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This category of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) herbs functions to clear internal heat, relieve heat toxins, and cool the blood, primarily used for heat-prone constitutions and internal heat syndromes. 1. Xuan Shen (Scrophularia Root) Xuan Shen is the root of the Scrophulariaceae plant, containing iridoid glycosides and volatile oils. Pharmacological tests have shown that Xuan Shen decoction, alcohol extract, and infusion have blood pressure-lowering effects; it also has vasodilatory and cardiotonic effects. Various preparations of Xuan Shen have antipyretic and anticonvulsant properties. TCM believes it is cold in nature, sweet and bitter in taste, and functions to nourish yin and reduce fire, cool the blood, and detoxify, suitable for symptoms such as heat disease with thirst, rashes, bone steaming, insomnia, spontaneous sweating, and sore throat. Dosage: 6-12 grams; avoid use in cases of loose stools and excessive phlegm-dampness. 2. Jue Ming Zi (Cassia Seed) Jue Ming Zi is the seed of the leguminous plant Cassia obtusifolia, containing anthraquinones and vitamins. Pharmacological tests have shown that Jue Ming Zi lowers blood pressure and serum cholesterol; it also has antibacterial properties and promotes bowel movements. TCM considers it slightly cold, sweet and bitter in taste, functioning to clear the liver and improve vision, promote urination, and relieve constipation, suitable for symptoms like liver heat or wind-heat causing red, painful eyes, photophobia, and excessive tearing; it is also effective for treating hypertension, hepatitis, cirrhosis with ascites, and habitual constipation. Dosage: 3-9 grams, crushed and decocted. 3. Di Gu Pi (Lycium Bark) Di Gu Pi is the root bark of the Solanaceae plant Lycium barbarum, containing chlorogenic acid and various phenolic compounds. Di Gu Pi has significant antipyretic effects, and its decoction can lower blood sugar, reduce serum cholesterol, and combat fatty liver; its infusion has shown significant blood pressure-lowering effects in animals. TCM believes it is cold in nature, sweet and bland in taste, functioning to cool the blood, reduce steaming, and clear lung heat, suitable for symptoms like deficiency heat with night sweats, cough and wheezing due to lung heat, and blood-heat causing hemoptysis, epistaxis, and skin abscesses. Dosage: Generally 3-9 grams. 4. Lu Gen (Reed Rhizome) Lu Gen is the underground stem of the Poaceae plant Phragmites australis, containing various nutrients. TCM considers it cold in nature, sweet in taste, functioning to clear heat and generate fluids, relieve irritability, stop vomiting, and promote urination, suitable for heat diseases damaging fluids, irritability and thirst, gastric heat vomiting, and cough due to lung heat. Dosage: Generally 9-30 grams when dried; 15-40 grams when fresh. 5. Lian Qiao (Forsythia Fruit) Lian Qiao is the fruit of the Oleaceae plant Forsythia suspensa, containing volatile oils and flavonoids. 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 capillary density, thus stopping bleeding caused by capillary rupture. TCM believes it is slightly cold, bitter in taste, functioning to clear heat and detoxify, disperse lumps and reduce swelling, suitable for warm heat, erysipelas, rashes, abscesses, and allergic purpura. Dosage: Generally 6-9 grams. 6. Mu Dan Pi (Peony Root) Mu Dan Pi is the root bark of the Ranunculaceae plant Paeonia lactiflora, containing paeonol and various essential oils. Pharmacological tests have shown that Mu Dan Pi lowers blood pressure, has analgesic, sedative, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic effects, and strongly inhibits various pathogenic bacteria. TCM believes it is cool in nature, bitter and pungent in taste, functioning to clear heat, cool the blood, harmonize the blood, and eliminate stasis, suitable for symptoms like heat in the blood, rashes, pain, hemoptysis, and injuries. Dosage: 5-9 grams, but avoid use in cases of spleen and stomach deficiency with diarrhea. 7. Zhi Mu (Anemarrhena Rhizome) Zhi Mu is the rhizome of the Liliaceae plant Anemarrhena asphodeloides, containing various saponins and flavonoids. Tests have shown that Zhi Mu has significant antipyretic effects, effective against epidemic hemorrhagic fever, epidemic type B encephalitis, and tidal fever in tuberculosis. TCM believes it is cold in nature, sweet and bitter in taste, functioning to clear heat and drain fire, nourish yin and moisten dryness, suitable for symptoms like cough and wheezing due to lung heat or yin deficiency, irritability and thirst, bone steaming, and constipation. Dosage: Generally 6-9 grams, but avoid use in cases of kidney yang deficiency and loose stools. 8. Ban Lan Gen (Isatis Root) Ban Lan Gen is the root of the Brassicaceae plant Isatis tinctoria, containing indigo and various alkaloids. Ban Lan Gen has significant antiviral effects, inhibiting various pathogenic bacteria and leptospirosis. Clinically, Ban Lan Gen decoction is effective for treating epidemic type B encephalitis and has certain efficacy for acute and chronic hepatitis, alleviating or resolving symptoms and improving liver function; it is also effective for viral skin diseases like herpes simplex, shingles, pityriasis rosea, and flat warts. TCM believes it is cold in nature, bitter in taste, functioning to clear heat and detoxify, cool the blood, and benefit the throat, suitable for symptoms like influenza encephalitis, type B encephalitis, pneumonia, erysipelas, heat toxin rashes, and herpes. Dosage: Generally 5-9 grams; avoid use in cases of spleen and stomach deficiency with cold. 9. Jin Yin Hua (Honeysuckle Flower) Jin Yin Hua is the flower bud of the Caprifoliaceae plant Lonicera japonica, containing chlorogenic acid and flavonoids. Pharmacological tests have shown that Jin Yin Hua has anti-inflammatory and antipyretic effects, inhibiting influenza viruses and various pathogenic bacteria and fungi, reflecting its heat-clearing and detoxifying properties. TCM believes it is cold in nature, sweet in taste, functioning to clear heat and detoxify, suitable for warm disease fever, heat toxin dysentery, sores, abscesses, and boils. Dosage: Generally 6-12 grams; avoid use in cases of deficiency-cold diarrhea and sores with clear pus without heat toxin. 10. Xia Ku Cao (Selfheal Spike) Xia Ku Cao is the flower or whole herb of the Lamiaceae plant Prunella vulgaris, containing triterpenoid saponins and various vitamins. Pharmacological studies have shown that Xia Ku Cao has blood pressure-lowering effects; its decoction inhibits certain common skin fungi and various pathogenic bacteria. TCM believes it is cold in nature, bitter and pungent in taste, functioning to clear liver fire, disperse stagnation, and lower blood pressure, suitable for symptoms like red, swollen, painful eyes due to liver fire, eye pain, photophobia, headaches, and dizziness; it is also used for scrofula and goiter caused by phlegm-heat stagnation. Dosage: Generally around 9 grams. 11. Zhi Zi (Gardenia Fruit) Zhi Zi is the fruit of the Rubiaceae plant Gardenia jasminoides, containing various bitter glycosides and mannitol. Zhi Zi has a choleretic effect, increasing bile secretion; it also has cooling, sedative, analgesic, and anticonvulsant effects; it exhibits antimicrobial properties, inhibiting various pathogenic bacteria and skin fungi. TCM believes it is cold in nature, bitter in taste, functioning to drain fire and relieve irritability, clear heat and dampness, cool the blood, and detoxify, suitable for symptoms like heat disease with irritability and insomnia, jaundice, red eyes, epistaxis, and heat toxin sores. Dosage: 3-9 grams. 12. Pu Gong Ying (Dandelion) Pu Gong Ying is the whole herb of the Asteraceae plant Taraxacum mongolicum, containing taraxasterol, choline, inulin, and various acids; its decoction has antimicrobial effects and promotes liver health, bile secretion, and enhances immune function. TCM believes it is cold in nature, sweet and bitter in taste, functioning to clear heat and detoxify, reduce swelling and disperse lumps, suitable for acute mastitis, lymphadenitis, shoulder gland inflammation, gastritis, hepatitis, cholecystitis, and urinary tract infections. Dosage: 9-15 grams, crushed for external application, can be used for breast abscesses, rashes, and boils.
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