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TCM Herbs

Principles of treatment behind every TCM herb are guided by the theories in Chinese herbal pharmacology.

Chinese herbs are divided into 4 main types according to their properties: cool, cold, hot and warm. For instance, herbs with warm or hot properties can be used to treat illnesses that are classified as cool or cold in nature, and vice versa.
Chinese herbs are also classified into 5 types of tastes based on their different features and effects: sour, bitter, sweet, pungent and salty. Chinese herbs that are bitter have a cooling property and can be used in cases of accumulated body heat due to lack of adequate rest, while pungent-tasting Chinese herbs have dispersing effects and can be used to treat the flu.
Another feature of herbs is that they are attributed to different meridians to treat different problems and illnesses efficiently.
Lastly, Chinese herbs also have both "ascending" and "descending" effects. These are used to guide the movements of the flow of Qi and blood in the body.

Use the herb finder below and reap the health benefits these natural herbs offer.

English Name | Latin Name | Chinese Name (Hanyu Pinyin)

Cherokee Rose Fruit | Fructus Rosae Laevigatae | 金樱子 (Jinyingzi)

Source:	Fruit
Property:	Neutral
Taste:	Sour, Sweet, Astringent
Channel:	Influences the kidney, bladder and large intestine channels.
Actions:	To arrest seminal emission, restrain polyuria and check diarrhoea.
Indications:	Nocturnal emission, spermatorrhea; enuresis, frequent urination; abnormal uterine bleeding; excessive leukorrhea; protracted diarrhoea; chronic dysentery.

Chicken Gizzard-skin, Chicken Gizzard Lining | Endothelium Corneum Gigeriae Galli | 鸡内金 (Jineijin)

Source:	Animal Sources
Property:	Neutral
Taste:	Sweet
Channel:	Influences the spleen, stomach, small intestine and bladder channels.
Actions:	To promote digestion, arrest seminal emission and cure enuresis.
Indications:	Vomiting and diarrhoea due to indigestion; malnutrition due to improper feeding; enuresis in children; seminal emission.

Chinese Angelica | Radix Angelicae Sinensis | 当归 (Danggui)

Source:	Root	Find out more »
Property:	Warm
Taste:	Sweet, Pungent
Channel:	Influences the liver, heart and spleen channels.
Actions:	To enrich blood, promote blood circulation, regulate menstruation, relieve pain and induce laxation.
Indications:	Anaemia with dizziness and palpitations; menstrual disorders; amenorrhea; dysmenorrhea; constipation; rheumatic arthralgia; traumatic injuries; carbuncles, boils and sores.

Chinese Arborvitae Kernel | Semen Platycladi | 柏子仁 (Baiziren)

Also known as:	Biota Seed
Source:	Kernel
Property:	Neutral
Taste:	Sweet
Channel:	Influences the heart, kidney and large intestine channels.
Actions:	To calm the nerves, arrest excessive perspiration and relax the bowels.
Indications:	Insomnia with fidgetiness and palpitations; night sweating due to deficiency of Yin; constipation.

Chinese Arborvitae Twig and Leaf | Cacumen Platycladi | 侧柏叶 (Cebaiye)

Also known as:	Biota Leaf
Source:	Twig and Leaf
Property:	Cold
Taste:	Bitter, Astringent
Channel:	Influences the lungs, liver and spleen channels.
Actions:	To arrest bleeding by reducing heat from blood; promote the growth of black hair.
Indications:	Epistaxis; hematemesis; haemoptysis; hematochezia; abnormal uterine bleeding; loss of hair due to heat in the blood; premature greying of hair and beard.

Chinese Caterpillar Fungus | Cordyceps | 冬虫夏草 (Dongchongxiacao)

Source:	A composite of fungus and caterpillar	Find out more »
Property:	Neutral
Taste:	Sweet
Channel:	Influences the lungs and kidney channels.
Actions:	To tonify the lungs and the kidneys, arrest bleeding and dissolve phlegm.
Indications:	Chronic cough and asthma; haemoptysis in phthisis; impotence and seminal emission with aching of loins and knees.

Chinese Clematis Root | Radix Et Rhizoma Clematidis | 威灵仙 (Weilingxian)

Source:	Root
Property:	Warm
Taste:	Pungent, Salty
Channel:	Influences the bladder channel.
Actions:	To relieve rheumatic conditions, remove obstruction of collaterals, and alleviate pain.
Indications:	Rheumatic or rheumatoid arthralgia with numbness of limbs, muscle contracture and immobilized limbs; fish bone stuck in the throat.

Chinese Cork Tree, Amur Corktree Bark | Cortex Phellodendri Chinensis | 黄柏 (Huangbo)

Source:	Trunk bark
Property:	Cold
Taste:	Bitter
Channel:	Influences the kidney and bladder channels.
Actions:	To remove damp-heat, quench fire, counteract toxicity and relieve consumptive fever.
Indications:	Dysentery, jaundice and morbid leukorrhea caused by damp-heat; urinary infections; weakness and edema of legs; consumptive fever and night sweating; seminal emission; sores and skin infection with local redness and swelling; eczema with itching.

Chinese Date | Fructus Jujubae | 大枣 (Dazao)

Also known as:	Red Date
Source:	Fruit
Property:	Warm
Taste:	Sweet
Channel:	Influences the spleen and stomach channels.
Actions:	To tonify the spleen, replenish qi, nourish blood and ease the mind.
Indications:	Loss of appetite; lassitude and loose stools due to deficiency syndromes of the spleen; hysteria in women.

Chinese Dwarf Cherry Seed | Semen Pruni | 郁李仁 (Yuliren)

Also known as:	Bushcherry Seed
Source:	Seed
Property:	Neutral
Taste:	Pungent, Bitter, Sweet
Channel:	Influences the spleen, large and small intestine channels.
Actions:	To relax the bowels, subdue the upward Qi, and induce urination.
Indications:	Stagnancy of undigested food with abdominal distension and constipation; weakness; edema of the legs with oliguria.

References:

State Pharmacopoeia Commission of PRC, Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China, 2005 ed.1, by People's Medical Publishing House, December 2005
Zhao Zhongzhen, An Illustrated Chinese Materia Medica in Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, May 2004
Eu Yan Sang International Holdings Pte Ltd, The Eu Yan Sang Heritage: An Anthology of Chinese Herbs and Medicines, Eu Yan Sang International Holdings Pte Ltd, December 1998

Photo Courtesy of School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University.

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