Pin Yin Name: Pu Gong Ying
Latin Name: Taraxacum officinale
Other names: Blow ball; lion’s tooth; Leontodon taraxacum; huang hua di dine (yellow flower earth nail)

MEDICINAL PART: whole plant
THERAPUTIC EFFECTS:antidote; cholagogue; galactagogue; stomachic; deobstruent; antipyretic; reduces swelling and dissolves clots; purifies blood.
INDICATIONS: food poisoning; pain and swelling in breasts; breast tumors; congestion and inflammation of liver and gallbladder; kidney and gallbladder stones; tuberculosis and clots in lungs; snakebite
CONTRAINDICATIONS: none.
INCOMPATIBLES: none

Dandelion is a medicinal herb that lends itself very well to use as food. The leaves – which contain 7,000 units of vitamin A per ounce (compared to only 1,275 for carrots), as well as vitamins B, C, and many minerals – make a tasty and nutritious contribution to salads and soups. In order to eliminate the bitter taste, you can either soak the leaves in salt water for 30 minutes, or blanch them briefly in boiling water.

The herb is reputed as a particularly effective remedy for disorders of the female reproductive organs, especially the breasts, and for all sorts of hepatic dysfunctions. This is due to the herb’s potent decongestive, deobstruent, and detoxicant properties, which work equally effective on blood, bile, phlegm, tumors, and organ tissues. It’s an excellent choice for detoxifying the blood, liver, and kidneys whenever you feel a toxic “hang over” from excess consumption of alcohol, drugs, junk food, and other metabolic poisons.

Pin Yin Name: Shi Hu
Latin Name: Dendrobium Nobile
Other names: Huang tsao (yellow grass); Epidendrum monile

MEDICINAL PART: root, stem
THERAPUTIC EFFECTS: tonic; stimulant; stomachic; secretagogie; salivant; promotes peristalsis.
INDICATIONS: nervous exhaustion; adrenal deficiency; night sweats; nocturnal emissions; weakness in lower back and knees (male); dehydration.
CONTRAINDICATIONS: none
INCOMPATIBLES: Croton tiglium

Pin Yin Name: Tu Si Zi
Latin Name: Cuscuta japonica
Other names: Yu nu (jade woman); yeh hu sse (wild fox silk); Cuscuta chinensis

MEDICINAL PART: seed
THERAPUTIC EFFECTS: tonic; nutrient; stimulant; retards aging; improves vision; strengthens urinary tract; strengthens bone and sinew.
INDICATIONS: impotence; premature ejaculation; nocturnal emissions; urinary incontinence; lumbago; leukorrhea; premature senility
CONTRAINDICATIONS: If you have any sores, abscesses or other open wounds that have not fully healed, you should not use this herb for more than one month at a time; prolonged use retards the healing of such wounds In such cases, discontinue for 2-3 weeks while sores heal, then resume use.
INCOMPATIBLES: none

This herb is reputed to confer longevity when used for prolonged periods, particularly in combination with Chinese yam. The herb is nontoxic and can therefore be used continuously for long-term periods, except for the contraindication noted above.

Pin Yin Name: Dong Chong Cao
Latin Name: Cordyceps

Characteristics: surface is yellowish-brown and coarse; segments with several annular marks. Sweet in taste, warm in nature, and attributive to lung and kidney channels.

Indications:
1. Invigorates the kidney and supplement essence: For kidney deficiency manifested as impotence, emission, soreness of the loin and knees, dizziness and tinnitus.
2. Invigorates the lung and kidney, improves inspiration to relieve dyspnea, eliminate phlegm and stop bleeding. For deficiency of lung-energy or lung and kidney manifested as dyspnea, shortness of breath, or cough with blood-tinged sputum. Besides, also used as tonics for the aged and the diseased.

Pharmacological Actions:
1. Relaxing the smooth muscles of bronchus
2. Increasing the anoxia tolerance in mice
3. Sedative, anti-inflammatory

PLEASE NOTE EAGLE WOOD IS SOLD BY THE OUNCE

Pin Yin Name: Gu Sui Bu
Latin Name: Rhizoma Drynariae

MEDICINAL PART: Rhizome
THERAPUTIC EFFECTS: A) Strengthen the kidney and liver; B) Improve blood circulation; C) Detoxification; D) Accelerate healing of bones and tendons.
INDICATIONS: 1) To tonify the liver and kidney, activate blood circulation and expel dampness -- For deficiency of liver and kidney or sluggishness of blood circulation manifested as rheumatism and weakness of the back and knees; also manifested as toothache, dizziness, tinnitus or chronic diarrhea; 2) To heal the bones and tendons -- For fracture and trauma; 3) Recently, also used for the poisoning of streptomycin and kanamycin (i.e. overdose) with symptoms of headache, tinnitus and deafness.
CONTRAINDICATIONS: none.

Pin Yin Name: Chen Xiang
Latin Name: Aquilaria agallocha
Other names: Aloes wood; agila wood; aguru

MEDICINAL PART: heavy resinous wood
THERAPUTIC EFFECTS: tonic; stimulant; diuretic; stomachic; nervine.
INDICATIONS: pains in chest and abdomen; angina; hypertension and nervous exhaustion, with related symptoms of frequent urination, diarrhea, and gastritis; numbness and paralysis in the extremities; neurosis; fatigue.
CONTRAINDICATIONS: none
INCOMPATIBLES: none

This herb is reputed to be particularly effective in correcting disorders of the nervous system, including tension, exhaustion, neurosis, obsessive behavior, and so on. In monasteries and hermitages, it has long been favored as an incense because the fragrance, which carries the herb’s essential energies directly into the human system via special receptors in the nasal passages, is said to calm the spirit, relax the nervous system, sink vital energy down to its base at the naval, and facilitate prolonged states of contemplation. Perhaps there is a connection between the herb’s nervine properties and its popularity as a supplement to meditation.

PLEASE NOTE EAGLE WOOD IS SOLD BY THE OUNCE

Pin Yin Name: Han Lian Cao
Latin Name: Eclipta Prostrata
Other names: Li tsao (carp gut); mo tsai (ink vegetable); Eclipta alba

MEDICINAL PART: whole plant
THERAPUTIC EFFECTS: astringent; hemostatic; refrigerant to blood; blackens hair and beard.
INDICATIONS: spermatorrhea; menorrhagia; blood in sputum or urine; premature graying of hair; dizziness and blurry vision due to liver disorders; loose teeth.
CONTRAINDICATIONS: none
INCOMPATIBLES: iron compounds and utensils.

Pin Yin Name: Wu Jia Pi
Latin Name: Eleutherococcus Gracilistylus
Other names: Eleutherococcis senticosus; Acanthopanax spinosum

MEDICINAL PART: epidermis of root
THERAPUTIC EFFECTS: tonic; analgesic; diuretic; stomachic; improves circulation; strengthens ligaments and bones.
INDICATIONS: rheumatism and arthritis; lumbago; cramps; impotence; damp, itching scrotum; vaginal itching.
CONTRAINDICATIONS: Males with condition of empty yin with flaring fire (TCM) should abstain from using this herb, or use it very sparingly
INCOMPATIBLES: Scrophularia oldhami

A potent herbal liquor brewed with this herb has been a popular health tonic in China for over one thousand years, and it is still produced in China and Taiwan according to the original recipe. People of all ages, male and female, take this herbal liquor for its warming, anti-rheumatic, and sexually tonifying properties, particularly during the cold months of winter.

Pin Yin Name: Xiang Ru
Latin Name: Elsholtzia Splendens
Other names: Elsholtzia cristata

MEDICINAL PART: whole plant, including flowers
THERAPUTIC EFFECTS: diaphoretic; carminative; stomachic; diuretic; antiemetic
INDICATIONS: nausea and vomiting; bloating; summer heat and chills; damp, peeling feet.
CONTRAINDICATIONS: none
INCOMPATIBLES: none

A decoction of this herb is a traditional Chinese remedy for halitosis (bad breath). For this purpose, it should be taken internally and used as a gargle and mouthwash.

Pin Yin Name: Gu Jing Cao
Latin Name: Eriocaulon Sieboldianum
Other names: Elsholtzia cristata

MEDICINAL PART: whole plant, including flowers.
THERAPUTIC EFFECTS:antiphlogistic; ophthalmic; astringent; analgesic
INDICATIONS: tonsilities; cataracts; glaucoma; headaches due to liver disorders; nosebleeds; sunstroke.
CONTRAINDICATIONS: none
INCOMPATIBLES: iron, aluminum, and other metal compounds and utensils.

This is one of the most effective Chinese herbs for treating disorders of the eyes, such as cataracts, glaucoma, swelling and so on. When using it to treat eye disorders, the decoction should be used internally and externally at the same time.

Pin Yin Name: Du Zhong
Latin Name: Eucommia ulmonoides
Other names: Mu Mien (wood cotton)

MEDICINAL PART: bark
THERAPUTIC EFFECTS: tonic; analgesic; sedative to fetus; lowers blood pressure; prevents miscarriage.
INDICATIONS: numbness and pain in lower back and knees; headhache and dizziness due to liver disorders; chronic fatigues; impotence; restless fetus; lumbago due to pregnancy; damp, itchy scrotum; high blood pressure.
CONTRAINDICATIONS: none
INCOMPATIBLES: Scrophularia oldhami

This herb has been prized in China as a potent health tonic for over three thousand years, and in recent years it has become the focus of intensive medical research for an active principle it contains that has proven to be one of the most effective treatments for high blood pressure ever discovered. Unlike the synthetic drugs commonly used to treat high blood pressure in Western medicine, it has no negative side effects. Due to this discovery, China has strictly limited exports of this herb overseas, and consequently the price has soared in recent years. Nevertheless, for high blood pressure and associated hypertension, the efficacy of this herb justifies its cost.

In traditional medicine, this herb is regarded as one of the best remedies for the nagging pains and numbness in lower back and knees caused by lumbago. Since the herb also acts as a preventative to miscarriage and a sedative to restless fetus, it's an excellent choice for relieving the cramps and lumbago pains often experienced during pregnancy.

Pin Yin Name: Mi Meng Hua
Latin Name: Flos Buddlejae

MEDICINAL PART: Flower Bud
THERAPUTIC EFFECTS: A) Improve/Correct vision; B) Strengthen the liver.
INDICATIONS: To nourish the liver, remove nebula and improve the visual acuity -- For liver deficiency and blurriness of vision with redness, swelling and pain of the eye.
CONTRAINDICATIONS: none.

Pin Yin Name: Qian Shi
Latin Name: Euryale ferox
Other names: ji tou (Chicken head)

MEDICINAL PART: seed
THERAPUTIC EFFECTS: tonic; nutrient; astringent; analgesic; regulates blood pressure.
INDICATIONS: nerualgaia; neuritis; arthritis; spermatorrhea; nocturnal emissions with wet dreams; leukorrhea; impotence; premature aging.
CONTRAINDICATIONS: none
INCOMPATIBLES: none

Since ancient times, this herb has been highly regarded for restoring sexual vigor and youthful energy in older men, and for retarding the common symptoms of aging.

Pin Yin Name: Chuan Bei Mu
Latin Name: Bulbus Fritillariae Cirrhosae

MEDICINAL PART: Bulb
THERAPUTIC EFFECTS: Lower blood pressure; improve resipration; increase the level of blood sugar; dissolve phlegm.
INDICATIONS: Nourish the lungs, eliminate phlegm and relieve cough; clear away heat, disperse stagnation and relieve carbuncles.
CONTRAINDICATIONS: none.

Pin Yin Name: Zhi Zi
Latin Name: Fructus Gardeniae

MEDICINAL PART: Fruit
THERAPUTIC EFFECTS: A) Hemostatic; B) Sedative; C) Diuretic; D) Blood Cooling.
INDICATIONS: 1) To relieve vexation -- For high fever with irritability, insomnia, coma and delerium; 2) To promote diuresis -- For jaundice; 3) Clear away toxic material -- For skin infection , erysipelas, conjunctivitis (pink-eye) and burn; 4) To cool the blood and stop bleeding -- For hematemesis, hemoptysis, epistaxis (nosebleeds), hematuria, metrorrhagia, and other blood disorders; 5) To remove blood stasis and alleviate pain.
CONTRAINDICATIONS: none.

Pin Yin Name: Tian Ma
Latin Name: Gastrodia Elata
Other names: chih chien (red arrow); feng tsao (wind grass)

MEDICINAL PART: tuber
THERAPUTIC EFFECTS: sedative; anticonvulsive; stimulant to celebral functions.
INDICATIONS: nervous exhaustion; headache; neuralgia; vertigo; fainting; lumbago.
CONTRAINDICATIONS: anemia; stroke
INCOMPATIBLES: none

Chinese pharmacopoeias particularly extol the virtues of this herb as a remedy for headaches, vertigo and other neuralgic cerebral afflictions caused by ascending liver-fire from inflammations of the liver.

Pin Yin Name: Lung Dan Cao
Latin Name: Gentiana scabra
Other names: Gentiana macrophylla; Gentiana barbara

MEDICINAL PART: root
THERAPUTIC EFFECTS: antiphlogistic; antipyretic; stomachic; anti-rheumatic.
INDICATIONS: jaundice; diarrhea due to excess heat; hot sore throat; swollen painful eyes; rheumatic pains; festering abscesses due to toxic liver; diabetes; gallbladder inflammation and stones.
CONTRAINDICATIONS: none
INCOMPATIBLES: Rehmannia glutinosa

Gentian has been used for thousands of years in Eastern as well as Western medicine as a bitter tonic. It stimulates all of the vital digestive organs and increases circulation within the abdominal region. It helps prevent diabetes by soothing overactive spleen and pancreas-energy, and prevents mild cases of diabetes from getting worse. It is a reliable corrective for many chronic digestive disorders, stimulates appetite, increases bile flow, and improves the body's capacity to assimilate nutrients from food. Some studies suggest that gentian may also be helpful in controlling easting disorders such as anorexia and bulimia.

Pin Yin Name: Gu Ya
Latin Name: Fructus Oryzae Sativae Germinatus

MEDICINAL PART: Fruit
THERAPUTIC EFFECTS: Digestant; strengthen the stomach.
INDICATIONS: For dyspepsia (indigestion) with deficiency of spleen and stomach.
CONTRAINDICATIONS: none.

Pin Yin Name: Gan Jiang
Latin Name: Zingiber officinale

MEDICINAL PART: rhizome, dried.
THERAPUTIC EFFECTS: stomachic; antiemetic; salivant; stimulant; digestive; cardiotonic; dissolves phlegm.
INDICATIONS: nausea and comiting; motion sickness; pain and cold in abdomen; cold hands and feet; weak pulse; cough with profuse phlegm; ulcers; colds with chills; high cholesterol; pancreatitis
CONTRAINDICATIONS: pregnancy; high fever
INCOMPATIBLES: none

In TCM, fresh ginger root (also known as mother ginger) is used primarily as a remedy for colds in the lungs and stomach, and as a remedy for seafood poisoning. Note the fresh ginger is always served with raw fish and other seafood dishes in Japanese cuisine. Boiled together with the white, tendril-like rootlets of fresh scallions and some raw sugar or honey, it makes an affective remedy against colds accompanied by chills (but not fever).

When sun-dried, the root is known as gan jiang (dry ginger), and when that is further roasted over fire, it's called hei jiang (black ginger); these two varieties have similar medicinal properties.

Ginger's digestive virtues are well known throughout Asia and much of Europe. It aids digestion and assimilation, and is often added to formulas to facilitate rapid delivery of other herbs' therapeutic benefits. It contains a digestive food enzyme called zingibain, which contains digestive potency Ginger also increases the concentration of the carbohydrate-digesting enzyme amylase in saliva. Further down the digestive tract, ginger improves digestion and elimination by activating peristalsis.

Recent studies show that ginger also lowers serum cholesterol and reduces platelet aggregation and this makes it a good preventative against arteriosclerosis and heart disease.

Ginger is one of the best remedies in the world for nausea, particularly motion sickness, for which some studies has shown ginger to be effective in 90% of cases tested. It works significantly better than dimenhydrinate, which is the most commonly used Western remedy for motion sickness, and has no negative side effects.

Pin Yin Name: Sha Ren
Latin Name: Amomum Xanthiodes
Other names: bastard cardamom

MEDICINAL PART: seed
THERAPUTIC EFFECTS: digestive; stomachic; analgesic; sedative to restless fetus; carminative; decongestant; antidote to alcohol intoxication.
INDICATIONS: Abdominal pain and bloating; oppression in chest; diarrhea; nausea and vomiting; indigestion; convulsions; cough with heavy phlegm.
CONTRAINDICATIONS: none
INCOMPATIBLES: tea; white turnip

This herb should be used only short-term (1-7 days), as an immediate remedy for the above conditions, and terminated as soon as the condition has improved. Having no preventative or tonic properties, it is not suitable for long-term therapy.

Pin Yin Name: Tian Qi
Latin Name: Gynura Pinnatifida
Other names: shan chi (mountain varnish); jin bu huan (non-trading gold)

MEDICINAL PART: root
THERAPUTIC EFFECTS: hemostatic; astringent; styptic; antipholgistic
INDICATIONS: all forms of hemorrhage and bleeding wounds, internal and external; bleeding ulcers; blood in sputum; cirrhosis; hepatitis; liver cancer; intestinal cancer; bloodshot eyes; bleeding gums.
CONTRAINDICATIONS: none
INCOMPATIBLES: none

When used for liver and intestinal cancer, the herb is employed as a hemostatic and stypic to staunch internal bleeding, not as a cure for cancer itself.

Pin Yin Name: Chai hu
Latin Name: Bupleurum falcatum
Other names: Bupleurum chinensis

MEDICINAL PART: root
THERAPUTIC EFFECTS: antipyretic; analgesic; strengthens immune response.
INDICATIONS: colds with fever and sweating; malarial and blackwater fevers; amenorrhea; hepatitis; cirrhosis, and other liver disorders; prolapse of womb or rectum; cancer.
CONTRAINDICATIONS: none
INCOMPATIBLES: Gleditschia chinensis

This is one of the best Chinese herbs for treating serious liver disorders, such as hepatitis and cirrhosis, particularly when combine with other specific liver herbs.

Recent research has shown that extracts of this herb have antibacterial activity, and a volatile oil it contains has shown antiviral effects as well. The herb has also shown some evidence of cancer and tumor-inhibiting properties.

Pin Yin Name: Shan Zha
Latin Name: Fructus Crataegi
Other Name: Crataegus

MEDICINAL PART: Fruit
THERAPUTIC EFFECTS: Increase blood flow; improve circulation; hypotensive; lower cholesterol; digestant.
INDICATIONS: Strengthen the stomach and improve digestion; dyspepsia; Relieve diarrhea and dysentery; promote blood circulation and disperse blood stasis; for hypertension and hyperlipidemia.
CONTRAINDICATIONS: none.

Pin Yin Name: Yin Yang Huo
Latin Name: Epimedium sagittatum
Other names: Epimedium macrathum; Aceranthus sagittatum; hsien ling pi (immortal spirit gall)

MEDICINAL PART: leaf
THERAPUTIC EFFECTS: aphrodisiac; tonic; strengthens nerves; lowers blood pressure.
INDICATIONS: Impotence; male and female infertility; numbness in extremities; spermatorrhea and premature ejaculation; lumbago; rheumatism; insufficient cerebral circulation.
CONTRAINDICATIONS: hypertension; empty yin with flaring fire (TCM).
INCOMPATIBLES: none

The leaves of this herb contain a glycoside and an alkaloid. Scientific studies has shown that when an extract of the leaves is administered orally to laboratory animals, the frequency of copulation increases significantly, thus lending credence to the ancient Legend of the Goat. Intravenous injection of the glycoside contained in the leaves also has been shown to increase seminal secretions in dogs. The herbs is thus a direct stimulant to semen production and sexual drive in males.

Another mode of action of this herb is to dilate capillaries and other blood vessels, thereby facilitating circulation to the sexual organs as well as the brain, while also lowering blood pressure. The herb is therefore beneficial to circulation and cerebral functions, as well as sexual vitality, and is often used in Chinese medicine to correct absentmindedness, poor memory and other symptoms of insufficient cerebral circulation.

Pin Yin Name: Yu Xing Cao
Latin Name: Herba Houttuyniae

MEDICINAL PART: Herb
THERAPUTIC EFFECTS: A) Reduce inflammation; B) Detoxification; C) Expectorant; D) Antitussive; E) Antidiarrhetic.
INDICATIONS: 1) For lung deficiency including lung abscess, cough and diarrhea; 2) Used topically for sinusitis and rhinitis.
CONTRAINDICATIONS: none.