Title: Chinese herbology Content: 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