INDIVIDUAL HERBS
| Pharmaceutical Latin: | Semen Cassiae Semen Cassiae Torae |
| Common English: | Cassia Seeds Fetid Cassia Seeds Sickle Senna Seed |
Herbs that Clear Heat and Drain Fire: Herbs that Clear Heat in the Qi Stage
Liver Calming and Wind Extinguishing Herbs
| Taste | Temperature | Entering Meridians | Dosage |
Bitter Sweet Salty |
Slightly Cold (Cool) |
Liver Large Intestine Kidney (Gallbladder) |
9-15g Powder: 3-6g Tincture: 2-4ml |
| Actions | Indications/Syndromes |
Clears the Liver (Heat), clears the vision and benefits the eyes (Expels Wind-Heat) |
Red, swollen and painful eyes from Liver Heat or Wind-Heat in the Liver channel. Eye problems such as photosensivity, night blindness and insidious loss of vision without visible physical changes to the eye, easy tearing in the Wind |
Calms the Liver and anchors Liver Yang |
Liver Yang Rising or Liver Fire with headaches and dizziness Hypertension |
Moistens the Intestines and unblocks the bowels |
Chronic constipation with dry or infrequent stools especially if there is Liver Yin Deficiency |
Reduces blood pressure and serum cholesterol |
High blood pressure High cholesterol |
CONTRAINDICATIONS |
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INCOMPATIBILITIES |
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HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS |
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Concha Haliotidis |
Rx. Gentianae |
Flos Chrysanthemi |
Cools the Liver to treat visual problems associated with Liver Fire or Liver Yin Deficiency with Liver Yang Rising. |
Eye problems due to Liver Fire. |
Pain, swelling and redness of the eyes due to Wind-Heat. |
Rx. Ligustici Chuanxiong |
Sp. Prunellae |
|
Temporal headache due to Wind-Heat. |
Eye pain and redness due to Liver Fire or Wind-Heat. |
Redness, pain and swelling of the eyes, abnormal tearing, photophobia, headache and dizziness due to Liver Fire, especially eye pain worse at night due to Liver Yang Rising. |
Flos Chrysanthemi |
Hb. Dendrobii |
|
Liver and Kidney Yin Deficiency with visual problems like dry eyes, cataracts, optic atrophy, dryness, diminished vision and photo-sensitivity. |
Liver and Kidney Yin Deficiency with blurred vision photosensitivity and excessive tearing. |
Hypertension, dizziness and headache due to Liver Yang Rising. |
Flos Chrysanthemi |
Rx. Angelicae Sinensis |
Hb. Lophatheri |
| Hypertension. | Constipation due to remaining Heat in the Intestines. | Constipation with severe bad breath, red eyes, dark, and scanty urine. |
Sp. Prunellae |
Rx. Angelicae Sinensis |
Rx. Salviae Miltiorrhizae |
Eye problems due to Liver Heat. |
Constipation due to dry Intestines. |
Atherosclerosis. |
Sm. Sesame Nigrum |
Rz. seu Hb. Gynostemmatis |
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Constipation. |
High cholesterol. |
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- Some sources say that this herb benefits the Kidney.
- Sm. Cassiae Jue Ming Zi is more effective at clearing Liver Fire and benefiting the Kidneys than Flos Chrysanthemi Ju Hua, while Ju Hua is more effective at pacifying the Liver and clearing Wind-Heat.
- It is used as a topical for the eyes for redness, infection and cataract.
- Use 30g of this herb singly to lower cholesterol.
- It can be used alone for night blindness and optic nerve atrophy.
- It can be used alone as a tea for mild constipation.
- This herb can be used as a pillow.
- Some consider this herb to be in the Anti Malaria category.
- Unprocessed this herb is more effective for clearing Liver Fire and Wind-Heat Attacking the Liver channel and is therefore more effective for treating eye disorders but its coldness can cause diarrhea.
- Both Jue Ming Zi and Sm. Celosiae Qing Xiang Zi improve the vision. Jue Ming Zi is bitter, sweet , salty and cold which broadens its therapeutic scope to include nourishing the Liver and Kidney Yin, moistening the Intestines and dispersing Wind-Heat. It can be used for Excess and deficient eye disorders or headache because it nourishes Liver and Kidney Yin and is more appropriate where there is constipation. Qing Xiang Zi can only be used for eye disorders due to Excess Heat. it is bitter, cold, drains Fire in the Liver channel and disperses Wind-Heat from the Blood level of the Jue Yin channels. It can clear superficial visual obstruction and can dilate the pupils. it can be used alone for this purpose when Wind-Heat in the Liver channel causes the pupils to contract.
- Both Jue Ming Zi and Concha Haliotidis Shi Jue Ming clear Liver Heat and brighten the eyes and are combined to treat eye disorders and headaches involving the eyes. Jue Ming Zi is bitter and cold and better at cooling Liver Fire to brighten the eyes. It also moistens the Intestines. Shi Jue Ming is salty, cold and heavy to sedate Rising Liver Yang.
- Dry-fried Cassia Chao Jue Ming Zi has less ability to cool the Liver and expel Wind, but is better able to tonify the Liver and Kidney to treat eye problems.
- This herb is very effective at treating Excess tearing.