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1. Jin Yin Hua (Honeysuckle)
Jin Yin Hua is the flower bud of the honeysuckle plant, containing chlorogenic acid, myo-inositol, flavonoids, etc. Pharmacological tests have shown that Jin Yin Hua has anti-inflammatory and antipyretic effects, inhibiting influenza viruses and various pathogenic bacteria, as well as skin pathogenic fungi, reflecting its heat-clearing and detoxifying properties.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) considers it cold in nature, sweet in taste, and functions to clear heat and detoxify, suitable for febrile diseases, heat-toxicity 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 plants Isatis indigotica and Isatis tinctoria, containing indirubin, isatin, and β-sitosterol; it has significant antiviral effects. It inhibits various pathogenic bacteria and has an effect on 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.
TCM considers it cold in nature, bitter in taste, 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, herpes, etc.
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 dandelion plant, containing taraxasterol, choline, inulin, and fruit acids; its decoction has antimicrobial effects and also has liver-protective, bile-promoting, and immune-enhancing effects. TCM considers it cold in nature, sweet and bitter in taste, and functions to clear heat and detoxify, reduce swelling and disperse nodules, suitable for acute mastitis, lymphadenitis, shoulder gland inflammation, gastritis, hepatitis, cholecystitis, urinary tract infections, etc. Dosage: 9-15 grams, crushed and applied externally for breast abscesses, rashes, and carbuncles.
4. Zhi Zi (Gardenia Fruit)
Zhi Zi is the fruit of the gardenia plant, containing various bitter glycosides, as well as mannitol and ursolic acid. Zhi Zi has a bile-promoting effect, increasing bile secretion; it also has cooling, sedative, analgesic, and anticonvulsant effects; it has antimicrobial effects, inhibiting various pathogenic bacteria and skin pathogenic fungi.
TCM considers it cold in nature, bitter in taste, and functions to drain fire and relieve irritability, clear heat and eliminate 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 plant Prunella vulgaris, containing triterpenoid saponins and their aglycones, volatile oils, vitamins, and potassium chloride; studies have shown that the whole herb has blood pressure-lowering effects; its decoction has varying degrees of inhibitory effects on common skin fungi and also inhibits various pathogenic bacteria.
TCM considers it cold in nature, bitter and pungent in taste, and functions to clear liver fire, disperse stagnation, and lower blood pressure, suitable for red, swollen, and painful eyes caused by liver fire, eye pain, photophobia, tearing, headaches, and dizziness; it is 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 plant Anemarrhena asphodeloides, 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.
TCM considers it cold in nature, sweet and bitter in taste, and functions to clear heat, drain fire, nourish yin, and moisten dryness, suitable for cough and wheezing due to lung heat or yin deficiency, thirst due to heat, bone steaming, difficulty urinating, and constipation.
Dosage: Generally 6-9 grams, but it should be avoided in cases of kidney yang deficiency, weak pulse, and diarrhea.
7. Lian Qiao (Forsythia Fruit)
Lian Qiao is the fruit of the plant Forsythia suspensa, containing volatile oils, forsythoside, flavonoids, and alkaloids; pharmacological tests indicate that Lian Qiao has broad-spectrum antibacterial effects, with forsythoside being a major antibacterial component; it also has anti-inflammatory, antiemetic, diuretic, and cardiotonic effects; the flavonoids can enhance the density of capillaries, thus having hemostatic effects on bleeding caused by capillary rupture and subcutaneous hemorrhage.
TCM considers it slightly cold in nature, bitter in taste, 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 plant Phragmites australis, containing coixol and asparagine.
TCM considers it cold in nature, sweet in taste, and functions to clear heat, generate fluids, relieve irritability, stop vomiting, and promote urination, suitable for heat diseases damaging fluids, irritability and thirst, vomiting due to stomach heat, esophageal obstruction, 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)
TCM considers it slightly cold in nature, sweet and bitter in taste, and functions to clear the liver and brighten the eyes, promote urination and relieve constipation, suitable for red, painful eyes caused by liver heat or wind-heat in the liver, photophobia, excessive tearing, etc.; it is also effective for treating hypertension, hepatitis, ascites due to liver cirrhosis, and habitual constipation.
Dosage: 3-9 grams, crushed and decocted.
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Director Zhao’s popular science on health and wellness knowledge
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