CHINESE HERBOLOGY

Chinese herbology (simplified Chinese: 中 药 学 ; traditional Chinese: 中 藥 學 ; pinyin:

zhōngyào xué) is the theory of traditional Chinese herbal therapy, which accounts for the
majority of treatments in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).
The term herbology is misleading in so far as plant elements are by far the most
commonly, but not solely used substances; animal, human, and mineral products are also
utilized. Thus, the term "medicinal" (instead of herb) is usually preferred as a translation for
药 (pinyin: yào).

History
Chinese herbs have been used for centuries. Among the earliest literature are lists of
prescriptions for specific ailments, exemplified by the manuscript "Recipes for 52 Ailments",
found in the Mawangduitombs which were sealed in 168 BC.
The first traditionally recognized herbalist is Shénnóng ( 神 农 , lit. "Divine Farmer"), a
mythical god-like figure, who is said to have lived around 2800 BC.[2] He allegedly tasted
hundreds of herbs and imparted his knowledge of medicinal and poisonous plants to
farmers. His Shénnóng Běn Cǎo Jīng ( 神 农 本 草 经 ,Shennong's Materia Medica) is
considered as the oldest book on Chinese herbal medicine. It classifies 365 species of roots,
grass, woods, furs, animals and stones into three categories of herbal medicine[citation needed]:
1. The "superior" category, which includes herbs effective for multiple diseases and are
mostly responsible for maintaining and restoring the body balance. They have
almost no unfavorable side-effects.[citation needed]
2. A category comprising tonics and boosters, whose consumption must not be
prolonged.[citation needed]
3. A category of substances which must usually be taken in small doses, and for the
treatment of specific diseases only.[citation needed]

The original text of Shennong's Materia Medica has been lost; however, there are extant
translations. The true date of origin is believed to fall into the late Western Han dynasty (i.e.,
the first century BC).
The Treatise on Cold Damage Disorders and Miscellaneous Illnesses was collated
by Zhang Zhongjing, also sometime at the end of theHan dynasty, between 196 and 220 CE.
Focusing on drug prescriptions,[4] it was the first medical work to combine Yinyang and
theFive Phases with drug therapy.[5] This formulary was also the earliest Chinese medical
text to group symptoms into clinically useful "patterns" (zheng 證) that could serve as targets
for therapy. Having gone through numerous changes over time, it now circulates as two
distinct books: the Treatise on Cold Damage Disorders and the Essential Prescriptions of the
Golden Casket, which were edited separately in the eleventh century, under the Song
dynasty.[6]
Succeeding generations augmented these works, as in the Yaoxing Lun (simplified
Chinese: 药性论; traditional Chinese: 藥性論; literally "Treatise on the Nature of Medicinal
Herbs"), a 7th-century Tang Dynasty Chinese treatise on herbal medicine.
Arguably the most important of these later works is the Compendium of Materia
Medica (Bencao Gangmu) compiled during the Ming dynasty by Li Shizhen, which is still
used today for consultation and reference.

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Raw materials
There are roughly 13,000 medicinals used in China and over 100,000 medicinal
recipes recorded in the ancient literature. Plant elements and extracts are by far the most
common elements used. In the classic Handbook of Traditional Drugs from 1941, 517 drugs
were listed – out of these, only 45 were animal parts, and 30 were minerals. For many plants
used as medicinals, detailed instructions have been handed down not only regarding the
locations and areas where they grow best, but also regarding the best timing of planting and
harvesting them.
Some animal parts used as medicinals can be considered rather strange such as cows'
gallstones.
Traditional Chinese Medicine also includes some human parts: the classic Materia
medica (Bencao Gangmu) describes the use of 35 human body parts and excreta in
medicines, including bones, fingernail, hairs, dandruff, earwax, impurities on the teeth, feces,
urine, sweat, and organs, but most are no longer in use.

Preparation
Each herbal medicine prescription is a cocktail of many substances, usually tailored to the
individual patient.

Decoction
Typically, one batch of medicinals is prepared as a decoction of about 9 to 18
substances. Some of these are considered as main herbs, some as ancillary herbs; within
the ancillary herbs, up to three categories can be distinguished. Some ingredients are added
in order to cancel out toxicity or side-effects of the main ingredients; on top of that, some
medicinals require the use of other substances as catalysts.

Chinese patent medicine

Main article: Chinese patent medicine
Chinese patent medicine (traditional Chinese: 中 成 藥 , Simplified Chinese: 中 成
药 , pinyin: zhōngchéng yào) is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine. They are
standardized herbal formulas. From ancient times, pills were formed by combining several
herbs and other ingredients, which were dried and ground into a powder. They were then
mixed with a binder and formed into pills by hand. The binder was traditionally honey.
Modern teapills, however, are extracted in stainless steel extractors to create either a water
decoction or water-alcohol decoction, depending on the herbs used. They are extracted at a
low temperature (below 100 degrees Celsius) to preserve essential ingredients. The
extracted liquid is then further condensed, and some raw herb powder from one of the herbal
ingredients is mixed in to form an herbal dough. This dough is then machine cut into tiny
pieces, a small amount of excipients are added for a smooth and consistent exterior, and
they are spun into pills. Teapills are characteristically little round black pills.
Chinese patent medicines are easy and convenient. They are not easy to customize
on a patient-by-patient basis, however. They are often used when a patient's condition is not
severe and the medicine can be taken as a long-term treatment.
These medicines are not patented in the traditional sense of the word. No one
has exclusive rights to the formula. Instead, "patent" refers to the standardization of the

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formula. In China, all Chinese patent medicines of the same name will have the same
proportions of ingredients, and manufactured in accordance with the PRC Pharmacopoeia,
which is mandated by law. However, in western countries there may be variations in the
proportions of ingredients in patent medicines of the same name, and even different
ingredients altogether.
Several producers of Chinese herbal medicines are pursuing FDA clinical trials to market
their products as drugs in U.S. and European markets.

Chinese herbal extracts

Chinese herbal extracts are herbal decoctions that have been condensed into a
granular or powdered form. Herbal extracts, similar to patent medicines, are easier and more
convenient for patients to take. The industry extraction standard is 5:1, meaning for every
five pounds of raw materials, one pound of herbal extract is derived.

Categorization
There are several different methods to classify traditional Chinese medicinals:
 The Four Natures (simplified Chinese: 四气; traditional Chinese: 四氣; pinyin: sìqì)
 The Five Flavors (Chinese: 五味; pinyin: wǔwèi)
 The meridians (simplified Chinese: 经络; traditional Chinese: 經絡; pinyin: jīngluò)
 The specific function.

Four Natures
The Four Natures are: hot(热), warm(温), cool(凉), cold(寒) or neutral(平), in terms of
temperature). Hot and warm herbs are used to treat cold diseases, while cool and cold herbs
are used to treat heat diseases

Five flavors
The Five Phases, which correspond to the Five Flavors
The Five Flavors, sometimes also translated as Five Tastes, are: acrid/pungent( 辛 ),
sweet( 甘 ), bitter( 苦 ), sour( 酸 ), and salty( 咸 ) Substances may also have more than one
flavor, or none (i.e., a bland( 淡 ) flavor). Each of the Five Flavors corresponds to one of
the zàng organs, which in turn corresponds to one of the Five Phases: A flavor implies
certain properties and therapeutic actions of a substance: saltiness "drains downward and
softens hard masses"; sweetness is "supplementing, harmonizing, and moistening"; pungent
substances are thought to induce sweat and act on qi and blood; sourness tends to be
astringent( 涩 ) in nature; bitterness "drains heat, purges the bowels, and
eliminates dampness".

Meridians
This classification refers not just to the meridian, but also to the meridian-associated
zàng-organ, which can be expected to be primarily affected by a given medicinal (there are
12 standard meridians in the body a medicinal can act upon). For example, traditional beliefs
hold that menthol is pungent and cool and goes to the Lung and the Liver channels. The
Traditional Chinese concept of the Lungs includes the function of protecting the body from

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colds, and menthol is thought to cool the Lungs and purge heat toxins caused by wind-heat
invasion (one of the patterns of common cold).

Specific function
These categories mainly include:
 exterior-releasing or exterior-resolving
 heat-clearing
 downward-draining or precipitating
 wind-damp-dispelling
 dampness-transforming
 promoting the movement of water and percolating dampness or dampness-percolating
 interior-warming
 qi-regulating or qi-rectifying
 dispersing food accumulation or food-dispersing
 worm-expelling
 stopping bleeding or blood-stanching
 quickening the Blood and dispelling stasis or blood-quickening or Blood-moving
 transforming phlegm, stopping coughing and calming wheezing or phlegm-transforming
and cough- and panting-suppressing
 Spirit-quieting or Shen-calming
 calming the Liver and expelling wind or Liver-calming and wind-extinguishing
 orifice-opening
 supplementing or tonifying: this includes qi-supplementing, blood-nourishing, yin-
enriching, and yang-fortifying
 astriction-promoting or securing and astringing
 vomiting-inducing
 substances for external application

Nomenclature
Many herbs earn their names from their unique physical appearance. Examples of
such names include Niu Xi (Radix Cyathulae seu Achyranthis), "cow's knees," which has big
joints that might look like cow knees; Bai Mu Er (Fructificatio Tremellae Fuciformis), white
wood ear,' which is white and resembles an ear; Gou Ji (Rhizoma Cibotii), 'dog spine,' which
resembles the spine of a dog.

Color
Color is not only a valuable means of identifying herbs, but in many cases also
provides information about the therapeutic attributes of the herb. For example, yellow herbs
are referred to as 'huang' (yellow) or 'jin' (gold). Huang Bai (Cortex Phellodendri) means
'yellow fir," and Jin Yin Hua (Flos Lonicerae) has the label 'golden silver flower."[23]

Smell and taste

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 Unique flavors define specific names for some substances. "Gan" means 'sweet,' so
Gan Cao (Radix Glycyrrhizae) is 'sweet herb," an adequate description for the licorice root.
"Ku" means bitter, thus Ku Shen (Sophorae Flavescentis) translates as 'bitter herb.

Geographic location
The locations or provinces in which herbs are grown often figure into herb names.
For example Bei Sha Shen (Radix Glehniae) is grown and harvested in northern China,
whereas Nan Sha Shen (Radix Adenophorae) originated in southern China. And the
Chinese words for north and south are respectively "bei" and "nan."
Chuan Bei Mu (Bulbus Fritillariae Cirrhosae) and Chuan Niu Xi (Radix Cyathulae) are
both found in Sichuan province, as the character "chuan" indicates in their names.[23]

Function
Some herbs, like Fang Feng (Radix Saposhnikoviae), literally 'prevent wind,"
prevents or treats wind-related illnesses. Xu Duan (Radix Dipsaci), literally 'restore the
broken,' effectively treats torn soft tissues and broken bones

Country of origin
Many herbs indigenous to other countries have been incorporated into the Chinese
materia medica. Xi Yang Shen (Radix Panacis Quinquefolii), imported from North American
crops, translates as 'western ginseng," while Dong Yang Shen (Radix Ginseng Japonica),
grown in and imported from North Asian countries, is 'eastern ginseng.' Similar examples are
noted in the text whenever geography matters in herb selection.

Toxicity
From the earliest records regarding the use of medicinals to today, the toxicity of
certain substances has been described in all Chinesemateriae medicae. The toxicity in some
cases could be confirmed by modern research (i.e., in scorpion); in some cases it couldn't
(i.e., in curculigo).
Substances known to be potentially dangerous include aconite secretions from
the Asiatic toad, powdered centipede, the Chinese beetle (Mylabris phalerata, Ban
mao), and certain fungi Further, ingredients may have different names in different locales or
in historical texts, and different preparations may have similar names for the same reason,
which can create inconsistencies and confusion in the creation of medicinals, with the
possible danger of poisoning.

Efficacy
Regarding Traditional Chinese herbal therapy, only few trials exist that are
considered to be of adequate methodology by modern western medical researchers, and its
effectiveness therefore is considered poorly documented. For example, a 2007 Cochrane
review found promising evidence for the use of Chinese herbal medicine in relieving painful
menstruation, compared to conventional medicine such as NSAIDs and the oral
contraceptive pill, but the findings have to be interpreted with caution due to the generally

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low methodological quality of the included studies (as, amongst others, data for placebo
control could not be obtained).

Ecological impacts
Dried seahorses like these are extensively used in traditional medicine in China and elsewhere.
The traditional practice of using (by now) endangered species is controversial within
TCM. Modern Materia Medicas such as Bensky, Clavey and Stoger's comprehensive
Chinese herbal text discuss substances derived from endangered species in an appendix,
emphasizing alternatives
Parts of endangered species used as TCM drugs include tiger bones and rhinoceros
horn Poachers supply the black market with such substances, and the black market in
rhinoceros horn, for example, has reduced the world's rhino population by more than 90
percent over the past 40 years. Concerns have also arisen over the use
of turtle plastron and seahorses.
TCM recognizes bear bile as a medicinal In 1988, the Chinese Ministry of Health
started controlling bile production, which previously used bears killed before winter. Now
bears are fitted with a sort of permanent catheter, which is more profitable than killing the
bears. More than 12,000asiatic black bears are held in "bear farms", where they suffer cruel
conditions while being held in tiny cages. The catheter leads through a permanent hole in
the abdomen directly to the gall bladder, which can cause severe pain. Increased
international attention has mostly stopped the use of bile outside of China; gallbladders from
butchered cattle (niú dǎn / 牛膽 / 牛胆) are recommended as a substitute for this ingredient.

Herbs in use
See also: List of medicines in traditional Chinese medicine
There are over three hundred herbs that are commonly being used today. Some of
the most commonly used herbs are Ginseng (人参, 人參, rénshēn), wolfberry (枸杞子), Dong
Quai (Angelica sinensis, 当归, 當歸, dāngguī), astragalus (黄耆, 黃耆, huángqí), atractylodes
(白术, 白朮, báizhú), bupleurum (柴胡, cháihú), cinnamon (cinnamon twigs (桂枝, guìzhī) and
cinnamon bark (肉桂, ròuguì)), coptis (黄莲, 黃蓮, huánglián), ginger (姜, 薑, jiāng), hoelen
(茯苓, fúlíng), licorice (甘草, gāncǎo), ephedra sinica (麻黄, 麻黃, máhuáng), peony(white: 白
芍, báisháo and reddish: 赤芍, chìsháo), rehmannia (地黄, 地黃, dìhuáng), rhubarb (大黄, 大
黃, dàhuáng), and salvia (丹参, 丹參, dānshēn).

Ginseng
Chinese red ginseng roots
The use of ginseng (人参) is well over two thousand years old in Chinese medicine.
Ginseng contains ginsenosides. The amount of ginsenosides in ginseng depends on how
the plant was cultivated and the age of the root. Wild ginseng is rare and commands the
highest prices on the market. Red Panax ginseng is the most popular form of ginseng and it
is usually packaged as a liquid or tea. Ginseng comes in two kinds, red and white. The color
of the ginseng depends on how it is processed. White ginseng is unprocessed and dries
naturally. Red ginseng is processed with steam and is believed to be more effective. Native
Americans have used American ginseng for dry coughs, constipation, and fevers.

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 TCM Information: Species: Panax ginseng. Pinyin: Ren Shen. Common Name:
Chinese Ginseng. Quality: Sweet, Bitter, Warm. Meridians: Lung, Spleen, Heart. Actions:
Tonifies yuan qi to treat collapse of qi, tonifies spleen and lung, generates fluids, mildly
tonifies heart qi.
Species: Elutherococcus senticosus. Pinyin: Ci Wu Jia. Common Name: Siberian
Ginseng. Quality: Pungent (Acrid), Slightly bitter, Warm. Meridians: Spleen, Heart, Kidney.
Actions: Tonifies spleen and kidney, mildly tonifies heart qi, promote blood circulation, calms
shen.
Species: Panax quinquefolius. Pinyin: Xi Yang Shen. Common Name: American
Ginseng. Quality: Sweet, Slightly bitter, Cold. Meridians: Heart, Kidney, Lung. Actions:
Tonifies lung and spleen qi, tonifies lung yin, cools fire from lung yin deficiency, generates
fluids.

Mushrooms
Mushrooms have long been used as a medicinal food and as a tea in Chinese
herbology. Clinical, animal, and cellular research has shown some mushrooms may be able
to up-regulate aspects of the immune system. Notable mushrooms used in Chinese
herbology include Reishi and Shiitake.

Wolfberry
Lycium barbarum, Wolfberry (枸杞子)
Wolfberry (枸杞子) is grown in the Far East and is grown from shrubs with long vines.
The shrubs are covered with small trumpet-shaped flowers, which turn into small, bright red
berries. The berries are usually fresh and sometimes used when dried.
TCM Information: Species: Lycium barbarum. Pinyin: Gou Qi Zi. Common Name:
Chinese Wolfberry. Quality: Sweet, Neutral. Meridians: Liver, Lung, Kidney. Actions: Tonifies
kidney and lung yin, tonifies liver blood, tonifies jing, improves vision.

Dang Gui
Dang Gui ( 当 归 , Angelica sinensis or "female ginseng") is an aromatic herb that grows in
China, Korea, and Japan.
TCM Information: Species: Angelica sinensis. Pinyin: Dang Gui. Common Name:
Chinese Angelica Root. Quality: Sweet, Pungent(Acrid), Warm. Meridians: Liver, Heart,
Spleen. Actions: Tonify blood, invigorate blood, regulate menstruation, relieve pain, unblock
bowels by moistening intestine.

Astragalus
Astragalus (黄芪) is a root used for immune deficiencies and allergies
TCM Information: Species: Astragalus membranaceus. Pinyin: Huang Qi. Common
Name: Astragalus Root, Milkvetch Root. Quality: Sweet, Slightly warm. Meridians: Lung,
Spleen. Actions: Raise yang qi to treat prolapse, tonify spleen and lung qi, tonify wei qi,
increases urination, promotes drainage of pus, generates flesh.

Atractylodes

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Atractylodes ( 白 术 ) is believed to be important in the treatment of digestive disorders and
problems of moisture accumulation.
TCM Information: Species: Atractylodes lancea. Pinyin: Cang Zhu. Common Name:
Atractylodes Rhizome. Quality: Pungent(Acrid), Bitter, Warm. Meridians: Spleen, Stomach.
Actions: Strong to dry dampness, strengthens the spleen, induce sweating, expel wind-cold,
clears damp-heat from lower jiao, improves vision.

Bupleurum
Bupleurum ( 柴 胡 ) is believed to be useful for the treatment of liver diseases, skin
ailments, arthritis, menopausal syndrome, withdrawal from corticosteroid use, nephritis,
stress-induced ulcers, and mental disorders.
TCM Information: Species: Bupleurnum chinense. Pinyin: Chai Hu. Common Name:
Hare's Ear Root. Quality: Bitter, Pungent(Acrid), Cool. Meridians: Gallbladder, Liver,
Pericardium, San Jiao. Actions: Treats alternating chills and fever, clears lesser yang
disorders, relieves liver qi stagnation, raises yang qi to treat prolapse, treats certain
menstrual disorders.

Cinnamon
Cinnamon (桂枝 , 肉桂 ), mostly gui zhi and rou gui, are twigs and bark from large tropical
trees.
Studies show that cinnamon reduces serum glucose, triglyceride, LDL cholesterol,
and total cholesterol in people with type 2 diabetes, and the findings suggest that the
inclusion of cinnamon in the diet of people with type 2 diabetes will reduce risk factors
associated with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
TCM Information: Species: Cinnamomum cassia. Pinyin: Gui Zhi. Common Name:
Cinnamon Twig. Quality: Pungent (Acrid), Sweet, Warm. Meridians: Heart, Lung, Bladder.
Actions: Induce sweating, warms and unblocks channels, unblocks yang qi of the chest,
treats dysmenorrhea.
Species: Cinnamomum cassia. Pinyin: Rou Gui. Common Name: Cinnamon Bark.
Quality: Pungent (Acrid), Sweet, Hot. Meridians: Heart, Kidney, Liver, Spleen. Actions:
Tonifies kidney yang, leads fire back to its source, disperses cold, encourages generation of
qi and blood, promotes blood circulation, alleviates pain due to cold, dysmenorrheal.

Coptis chinensis
Coptis chinensis ( 黄 莲 ) is a rhizome that is one of the bitterest herbs used in Chinese
medicine.
TCM Information: Species: Coptis chinensis. Pinyin: Huang Lian. Common Name:
Coptis Rhizome. Qualities: Bitter, Cold. Meridians: Heart, Large Intestine, Liver, Stomach.
Actions: Clears heat and drains damp, drains fire(especially from heart and stomach),
eliminates toxicity

Ginger
Ginger is consumed in China as food and as medicine.

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 Ginger (姜, 薑) is a herb and a spice that is used in Chinese cuisine. There are four
main kinds of preparations in Chinese herbology: fresh ginger, dried ginger, roasted ginger,
and ginger charcoal, all made of the rhizomes.
TCM Information:
Species: Zingiber officinalis.
Pinyin: Sheng Jiang (生姜, 生薑).
Common Name: Fresh Ginger Rhizome.
Quality: Pungent(Acrid), Slightly warm.
Meridians: Lung, Spleen, Stomach.
Actions: Release the exterior, expel cold, warm the middle jiao, relieve nausea, transform
phlegm, warm lung to stop coughing, treat toxicity, and moderate the toxicity of other herbs.
Species: Zingiber officinalis.
Pinyin: Gan Jiang (干姜, 乾薑).
Common Name: Dried Ginger Rhizome.
Quality: Pungent(Acrid), Hot.
Meridians: Heart, Lung, Spleen, Stomach.
Actions: Warms the spleen and stomach, restores devastated yang, warms the lung to
transform thin mucus, warms and unblocks channels.

Licorice
The use of the licorice plant ( 甘 草 ) Glycyrrhiza glabra L. is thought to help
treat hepatitis, sore throat, and muscle spasms.
TCM Information:
Species: Glycyrrhiza inflata or Glycyrrhiza glabra.
Pinyin: Gan Cao.
Common Name: Licorice Root.
Quality: Sweet, Neutral.
Meridians: All 12 channels, but mainly Heart, Lung, Spleen, Stomach.
Actions: Tonify spleen qi, moisten lung for dry cough, clears heat and fire toxicity, tonifies
heart qi to regulate pulse, alleviates spasmodic pain, antidote for toxicity, moderates the
effects of harsh herbs.

Ephedra
Ephedra (麻黄)
TCM Information: Species: Ephedra sinica or Ephedra intermedia. Pinyin: Ma Huang.
Common Name: Ephedra Stem. Quality: Pungent(Acrid), Slightly Bitter, Warm. Meridians:
Lung, Bladder. Actions: Induce sweating and release exterior for wind-cold invasion with no
sweating, promotes urination, move lung qi for wheezing, cough or asthma.

Peony
Peony (白芍, 赤芍) comes in two varieties: bai shao(white) and chi shao (red), the root of the
plant is used in both varieties.

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 TCM Information: Species: Paeonia lactiflora. Pinyin: Bai Shao. Common Name:
White Peony Root. Quality: Bitter, Sour, Cool. Meridians: Liver, Spleen. Actions: Tonify liver
blood, calms liver yang, alleviates flank/abdominal pain from liver qi stagnation or liver and
spleen disharmony, preserves yin and adjusts nutritive and protective levels, regulates
menses for blood deficiency problem.
Species: Paeonia lactiflora or Paeonia veitchii. Pinyin: Chi Shao. Common Name:
Red Peony Root. Quality: Sour, Bitter, Cool. Meridians: Liver, Spleen. Actions: Clears heat,
cools blood, invigorates blood and dispel stasis to treat irregular menses, dysmenorrhoea,
amenorrhea, abdominal pain, and fixed abdominal masses.

Rehmannia
Rehmannia (地黄) is a root where the dark, moist part of the herb is used.
TCM Information: Species: Rehmannia glucinosa. Pinyin: Sheng Di Huang. Common
Name: Chinese Foxglove Root. Qualities: Sweet, Bitter, Cold. Meridians: Heart, Kidney,
Liver. Actions: Clears heat, cools blood, nourishes yin, generates fluids, treats wasting and
thirsting disorder.
Species: Rehmannia glucinosa. Pinyin: Shu Di Huang. Common Name: Chinese
Foxglove Root Prepared with Wine. Qualities: Sweet, Slightly warm. Meridians: Heart,
Kidney, Liver. Actions: Tonifies blood, tonifies liver and kidney yin, treats wasting and
thirsting disorder, nourishes jing.

Rhubarb
Chinese rhubarb depicted by Michał Boym (1655)
Rhubarb (大黄) is a large root and was once one of the first herbs that was imported from
China.
TCM Information: Species: Rheum palmatum, Rheum ranguticum, or Rheum
officinale. Pinyin: Da Huang. Common Name: Rhubarb Root and Rhizome. Quality: Bitter,
Cold. Meridians: Heart, Large Intestine, Liver, Stomach. Actions: Purge accumulation, cool
blood, invigorate blood, drain damp-heat

Salvia
Salvia (丹参) are the deep roots of the Chinese sage plant.
TCM Information: Species: Salvia miltiorrhiza. Pinyin: Dan Shen. Common Name: Salvia
Root. Qualities: Bitter, Cool. Meridians: Heart, Pericardium, Liver. Actions: Invigorate blood,
tonify blood, regulate menstruation, clear heat and soothe irritability.

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