[PDF] Asthenic-heat clearing Chinese medicinal herbs

This kind of medicinal herbs are usually bitter in flavor, cold and dry in nature, are effective in clearing away heat and drying dampness and are usually accompanied with the action of clearing away heat and purging fire. They are indicated for damp-heat and fire-heat syndromes, such as damp-thermosis, or acute febrile disease due to summer-heat, or stagnation of damp and heat in the spleen and stomach with thoracic fullness, damp-heat of the large intestine with diarrhea and dysentery, damp-heat of the liver and gallbladder with jaundice, damp-heat leukorrhagia, pyretic stranguria, damp-heat Bi-syndrome, and eczema. They are generally bitter and cold, easily injuring the spleen and stomach, and dry in nature, usually consuming yin, so excessive usage should be avoided, and it is used with caution for the deficiency-cold of the spleen and stomach, or consumption of the body fluids or insufficiency of yin.

Huangqin  Radix Scutellariae

The source is from the root of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, family Labiatae. The medicinal material is mainly produced in the provinces of Hebei, Shanxi, and inner Mongolia autonomous region, etc., digged up and collected in spring and autumn, usually cut into pieces, the crude one and the one stir-baked with wine or the carbonized one may be used.

Medicinal Properties  Bitter in flavor, cold in nature and attributive to the lung, stomach, gallbladder and large intestine meridians.

Actions  Clear away heat and remove dampness, purge the sthenic fire and remove toxic materials, cool blood and stop bleeding to prevent miscarriage.

Application

It is used for seasonal febrile diseases of dampness type, jaundice, dysentery and stranguria of damp-heat type, especially effective in clearing away damp-heat of both the middle and upper energizers. For the treatment of seasonal febrile disease of damp type with fever, perspiration, chest oppression, greasy fur, it is used together with Huashi (Talcum), Tongcao (Medulla Tetrapanacis ) , and Baidoukou ( Fructus Amomi Rotundus), etc., such as Huangqin Huashi Tang (Decoction). For jaundice of damp-heat type, it is often combined with Yinchen (Herba Artemisiae Scopariae), Zhizi ( Fructus Gardeniae ), and Dahuang (Radix et Rhizoma Rhei ), etc. so as to strengthen the effects of draining the gallbladder to relieve jaundice. For the treatment of dysentery of damp-heat type, it is combined with Huanglian (Rhizoma Coptidis ) and Gegen ( Radix Puerariae ), such as Gegen Qin Lian Tang (Decoction), for the treatment of damp-heat of the bladder with dribbling and painful urination, used together with Mutong (RadixAkebiae , Huashi (Talcum), Cheqianzi ( Semen Plantaginis) and others that can eliminate heat and dampness.

It is used for sthenic-heat syndrome of qifen and cough due to lung-heat and good at clearing away lung-fire and sthenic-heat of the upper energizer. It can be used alone, namely Qingjin Wan (Pill), or combined with Sangbaipi ( Cortex Mori), Zhimu (Rhizoma Anemarrhenae), and Maimendong (Radix Ophiopogonis) for stag-nation of lung-heat and failure of the lung to depurate and descend marked with cough and thick sputum. For sthenic-heat of qifen with high fever, excessive thirst, urination with redness and constipation, it is often combined with Dahuang (Radix et Rhizoma Rhei ), Zhizi ( Fructus Gardeniae) and others that can purge fire and relax the bowels, such as Liangge San (Powder); for shaoyang syndrome with alternating episodes of chills and fever, used with Chaihu (Radix Bupleuri), such as Xiao Chaihu Tang (Decoction), to regulate the function of shaoyang.

For exterior sores, abscess of internal organs and other heat-toxin syndromes of internal medicine, surgery and five sensory organs, it is used together with Huanglian ( Rhizoma Coptidis ), Lianqiao ( Fructus Forsythiae ), and Pugongying (Herba Taraxaci), etc..

For hemopyretic bleeding manifested as hematemesis, hemoptysis, hematochezia, hemafecia, and metrorrhagia, it can be used alone, or combined with San-qi ( Radix Notoginseng), Huaihua ( Flos Sophorae), and Baimaogen (Rhizoma Imperatae), etc..

For excessive fetal movement and gravid vaginal bleeding due to heat-syndrome in pregnancy, it can be used together with Baizhu (Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae ) , Danggui (Radix Angelicae Sinensis ) , and others, such as Danggui San (Powder).

Usage and Dosage  3 - 9 g is used in decoction for oral use, the crude one is used for clearing away heat, the stir-baked one for preventing miscarriage, the carbonized one for relieving bleeding, the stir-baked with wine for clearing away heat of the upper energizer.

Notes  It is bitter and cold and easy to injure the stomach, so it is contraindicated for deficiency and cold of the spleen and stomach.

Huanglian  Rhizoma Coptidis

The source is from Rhizome of Coptis chinensis Franch. and C. deltoidea C. Y. Cheng et Hsiao or Coptis teetoides C.Y. Cheng, family Ranunculaceae. The producing areas are mainly in the provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan. The medicinal material is dug and collected in autumn and dried. The crude or stir-baked one can be used.

Medicinal Properties  Bitter in flavor, cold in nature and attributive to the heart, liver, stomach and large intestine meridians.

Actions  Clear away heat and remove dampness, purge the sthenic fire and eliminate toxic materials.

Application

It is used for dysentery and vomiting of dampness-heat type. It has a strong action of clearing away heat and eliminating dampness and is especially good at removing heat and dampness from the middle energizer, and serves as an essential medicinal herb for treatment of diarrhea and dysentery of damp-heat type. In the case accompanied with abdominal pain due to qi stagnation, it can be combined with Muxiang (Radix Aucklandiae) that can circulate qi and arrest pain, such as Xianglian Wan (Pill); in the case with general fever, combined with Gegen (Radix Puerariae ) and Huangqin ( Radix Scutellariae ), such as Gegen Qm Llan Tang (Decoction); for dysentery with pus and blood, combined with Danggui (Radix Angelicae Sinensis ),  Rougui ( Cortex Cinnamomi ), Baishaoyao ( Radix Paeoniae Alba ), etc., such as Shaoyao Tang (Decoction); for damp-heat stagnation in the middle energizer and disorder of qi activity with full-ness in the epigastric abdomen with nausea and vomiting, usually used together with Huangqin (Radix Scutellariae ) , Ganjiang ( Rhizoma Zingiberis ) , and Banxia ( Rhizoma Pinelliae), etc., such as Banxia Xiexin Tang (Decoction).

It is used for high fever and restlessness due to excessive heat and fire. It is good at clearing away sthenicheat of heart meridian. It can be used for febrile disease with excessive fire and heat marked by high fever and restlessness and is usually combined with Zhizi (Fructus Gardeniae) and Huangqin (Radix Scutellariae), such as Huanglian Jiedu Tang (Decoction) ; for sthenic heart-fire and insufficiency of yin and blood manifested as dysphoria and insomnia, it can be used together with Ejiao ( Colla Corii Asini ) and Baishaoyao ( Radix Paeoniae Alba ), such as Huanglian Ejiao Tang (Decoction); for excessive heart-fire flaming up with aphthae, it can be used alone or together with the same dosage of Xixin ( Herba Asari ), which are ground into powder for use in mouth; for hemopyretic bleeding due to excessive heart-fire with hemafecia or epistaxis, used together with Dahuang (Radix et Rhizoma Rhei) and Huangqin (Radix Scutellariae ), such as Xiexin Tang (Decoction).

It is used for toothache due to stomach-fire and vomiting due to stomach-heat. For the former, it is used together with Shengdihuang (Radix Rehmanniae ), Shengma ( Rhizoma Cimicifugae ), and Baizhi ( Radix Angelicae Dahuricae), etc. so as to clear away stomach-fire and expel stagnated fire, such as Qingwei San (Powder); for the latter with uncomfortable feelings in the epigastric region, combined with Banxia ( Rhizoma Pinelliae ), Zhuru (Caulis Bambusae in Taeniam ) and others that can relieve vomiting, so it is a common medicinal herb for treatment of vomiting due to stomach heat; it can be also used together with Wuzhuyu (Fructus Evodiae), such as Zuojin Wan (Pill) to treat vomiting with acid regurgitation due to liver-fire attacking the stomach, and combined with Tianhuafen ( Radix Trichosanthis ), Dihuang ( Radix Rehmanniae) and others that can clear away heat and promote the production of the body fluids to treat syndrome of excessive stomach-fire with polyorexia and diabetes manifested as excessive thirst and frequent drinking.

It is used for carbuncle and swelling and sore of dampness type due to heat-toxin and especially good at treatment of furunculosis since it can clear away heat and eliminate dampness, and purge fire for removing toxin. Orally it can be combined with Huangqin (Radix Scutellariae ), Dahuang (Radix et Rhizoma Rhei ), and Lianqiao (Fructus Forsythiae) and others that can clear away heat and eliminate toxic materials and also combined with other herbs for external use.

Usage and Dosage  2 -5 g is used in decoction for oral use and 0.5 -1 g of the powder is swallowed and just right amount for external use. The one stir-baked with wine can clear away fire from the upper energizer and the one stir-baked with ginger juice and Wuzhuyu (Fructus Evodiae) can moderate the bitter and cold property so as to strengthen the action of relieving vomiting and with pork bile can purge sthenic-fire of the liver and gallbladder.

Notes  Being extremely bitter and cold, it is easy to injure yang-qi of the spleen and stomach and contraindicated for deficiency and cold of the spleen and stomach and with caution for consumption of yin due to its bitter and dry property and of body fluids due to yin deficiency.

Huanghai  Cortex Phellodendri

The source is from the bark of a deciduous arbor, Phellodendrou  amurense  Rupr.  or  P.  chinense Schneid, family Rutaceae.  The medicinal material is mainly produced in the provinces of Liaoning, Jilin, and Hebei, etc., P. chinense Schneid in Sichuan, Guizhou, Hubei, and Yunnan, etc.. During April and May, the trees are barked and the rough skin is scraped, the left bark being dried in the sun. Usually the crude one is cut into pieces or thin pieces or further stir-baked with salt solution or with wine for medication.

Medicinal Properties  Bitter in flavor, cold in nature and attributive to the kidney, bladder and large intestine meridians.

Actions  Clear away heat and remove dampness, purge the sthenic fire and eliminate toxic materials, reduce asthenia-heat and bone steaming.