Herbs that Clear Heat and Resolve Toxicity

A collection of vocabulary flashcards covering traditional Chinese herbs used to clear heat and resolve toxicity, including their properties, dosages, and specific clinical indications.

Heat toxicity (热毒 rè dú)

Extreme accumulation of heat, usually associated with an infectious disease; typically acute in nature.

Abscess

Swollen area within body tissue containing an accumulation of pus.

Boil (Furuncle)

Skin infection starting in a hair follicle or oil gland, usually caused by staphylococcal bacteria.

Carbuncle

A red, swollen, and painful cluster of boils connected to each other under the skin.

Sty

A boil that forms in the eyelid.

General Taste and Temperature of Heat Toxicity Herbs

Taste: bitter; Temperature: cold.

jīn yín huā (Lonicerae Flos)

Temp: cold; Taste: sweet; Channels: LI, LU, ST; Actions: clears heat toxicity (hot, painful sores, abscess), expels wind-heat invasion, clears damp-heat from lower-jiao, and charred stops bleeding; Dosage: $6-20\,\text{grams}$.

lián qiào (Forsythiae Fructus)

Temp: slightly cold; Taste: bitter, slightly acrid; Channels: HT, LU, GB; Actions: clears heat toxicity (esp. Heart heat/upper jiao), expels wind-heat, discharges pus (sores, scrofula), and promotes urination; Dosage: $6-15\,\text{grams}$.

dà qīng yè / bǎn lán gēn (Isatidis Folium / Isatidis Radix)

Temp: very cold; Taste: bitter; Channels: HT, LU, ST; Actions: clears heat toxicity (epidemic febrile disease, throat), and cools blood (macular rashes, nosebleed); Dosage: $9-15\,\text{grams}$.

qīng dǎi (Indigo Naturalis)

Temp: cold; Taste: salty; Channels: LV, LU, ST; Powder from indigo plant processed with lime; Actions: clears heat toxicity, cools blood, drains Liver fire, and extinguishes wind (febrile convulsions); Dosage: $1.5-3\,\text{grams}$ (stir powder with strained decoction).

pú gōng yīng (Taraxaci Herba)

Dandelion; Temp: cold; Taste: bitter, sweet; Channels: LV, ST; Actions: clears heat toxicity (breast abscess, mastitis), clears Liver heat to brighten eyes, and promotes urination; Dosage: $9-30\,\text{grams}$.

zǐ huā dì dīng (Violae Herba)

Temp: cold; Taste: bitter, acrid; Channels: HT, LV; Actions: clears heat toxicity for deep-set, hot sores and insect or snake bites; Dosage: $15-30\,\text{grams}$.

bài jiàng cǎo (Patrinae Herba)

Temp: slightly cold; Taste: acrid, bitter; Channels: ST, LI, LV; Actions: clears heat toxicity and discharges pus (LI abscess), invigorates blood for pain (postpartum, OB/GYN); Dosage: $6-15\,\text{grams}$.

chuān xīn lián (Andrographitis Herba)

Temp: cold; Taste: bitter; Channels: LU, ST, LI, SI; Actions: clears heat toxicity (Lung heat), dispels dampness (diarrhea, edema, eczema), and has anti-cancer/antibiotic properties; Dosage: $6-15\,\text{grams}$.

bài huā shé shé cǎo (Hedyotis Diffusae Herba)

Temp: cold; Taste: bitter, sweet; Channels: ST, LI, SI; Actions: clears heat toxicity (skin infection, snakebite), promotes urination, and treats digestive system cancer; Dosage: $15-30\,\text{grams}$.

hé yè (Nelumbinis Folium)

Temp: neutral; Taste: bitter, slightly sweet; Channels: HT, LV, SP; Actions: clears summer heat, transforms middle-jiao dampness (diarrhea), and stops bleeding; Dosage: $3-9\,\text{grams}$.

lù dóu (Phaseoli Radiati Semen)

Temp: cold; Taste: sweet; Channels: HT, SP, ST, UB; Actions: clears heat toxicity, clears summer heat (thirst), promotes urination for edema, and detoxifies Fu Zi poisoning; Dosage: $15-30\,\text{grams}$.

bài tóu wēng (Pulsatillae Radix)

Temp: cold; Taste: bitter; Channels: LI, ST; Actions: clears heat toxicity; noted as one of the most effective herbs for dysentery; Dosage: $6-15\,\text{grams}$.

bái xiān pí (Dictamni Cortex)

Temp: cold; Taste: bitter; Channels: SP, ST; Actions: clears heat toxicity and damp-heat (pus-filled skin problems, itchy vaginal discharge), and dispels wind/dampness; Dosage: $4.5-9\,\text{grams}$.

mǎ chǐ xiàn (Portulacae Herba)

Temp: cold; Taste: sour (slippery); Channels: LI, LV; Actions: clears heat toxicity/damp-heat (dysentery, leukorrhea) and induces astringency for bleeding; Contraindicated during pregnancy (terminates pregnancy); Dosage: $9-15\,\text{grams}$.

tǔ fú líng (Smilacis Glabrae Rhizoma)

Temp: neutral; Taste: sweet, bland; Channels: LV, ST; Actions: clears heat toxicity and resolves dampness, detoxifies mercury poisoning (syphilis), and benefits joints; Dosage: $15-60\,\text{grams}$.

shān dóu gēn (Sophorae Tokinensis Radix)

Temp: cold; Taste: bitter; Channels: LU, LI; Actions: clears heat toxicity, benefits throat (throat/lung cancer), and treats skin infection; Dosage: $3-9\,\text{grams}$.

shè gān (Belamcandae Rhizoma)

Temp: cold; Taste: bitter; Channels: LU; Actions: clears heat toxicity, benefits swollen throat, and transforms phlegm (wheezing); relatively contraindicated during pregnancy; Dosage: $3-9\,\text{grams}$.

mǎ bó (Lasiosphaera)

Puffball; Temp: neutral; Taste: acrid; Channels: LU; Actions: clears heat toxicity for throat and loss of voice, and stops bleeding in mouth or lips; Dosage: $1.5-6\,\text{grams}$.

yā dàn zǐ (Bruceae Fructus)

Temp: cold; Taste: bitter, toxic; Channels: LI, LV; Actions: clears heat/kills parasites (amebic dysentery, malaria), treats corn/warts, and anti-cancer (colon, breast); Toxic to Liver and Kidneys; Dosage: $0.5-2\,\text{grams}$.