Clearing Heat and Detoxifying, **Jin Yin Hua** (Honeysuckle)
First “silver” then “gold”, the flowers turn yellow with age.
According to the “Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing”: “Jin Yin Hua is cold in nature and sweet in flavor, has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, cooling the blood and resolving stasis, and is used for external wind-heat, initial stages of pestilence, sores and carbuncles, redness, swelling, heat, and pain, and purulent blood in stools.”
**Huo Xiang** (Agastache)
It is said that Huo Xiang is the “Justice of Herbs” because it promotes upright Qi.
It has a spicy and slightly warm nature, enters the spleen, stomach, and lung meridians, and has the effects of transforming dampness, relieving summer heat, harmonizing the middle, and stopping vomiting. It is warm and drying, capable of transforming internal dampness and resolving external summer heat, used for summer dampness and initial stages of damp-heat syndrome, making it a common herb in summer.
**Zhu Sha** (Cinnabar)
“Exterminate all evils, and let the spirits retreat!”
According to the “Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing”: Zhu Sha treats diseases of the five organs, nourishes the spirit, calms the soul, benefits Qi, brightens the eyes, expels evil spirits, and wards off malevolent ghosts.
**Fu Ling** (Poria)
Some say it is the essence of pine trees, but it is actually just “holding onto the pine tree’s leg”.
According to the “Ben Cao Gang Mu”: Fu Ling is light and permeating, its nature ascends, generates body fluids, opens pores, nourishes the water source and descends, promotes urination, hence Zhang Jiegu called it yang, floating and ascending, referring to its nature; Dong Yuan called it yin among yang, descending and lowering, referring to its function.
**She Xiang** (Musk)
Cardiac stimulant, excitant, this is a fast-acting medicine.
According to the “Ben Cao Gang Mu”: “It opens all orifices, unblocks meridians, penetrates muscles and bones, resolves alcohol toxicity, eliminates food stagnation, treats stroke, qi deficiency, evil qi, phlegm obstruction, and accumulations of masses.”“Musk travels and can unblock all orifices that are obstructed, open the meridians that are blocked, such as various winds, qi, blood, and pains, seizures, and masses, when the meridians are blocked and orifices are not unblocked, how can it not be used as a guide to open and unblock?”“It can be used, but not excessively.”
**Shi Gao** (Gypsum)
Natural gypsum crystals, they don’t look much like gypsum.
According to the “Ben Cao Yan Yi Bu Yi”: “Shi Gao is a medicine of the Yangming meridian, Yangming governs the muscles, its sweetness can tonify the spleen and benefit Qi, quench thirst and clear heat, its spiciness can release the muscles and induce sweating, it ascends to the head, and also enters the hand Taiyin and Shaoyang, thus it can be the master of the three meridians.” Grind it into powder, mix with vinegar to form pills the size of mung beans, to drain stomach fire, phlegm fire, and food accumulation.”
**Huang Lian** (Coptis)
Also considered the most bitter…
According to the “Ben Cao Fen Jing”: Extremely bitter and extremely cold. Enters the heart to drain fire, calms the liver and cools the blood, dries dampness and opens stagnation, can eliminate evil blood from the heart or drain spleen fire. Stir-fried with wine to treat upper jiao fire, with ginger juice for middle jiao fire, and with water for lower jiao fire.
**Chen Xiang** (Agarwood)
Not sure if it counts as the “most elegant” and “most expensive” medicine… one of them.
**Shi Hu** (Dendrobium)
Beautiful orchids, nice to keep and admire.
**Ban Xia** (Pinellia)
Ban Xia… is just Ban Xia, harvested in the fifth month of the lunar calendar (the middle of summer).
**Bo He** (Mint)
It has a spicy, cooling flavor, what is the taste of something that is both hot and cold?
**Yuan Hu** (Corydalis)
Originally named “Xuan Hu Suo”, changed to “Yan Hu Suo” to avoid the taboo of Emperor Zhenzong in the Song Dynasty, later called “Yuan Hu Suo”, abbreviated to Yuan Hu.
**San Qi** (Notoginseng)
Originally named “Shan Qi”, Shizhen said: it can adhere to wounds like lacquer.
**Lu Rong** (Deer Antler Velvet)
This refers to antlers that have not yet ossified, “the hair has not yet shed”.
**Nu Zhen Zi** (Ligustrum Fruit)
“This tree remains green in winter, embodying the virtue of integrity.”
**Da Huang** (Rhubarb)
Named for its large size and yellow color, unfortunately, the word “yellow” is disliked by merchants, and old herbalists often wrote it as “Pian Ji”.
**Zhi Shi** (Bitter Orange)
Grows in both Huai Nan and Huai Bei…
**Yu Jin** (Curcuma)
Can treat “Qi Stagnation Syndrome”, its color is like gold (turmeric rhizome), hence the name. Not to be confused with tulips.
**Dan Shen** (Salvia)
Herbs called “Shen” often have tonifying effects.
**Ren Shen** (Ginseng)
Greatly tonifies original Qi, a logo-level Chinese medicine.
**Dang Gui** (Angelica)
“Taking it can make Qi and blood return to their respective places.”
**Shan Yao** (Chinese Yam)
Originally named “Shu Yu”, first changed to “Shu Yao” to avoid the taboo of Emperor Li Yu of the Tang Dynasty; later changed to “Shan Yao” to avoid the taboo of Emperor Zhao Shu of the Song Dynasty; poor little herb…
**Shen Qu** (Malt)
Fermented agent, listening to “Little Apple” is effective…
**Bei Mu** (Fritillaria)
Chuan Bei stewed with snow pear, delicious and moistens the lungs.
**Yin Chen** (Artemisia)
Yin Chen wine, primarily treats clearing heat and drying dampness, relaxing muscles and activating collaterals.
**Du Huo** (Angelica Pubescens)
“A single stem rises straight, not swayed by the wind. Hence it is called Du Huo.”
**Suan Zao Ren** (Sour Jujube Seed)
Sour jujube seeds. Wild sour jujube, round and plump…
**Fu Zi** (Aconite)
Attached to the main root (Chuan Wu), very hot and toxic.
**Ma Huang** (Ephedra)
Spicy in flavor, yellow in color. Initially harvested as green, it gradually turns yellow.
**Shi Jun Zi** (Quisqualis)
It is said that Guo Shijun of Panzhou treated many children with this herb.
**Xing Ren** (Apricot Kernel)
The medicinal part is the bitter apricot kernel. Bitter, warm, and toxic.
The above content is sourced from the internet, for reference only, please delete if infringed! Please follow the doctor’s advice! Do not self-medicate!