate irritability, clear heat and dampness, cool the blood and detoxify, suitable for heat diseases with irritability and insomnia, jaundice, red eyes, epistaxis, and heat-toxicity sores.
Dosage: 3-9 grams.
5. Xia Ku Cao (Selfheal Spike)
Xia Ku Cao is the flower or whole herb of the Prunella vulgaris plant, containing triterpenoid saponins and their aglycones, volatile oils, vitamins, and potassium chloride. Studies have shown that the whole herb of Xia Ku Cao has blood pressure-lowering effects; its decoction has varying degrees of inhibitory effects on common skin fungi and various pathogenic bacteria.
In TCM, it is considered cold in nature, bitter and pungent in flavor, and functions to clear liver fire, disperse stagnation, and lower blood pressure, suitable for eye redness and swelling, eye pain, photophobia, tearing, headaches, and dizziness caused by liver fire; also used for scrofula and goiter caused by phlegm-heat stagnation.
Dosage: Generally around 9 grams.
6. Zhi Mu (Anemarrhena Rhizome)
Zhi Mu is the rhizome of the Anemarrhena asphodeloides plant, containing various saponins and flavonoids, as well as mangiferin. Tests have shown that Zhi Mu has significant antipyretic effects, with notable efficacy against epidemic hemorrhagic fever, epidemic viral encephalitis, and pulmonary tuberculosis.
In TCM, it is considered cold in nature, sweet and bitter in flavor, and functions to clear heat and drain fire, nourish yin and moisten dryness, suitable for cough and wheezing due to lung heat or yin deficiency, vexation and thirst, bone steaming, urinary difficulty, and constipation.
Dosage: Generally 6-9 grams, but contraindicated for those with kidney yang deficiency, weak pulse, and loose stools.
7. Lian Qiao (Forsythia Fruit)
Lian Qiao is the fruit of the Forsythia suspensa plant, containing volatile oils, forsythoside, flavonoids, and alkaloids. Pharmacological tests indicate that Lian Qiao has broad-spectrum antibacterial effects, with forsythoside likely being the main antibacterial component; it also has anti-inflammatory, antiemetic, diuretic, and cardiotonic effects; the flavonoids can enhance capillary density, thus having hemostatic effects on bleeding and subcutaneous hemorrhage caused by capillary rupture.
In TCM, it is considered slightly cold in nature, bitter in flavor, and functions to clear heat and detoxify, disperse nodules and reduce swelling, suitable for warm heat, erysipelas, rashes, carbuncles, and allergic purpura.
Dosage: Generally 6-9 grams.
8. Lu Gen (Reed Rhizome)
Lu Gen is the underground stem of the Phragmites australis plant, containing coixol and asparagine.
In TCM, it is considered cold in nature, sweet in flavor, and functions to clear heat and generate fluids, relieve vexation, stop vomiting, and promote urination, suitable for heat diseases damaging fluids, vexation and thirst, gastric heat vomiting, choking sensation, and treatment of lung heat cough and lung abscess.
Dosage: Generally 9-30 grams for dried; 15-40 grams for fresh.
9. Jue Ming Zi (Cassia Seed)
In TCM, it is considered slightly cold in nature, sweet and bitter in flavor, and functions to clear the liver and brighten the eyes, promote urination and relieve constipation, suitable for eye redness and pain caused by liver heat or wind-heat in the liver channel, as well as effective for treating hypertension, hepatitis, ascites due to liver cirrhosis, and habitual constipation.
Dosage: 3-9 grams, crushed and decocted.