| Chinese Name |
General Functions |
Herb Category |
Taste & Temp |
Channels Traveled |
Latin Name |
| Xiao Hui Xiang | Harmonizes the Middle
Warms Lower Jiao
Treats Bulging Disorders | WARM INTERIOR - EXPEL COLD | Warm & acrid | KD, SP, ST, LV | Foeniuli Fructus |
| Wu Zhu Yu | Strongly warms the middle & lower burners, stops nausea & vomiting due to cold, alleviates cold pain in chest & abdomen | WARM INTERIOR-EXPEL COLD | hot, bitter, acrid, slightly toxic | SP, ST, LV | Evodiae Fructus |
| Bi Ba | Warms middle jiao, releases constrained cold in intestines | WARM INTERIOR-EXPEL COLD | hot, acrid | LI, ST | Piperis longi Fructus |
| Hu Jiao | Eliminates pathogenic cold in ST & intestine | WARM INTERIOR-EXPEL COLD | hot, acrid | LI, ST | Piperis fructus |
| Gan Jiang | Warms SP, Transforms thin mucus, unblocks channels, Revives the Yang | WARM INTERIOR-EXPEL COLD | hot, acrid | SP, ST, LU, HT | Zingiberis Rhizoma |
| Rou Gui | Warms & tonifies Yang, Disperses cold, Promotes Movement of Qi | WARM INTERIOR-EXPEL COLD | hot, acrid, sweet | HT, SP, LV, KD | Cinnamomi Cortex |
| Zhi Fu Zi | Revives Devastated Yang Qi, Tonifies fire at the gate of vitality, Guides actions of other herbs to all 12 channels, Expels cold-damp bi | WARM INTERIOR-EXPEL COLD | hot, acrid, toxic | KD, SP, HT | Aconiti Radix lateralis preparata |
| Ding Xiang | Warms the Middle, Directs ST qi down, Treats hiccough, Fortifies KD yang | WARM INTERIOR-EXPEL COLD | WARM & ACRID | KD, SP, ST | Caryophylli Flos
|
| Hua Jiao | Warms the middle, Disperses cold, Stops Pain, Kills Parasites, Tonifies fire at Gate of Virility | WARM INTERIOR-EXPEL COLD | hot, acrid, & slightly toxic | KD, SP, ST | Zanthoxyli Pericarpium |
| Da Zao | Tonifies qi & blood, generates fluids, harmonizes SP, moderates the toxic effects of other herbs | Tonify Qi | sweet & warm | SP, ST | Jujubae Fructus |
| Gan Cao | Tonifies SP qi, moistens LU, moderates urgency & toxicity, drains fire | Tonify Qi | sweet, warm, *neutral | All 12 channels (esp. HT, LU, SP, ST) | Glycyrrhizae Radix |
| Huang Jing | Tonifies qi, nourishes yin, augments essence | Tonify Qi | sweet, neutral | SP, KD, LU | Polygonati Rhizoma |
| Dang Shen | Tonifies Middle Jiao, augments SP & LU qi | Tonify Qi | Sweet, neutral | ST, LU | Codonopsis Radix |
| Tai Zi Shen | Tonfies the qi & yin, but rather weakly | Tonify Qi | sweet, slightly bitter, neutral | SP, LU | Pseudostellariae Radix |
| Huang Qi | Raises Yang qi, tonifies SP & LU qi, stops sweating facilitates urination, promotes discharge of pus, generates flesh | Tonify Qi | sweet, slightly warm | SP, LU | Astragali Radix |
| Shan Yao | Tonifies qi & yin of LU, SP, KD, secures the essence | Tonify Qi | sweet, neutral | SP, LU, KD | Dioscoreae Rhizoma |
| Ren Shen | Powerfully tonifies primal qi of the five organs, nourishes yin, revives from collapse, stops heavy bleeding | Tonify Qi | sweet, slightly bitter, slightly warm | SP, LU | Ginseng Radix |
| Yi Tang | Tonifies qi, moistens fluids | Tonify Qi | sweet, slightly warm | SP, ST, LU | Maltosum |
| Bai Zhu | Tonifies SP qi, dries dampness, quiets the fetus | Tonify Qi | sweet, bitter, warm | SP, ST | Atractylodis macrocephalae Rhizoma |
| E Zhu | Promotes movement of blood & qi, breaks of accumulations, reduces food stagnation | Invigorates blood | bitter, acrid, warm | LV, SP | Curcumae Rhizoma |
| Ru Xiang | Invigorates the blood, promotes movement of qi, stops pain, generates flesh | Invigorates blood | bitter, acrid, warm | LV, HT, SP | Olibanum |
| Niu Xi | Unprepared: breaks up blood stasis, unblocks menstruation, guides blood to descend, directs fire downward; Prepared: tonifies LV & KD, strengthens sinews & bones | Invigorates blood | bitter, sour, neutral | LV, KD | Achyranthis bidentatae Radix |
| Wang Bu Liu Xing | Powerfully & rapidly invigorates the blood, & disperses clumping & stasis | Invigorates blood | bitter, neutral | LV, ST | Vaccariae Semen |
| San Leng | Breaks up stagnation of both qi & blood, disperses food stagnation, stops pain | Invigorates blood | bitter, acrid, neutral | LV, SP | Sparganii Rhizoma |
| Chuan Niu Xi | Invigorates blood, unblocks menses, expels wind, drains damp | Invigorates blood | bitter, sweet, neutral | LV, KD | Cyathulae Radix |
| Wu Ling Zhi | Invigorates blood, stops pain | Invigorates blood | bitter, sweet, warm | LV | Trogopterori Faeces |
| Mo Yao | Breaks up blood stasis to stop pain, reduces swelling, generates flesh | Invigorates blood | bitter, neutral | LV, HT, SP | Myrrha |
| Sang Shen | Gently Nourishes & cools the blood & yin | Invigorates blood | sweet & cold | LV, KD,HT | Mori Fructus |
| Long Yan Rou | Nourishes the blood, tonifies the qi; calms the spirit | Invigorates blood | sweet & warm | HT, SP | Longan Arillus |
| Dang Gui | Tonifies blood; invigorates blood; regulates menstruation; alleviates pain | Invigorates blood | sweet, acrid, warm | LV, HT, SP | Angelicae sinensis Radix |
| Bai Shao | Tonifies LV blood; extinguishes wind; stops pain; nourishes LV/SP yin | Invigorates blood | bitter, sour, mildly cold | LV, SP | Paeoniae Radix alba |
| E Jiao | Tonifies LV blood; moistens LU yin; replenishes KD essence; stops bleeding | Invigorates blood | sweet, neutral | LV, KD, LU | Asini Corii Colla |
| Gou Qi Zi | Enriches yin of KD/LU; nourishes LV blood; mildly tonifies KD yang | Invigorates blood | sweet, neutral | LV, KD, LU | Lycii Fructus |
| Shu Di Huang | Tonifies blood; enriches yin; generates essence; augments marrow | Invigorates blood | sweet, slightly warm | LV, KD, HT | Rehmanniae Radix preparata (cooked) |
| Zhi He Shou Wu | Nourishes blood/yin; preserves essence | Invigorates blood | sweet, bitter, astringent, slightly warm | LV, KD | Polygoni multiflori Radix preparata |
| Sheng He Shou Wu | Moistens intestines; resolves toxicity; reduces sores; checks malarial disorders | Invigorates blood | sweet, bitter, astringent, neutral | LV, HT, LI | Polygoni multiflori Radix (non preparata) |
| Ce Bai Ye | Cools Heat, inhibits bleeding due to blood heat, stops cough | Stop Bleeding | bitter, astringent, slightly cold | LV, LU, LI | Platycladi Cacumen |
| Bai Mao Gen | Cools the blood, stops bleeding, clears heat in LU & ST, promotes urination | Stop Bleeding | sweet & cold | LU, ST, SI, UB | Imperatae Rhizoma |
| Ai Ye | Dispels cold-dampness, stops pain due to cold, stops bleeding, calms the fetus | Stop Bleeding | bitter, acrid, warm | LV, KD, SP | Artemisiae argyi Folium |
| Pu Huang | Stops bleeding, removes blood stasis, promotes urination | Stop Bleeding | sweet, acrid, warm | LV, HT, SP | Typhae Pollen |
| San Qi | Stops bleeding w/out causing blood stasis, transforms blood stasis, reduces swelling, stops pain | Stop Bleeding | sweet, slightly bitter, warm | LV, ST | Notoginseng Radix |
| Di Yu | Cools heat in blood, stops bleeding, resolves toxicity, restrains & inhibits | Stop Bleeding | bitter, sour, slightly cold | LV, ST, LI | Sanguisorbae Radix |
| Xian He Cao | Binds & inhibits bleeding | Stop Bleeding | bitter, astringent, warm | LV, SP, LU | Agrimoniae Herba |
| Huai Mi | Cools the blood, clears heat, stops bleeding | Stop Bleeding | bitter, cool | LV, LI | Sophorae Flos immaturus |
| Bai Ji | Restrains to stop bleeding, reduces swelling, generates flesh | Stop Bleeding | bitter, sweet, cool | LV, ST, LU | Bletillae Rhizoma |
| Dan Shen | Invigorates the blood, tonifies blood, calms irritability due to blood heat | Invigorates blood | bitter, slightly cold | LV, HT, PC | Salviae miltiorrhizae Rhizoma |
| Chuan Xiong | Invigorates blood, promotes movement of qi, expels wind, stops pain (esp. for headaches) | Invigorates blood | acrid, warm | LV, GB, PC | Chuanxiong Rhizoma |
| Chi Shao | Invigorates blood, transforms stasis, stops pain, cools heat in blood | Invigorates blood | bitter, slightly cold | LV, SP | Paeoniae Radix rubra |
| Tao Ren | Invigorates blood, dispels stasis, moistens intestines, stops cough & wheezing | Invigorates blood | bitter, sweet, neutral | LV, HT, LU, LI | Persicae Semen |
| Ji Xue Teng | Invigorates blood, tonifies blood, soothes sinews & invigorates collaterals | Invigorates blood | Bitter, sweet, warm | LV, HT, SP | Spatholobi Caulis |
| Yu Jin | Cools blood, breaks up stasis, promotes movement of qi, relieves constraint | Invigorates blood | bitter, acrid, cold | LV, HT, LU | Curcumae Radix |
| Ze Lan | Gently invigorates blood w/out injuring normal qi, promotes urination | Invigorates blood | bitter, acrid, slightly warm | LV, SP | Lycopi Herba |
| Yi Mu Cao | Invigorates blood, regulates menstruation, facilitates urination, resolves toxicity | Invigorates blood | bitter, acrid, slightly cold | LV, HT, UB | Leonuri Herba |
| Yan Hu Suo | Invigorates blood, strongly stops pain | Invigorates blood | acrid, warm | LV, HT, ST | Corydalis Rhizoma |
