Properties: Bitter, sour, astringent
Meridans Entered:
Primary: Liver and Large Intestine
Traditional Actions/Indications:
- Cools the Blood and stops bleeding
Bleeding due to Damp-Heat in the Lower Jiao with hemafecia, bleeding hemorrhoids, bloody dysentery and excessive uterine bleeding
Blood Heat with epistaxis and hematemesis
- Clears Toxic Heat, astringes fluids and generates flesh
Sores, ulcers, and burns (topical) It reduces oozing by astringing and regenerates flesh
Suggested Daily Dosage: 10-15g in decoction.
Cautions: It is cool, sour and astringent in property. Take with cautions when applying it to cold-deficiency hematochezia, alv. laxat, metrorrhagia and metrostaxis, and bleeding with blood stasis. It is better not to be applied externally for those who suffer from burning of a large area so as to prevent toxic hepatitis due to absorption of the tannin it contains.
Appears in 3 formulae listed on this site: (click to display)
Research Links & References: (click to display)
Research Links:
Reference Notes:
Individual herb information has sourced mainly from TCM Wiki and American Dragon for basic data and then updated manually with my own notes. Zhou, Xie and Yan (2011): Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicines, Vol. 5, and A+ Medical Encyclopaedia have been used for entries not available from those sources with additional material searched for and filled in where available. Western herbs not appearing in the Chinese literature have used Ross (2010): Combining Western Herbs and Chinese Medicine: A Clinical Materia Medica, White Rabbit Institute of Healing and therapeutika.ch. Choices of which source to use or combine have been my own.
These pages are intended to assist clinicians and are not intended for self-diagnosis or treatment for which a qualified professional should be consulted. Actions and indications are taken from traditional uses and do not necessarily reflect the evidence base which should be researched independently. Dosages are for guidance only and will vary dependening on the potency of the batch and the tolerance of the individual so should be evaluated by a professional based on individual needs.
