Chinese herbology
Chinese herbs do not grow in China only. If you find the right climate and soil type, you can grow many of those herbs overseas. For instance, American Ginseng is grown in Wisconsin State.
The raw herbs available in retail have the following natural features:
- Part of a plant: root, leave, seed, flowers, branch, etc.
- Unprocessed except being cut, sliced, and cleansed of dirt.
- Dried because the dried form weighs less and can be stored longer.
- Some herbs can be eaten after boiling because they turn soft.
- Most herbs cannot be eaten for they remain very coarse after boiling.
- Herbs in general do not taste good. Most taste bitter and earthly. Some taste neutral. A few taste even sweet.
- Inexpensive except for a few like Ren Shen 人參, Chuan Bei Mu 川貝母, or Dong Chong Xia Cao 冬虫夏草.
Herbal tea
How do people take the raw herbs? Raw herbs are usually taken orally by extracting the essence out of them. The natural way being practiced since ancient time is to boil and brew the herbal package in water to get a dark brown solution called herb tea that never tastes good. One hour of brewing should be good enough. Then you drink one or two cups a day. Honey or sugar may be added to make it taste less bad. The herbal package can be conveniently modified by changing some ingredients to make it work for you. So an herbal package is really tailor-made for you only.
Tablet form
Raw herbs can be dried and grounded into a powder then compressed into a tablet which is better than buying your own tablets or having to buy gel capsules
Capsule form
Raw herbs can be made into capsules at home. All you need is a tailor-made package of raw herbs. Turn it into fine powder with a powerful grinder, and put the powder into empty gel capsules. When you swallow the capsules, your digestive system has to extract the essence out of the raw herb powder. Whereas if you drink the herb tea, the essence extraction is already done after brewing. The herbal solution will readily be absorbed by your body. Furthermore, the herb tea has a history spanning over two thousand years. How many years of history does the tablet or capsule have besides offering convenience?
Healing properties
- Herbs have natural healing effects on organs, blood, and various unhealthy conditions.
- In contrast to Western pharmaceuticals, which are mainly designed to fix or suppress certain health conditions, herbs have additional enhancing and strengthening values on the body.
- Due to their strengthening and enhancing values, herbs can also be used for preventive measures.
- The herbal effects are natural and mild, with little adverse side effects.
- Each herb has multiple effects on the body, in addition to one major effect.
- Herbs do not work singly because the effects of one herb are too gentle.
- The effects of herbs rely on synergies because of their overlapping multiple effects. Therefore, an herbal package of different herbs put together can deliver a much greater effect than a single herb of equal weight.
- How to create synergy for an herbal package is an essential knowledge and experience that distinguish a good herbalist from a mediocre one.
Usage of some Chinese herbs
(A) General Tonics
(1) *** (Tonify Qi) ***
ren shen 人参 radix Ginseng
dang shen 党参 radix Codonopsis
bai zhu 白朮 rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae
gan cao 甘草 radix Glycyrrhizae
shan yao 山药 rhizoma Dioscoreae
da jao 大枣 fructus Jujubae
(2) *** (Tonify Yang) ***
lu rong 鹿茸 cornu Cervi Pantotrichum
rou cong rong 肉蓯蓉 herba Cistanches
yin yang huo 淫羊霍 herba Epimedii
du zhong 杜仲 cortex Eucommiae
xu duan 续断 radix Dipsaci
gou ji 狗 脊 fructus Psoraleae
bu gu zhi 补骨脂 rhizoma Cibotii
dong chong xia cao 冬虫夏草 Cordyceps
yi zhi ren 益智仁 fructus Alpiniae Oxyphyllae
ge jie 蛤蚧 Gecko
(3) *** (Tonify Blood) ***
dang gui 当归 radix Angelicae Sinensis
hu tao rou 胡桃肉 semen Juglandis
shu di huang 熟地黄 radix Rehmanniae Preparata
he shou wu 何首乌 radix Polgoni Multiflori
e jiao 阿胶 Colla Corii Asini
(4) *** (Tonify Yin) ***
nan sha shen 南沙参 radix adenophorae
bei sha shen 北沙参 radix Glehniae
tian men dong 天门冬 radix Asparagi
mai men dong 麦门冬 radix Ophiopogonis
shi hu 石斛 herba Dendrobii
huang jing 黄精 rhizoma Polgonati
yu zhu 玉竹 rhizoma Polgonati Odorati
shan zhu yu 山茱萸 fructus Corni
gou qi zi 枸杞子 fructus Lycii
nu zhen zi 女贞子 fructus Ligustri Lucidi
mo han lian 旱莲草 herba Ecliptae
bie jia 鱉甲 carapax Trionycis
gui ban 龟板 plastrum Testudinis
(B) Stabilise and Bind
wu wei zi 五味子 fructus Schisandrae
wu mei 乌梅 fructus Mume
wu bei zi 五倍子 galla Chinensis
fu xiao mai 浮小麦 fructus Tritici Levis
he zi 訶子 fructus Chebulae
shi liu pi 石榴皮 pericarpium Granati
rou dou kou 肉荳蔻 semen Myristicae
lian zi 莲子 semen Nelumbinis
qian shi 芡实 semen Euryales
sang piao xiao 桑螵蛸 ootheca Mantidis
wu zei gu 乌贼骨 os Sepiae
bin lang 檳榔 semen Arecae
(C) Transform Phlegm and Stop Coughing
zi wan 紫菀 radix Asteris
bai bu 百部 radix Stemonae
kuan dong hua 款冬花 flos Farfarae
sang bai pi 桑白皮 cortex Mori Radicis
ma dou ling 马兜铃 fructus Aristolochiae
ting li zi 葶靂子 semen Lepidii seu Descurainiae
(D) Regulate Blood: Stop Bleeding
san qi (tianqi) 三七 radix Notoginseng
qian cao 茜草 radix Rubiae
(E) Regulate Blood: Invigorate Blood
shui zhi 水蛭 Hirudo
chuan xiong 川芎 rhizoma Chuanxiong
ru xiang 乳香 Olibanum
mo yao 没药 Myrrha
yu jin 鬱金 radix Curcumae
e zhu 莪朮 rhizoma Zedoariae
dan shen 丹参 radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae
(F) Transform Phlegm-cold
ban xia 半夏 rhizoma Pinelliae
tian nan xing 天南星 rhizoma Arisaematis
bai jie zi 白芥子 semen Sinapis Albae
xuan fu hua 旋覆花 flos Inulae
(G) Regulate Qi
fo shou 佛手 fructus Citri Sarcodactylis
mu xiang 木香 radix Aucklandiae
wu yao 乌药 radix Linderae
xiang fu 香附 rhizoma Cyperi
ju pi (chen pi) 陈皮 pericarpium Citri Reticulatae
ju hong 橘红 exocarpium Citri Rubrum
qing pi 青皮 pericarpium Citri Reticulatae Viride
zhi ke 枳壳 fructus Aurantii
zhi shi 枳实 fructus Aurantii Immaturus
chen xiang 沉香 lignum Aquilariae Resinatum
chuan lian zhi 川楝子 fructus Toosendan
yan hu suo 延胡索 rhizoma Corydalis
xie bai 薤白 bulbus Allii Macrostemi
(H) Regulate Digestion
shan zhu yu 山茱萸 fructus Crataegi
mai ya 麦芽 fructus Hordei germinatus
gu ya 穀芽 fructus Oryzae germinatus
lai fu zi 莱菔子 semen Raphani
ji nei jin 鸡内金 endothelium corneum Gigeriae galli
shen qu 神麴 massa Fermentata Medicinalis
(I) Dispel Wind Dampness
du huo 獨活 radix Angelicae Pubescentis
wei ling xian 威靈仙 radix Clematidis
fang ji 防己 radix Stephaniae Tetrandrae
qin jiao 秦艽 radix Gentianae Macrophyllae
mu gua 番木瓜 fructus Chaenomelis
sang ji sheng 桑寄生 ramulus Taxilli
wu jia pi 五加皮 cortex Acanthopanacis
bai hua she 白花蛇 Agkistrodon seu Bungarus
hu gu 虎骨 os Tigris
wu shao she 烏梢蛇 Zaocys
cang zhu 蒼朮 rhizoma Atractylodis
hou po 厚樸 cortex Magnoliae Officinalis
huo xiang 藿香 herba Agastaches
pei lan 佩蘭 herba Eupatorii
sha ren 砂仁 fructus Amomi
bai dou kou 白豆蔻 fructus Amomi Rotundus
cao guo 草果 fructus Tsaoko
(J) Warm, pungent, Release Exterior Wind Cold
su geng 苏梗 caulis Perillae
zi su ye 苏叶 folium Perillae
xiang ru 香薷 herba Elsholtziae
jing jie 荆芥 herba Schizonepetae
fan feng 防风 radix Ledebouriellae
jiang huo 薑活 radix Angelicae Dahuricae
bai zhi 白芷 rhizoma seu radix Notopterygli
cang er zi 苍耳子 fructus Xanthii
xin yi 辛荑花 flos Magnoliae
bo he 薄荷 herba Menthae
niu bang zi 牛蒡子 fructus Arctii
can tui 蝉蜕 periostracum Cicadae
dan dou chi 淡豆豉 semen Sojae preparatum
ju hua 菊花 flos Chrysanthemi
ge gen 葛根 radix Puerariae
chai hu 柴胡 radix Bupleuri
sheng ma 升麻 rhizoma Cimicifugae
ma huang 麻黄 radix Ephedrae
gui zhi 桂枝 ramulus Cinnamomi
(K) Regulate BloodL Stop Bleeding
zhu ma gen 苧麻根 radix Boehmeriae
bai mao gen 白茅根 rhizoma Imperatae
ce bai ye 侧柏叶 cacumen Biotae
huai hua 槐花 flos Sophorae
da ji 大蓟 herba seu Radix Cirsii Japonici
xiao ji 小蓟 herba Cephalanoploris
di yu 地榆 radix Sanguisorbae
xian he cao 仙鹤草 herba Agrimoniae
bai jiang (败酱草) rhizoma Bletillae
qian cao 茜草 radix Rubiae
ai ye 艾叶 folium Artemisiae Argyi
pu huang 蒲黄 pollen Typhae
(L) Drain Dampness
fu ling 茯苓 Poria
zhu ling 豬苓 Polyporus Umbellatus
ze xie 澤瀉 rhizoma Alismatis
yi yi ren 薏苡仁 semen Coicis
che qian zi 车前子 semen Plantaginis
hua shi 滑石 Talcum
mu tong 木通 caulis Akebiae
jin qian cao 金钱草 herba Lysimachiae
tong cao 通草 medulla Tetrapanacis
shi wei 石苇 folium Pyrrosiae
yin chen hao 茵陈蒿 herba Artemisiae Scopariae
bi xie 萆薢 rhizoma Dioscoreae Septemlobae
(M) Drain Fire
shi gao 石膏 gypsum Fibrosum
zhi mu 知母 rhizoma Anemarrhenae
tian hua fen 天花粉 radix Trichosanthis
lu gen 芦根 rhizoma Phragmitis
huang lian 黄莲 rhizoma Coptidis
huang qin 黄芩 radix Scutellariae
huang bai 黄柏 cortex Phellodendri
zhi zi 梔子 fructus Gardeniae
long dan cao 龙胆草 radix Gentianae
xia ku cao 夏枯草 spica Prunellae
ku shen 苦参 radix Sophorae Flavescentis
jue ming zi 决明子 semen Cassiae
(N) Relieve Fire Toxins
jin yin hua 金银花 flos Lonicerae
ren dong teng 忍冬藤 caulis Lonicerae
lian qiao 连翘 fructus Forsythiae
pu gong ying 蒲公英 herba Taraxaci
zi hua di ding 紫花地丁 herba Violae
da qing ye 大青叶 folium Isatidis
qing dai 青黛 indigo Naturalis
ban lan gen 板蓝根 radix Isatidis
chuan xin lian 穿心莲 herba Andrographitis
yu xing cao 鱼腥草 herba Houttuyniae
shan dou gen 山豆根 radix Sophorae Tonkinensis
she gan 射干 rhizoma Belamcandae
ma chi xian 马齿莧 herba Portulacae
bai tou weng 白头翁 radix Pulsatillae
hong teng 红藤 caulis Sargentodoxae
qin pi 秦皮 cortex Fraxini
(O) Cool Blood
shui niu jiao 水牛角 cornu Bubali
sheng di huang 生地黄 radix Rehmanniae
xuan shen 玄参 radix Scrophulariae
xi jiao 西角 cornu Rhinocerotis
bai jiang 败酱草 herba Patriniae
mu dan pi 牡丹皮 cortex Moutan Radicis
chi shao 赤芍 radix Paeoniae Rubra
zi cao 紫草 radix arnebiae seu lithospermi
(P) Cleasr Deficient Heat
qing hao 青蒿 herba Artemisiae Annuae
bai wei 白薇 radix cynanchi Atrati
di gu pi 地骨皮 cortex Lycii Radicis
yin chai hu 銀柴胡 radix Stellariae
(Q) Purge Downwards, Cathartically Drain Downwards
da huang 大黃 radix et rhizoma Rhei
mang xiao 芒硝 natrii Sulfas
fan xie ye 番瀉葉 folium Sennae
da ma ren 大麻仁 fructus Cannabis
gan sui 甘遂 radix Kansui
yu li ren 郁李仁 semen Pruni
da ji 大戟 radix Euphorbiae Pekinensis
yuan hua 芫花 flos Genkwa
qian niu zi 牽牛子 semen Pharbitidis
(R) Warm Interior and Expel Cold
rou gui 肉桂 cortex Cinnamomi
wu zhu yu 吴茱萸 fructus Evodiae
xi xin 细辛 herba Asari
hua jiao 花椒 pericarpium Zanthoxyli
ding xiang 丁香 flos Caryophylli
gao liang jiang 高莨姜 rhizoma Alpiniae Officinarum
xiao hui xiang 小茴香 fructus Foeniculi
fu zi 地肤子 radix Aconiti Lateralis Preparata
chuan wu tou 川乌头 radix Aconiti
cao wu tou 草乌头 radix Aconiti Kusnezoffiae
wu tou 乌头 radix Aconiti Lateralis Preparata
gan jiang 乾薑 rhizoma Zingiberis
(S) Expel Parasites
shi jun zi 使君子 fructus Quisqualis
da fu pi 大腹皮 pericarpium Arecae
lei wan 雷丸 Omphalia
ku lian pi 苦莲皮 cortex Meliae
nan gua zi 南瓜子 semen Cucurbitae
he cao ya 鹤草牙 gemma Agrimoniae
he shi fructus Carpesii
guan zhong 贯眾（贯仲） rhizoma Dryopteris Crassirhizomae
fei zi 榧子 semen Torreyae
(T) Calm Shen
long gu 龙骨 os Draconis
suan zao ren 酸枣仁 semen Ziziphi Spinosae
yuan zhi 远志 radix Polygalae
bai zi ren 柏子仁 semen Biotae
(U)Extinguish Internal Wind and Stop Tremors
mu li 牡蠣 concha Ostreae
zhen zhu 珍珠 Magarita
zhen zhu mu 珍珠母 concha Margaritifera Usta
dai zhe shi 代赭石 Haematitum
ling yang jiao 铃羊角 cornu Saigae Tataricae
tian ma 天麻 rhizoma Gastrodiae
(V) Open Orifices
she xiang 麝香 Moschus
niu huang 牛黄 calculus Bovis
Bing Pian 冰片 borneolum Syntheticum
su he xiang 苏合香 Storax
shi chang pu 石菖蒲 rhizoma Acori Graminei
Chinese Herbology Media
Dried herbs and plant portions for Chinese herbology at a Xi'an market
- Zhpharmacopoeia
The Five Phases, which correspond to the Five Flavors
Dried seahorses like these are extensively used in traditional medicine in China and elsewhere.
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Notes
(1)The terms used here reflect typical TCM usage (as translated literally from individual Chinese characters), and may not reflect their meanings in TCM, namely, meanings that are normative, figurative or metaphorical when read in context. The meanings of these terms are therefore different from that in common English usage. In particular, they are not to be used for purposes of self-diagnosis, much less for self-medication. For example, "Xia Huo" means "To reduce fire", but "fire" here does not refer to combustion involving oxygen. Even within TCM, there are various meanings of "fire", and it can refer to "real" or "false" fire. The 3 herbs mentioned above cannot be used to reduce "false fire", or fires of yin deficiency in the zhang organs.
(2) An example of the non-literal use of transliterated characters is "long gu" which literally means "dragon bones". This term cannot possible refer to Chinese dragons, since they do not exist. However, one can easily buy "long gu" from any TCM herbal shop. Another term that cannot be taken literally is "di long" which literally means "earth dragon".
(3) Although the above herbs are common in TCM prescriptions, they cannot be purchased if we refer only to their Latin names. One likely reason is that TCM pharmacists rarely, if ever, use the Latin names of the herbs. The Chinese names, or the transliterated names (pinyin) should be used instead. For example, if we ask for "flos Lonicerae" we will almost certainly get a blank look. However, if we ask for "Jin Yin Hua" or 金银花 we will connect immediately, even though the pharmacist may speak any of the large number of Chinese dialects (such as Cantonese, where the herb is known as "Kum Gen Fa", or Golden Silver Flower, in Hong Kong). Wherever possible, use the written form (金银花) to avoid miscommunication and/or mis-pronunciation, since there is no dialect form of the written language.
(4) There are a large number of synonyms of the herb names, in both Chinese, English and Latin. This makes it even more essential to use the written form of the Chinese names to ensure accuracy.
(5) Some herbs are prone to adulteration, substitution, or both. For example, Ling Zhi Cao (Cordyceps) can be substituted with an inactive form of the herb. If an extract is first made with water, the herb will be tasteless when dried and re-used/recycled. On the other hand, the genuine Ling Zhi tastes bitter, but few consumers would know the difference, especially if the herb is mixed in a prescription and boiled together with other herbs. The pharmacists themselves may not be aware, as some may trust their suppliers implicitly, and do not conduct regular testing.
(6) Animal-based "herbs" are prone to substitution or adulteration, including Xiong Dan (bear bile / gall bladder) which looks very much like Niu Dan (bovine bile /gall bladder) when the gall bladder is dried, although Niu Dan is far less bitter in taste. Some are simply unavailable because they are banned in many countries. These include tiger parts, such as Hu Gu (tiger bone) which is substituted by bobcat bone, and Chuan San Jia (scales of the pangolin) which has no animal-based substitute. Niu Huang (bovine gallstone) is unavailable in many Western countries and Singapore because of its potential impact on pregnant women, although Niu Huang Pills with about 2% of Niu Huang are available in many Asian countries.