Pinyin: Shu Di Huang  Chinese: 熟地黄
Pharmaceutical: Radix Rehmanniae Preparata
Taxonomy: Rehmannia glutinosa
English: Prepared Chinese Foxglove Root

Tastes: Sweet, slightly warm
Meridians Entered: Kidney and Liver

Actions & Indications:

1. Nourishes the Blood
   Blood Deficiency with facial pallor, dizziness, palpitations, insomnia, irregular menstruation, uterine bleeding and postpartum bleeding
2. Nourishes Liver and Kidney Yin
   Kidney and Liver Yin Deficiency with a weak low back and limbs, dizziness, tinnitus, tidal fevers, night sweats and nocturnal emissions
3. Strongly enriches Yin and relieves wasting and thirsting disorder
   Lower Jiao wasting (it can be used as a stand-alone herb for this)
4. Nourishes Jing and Blood and fills the Marrow
   Exhausted Jing and Blood problems such as delayed development during childhood, blunted affect, premature aging, diminished mental acuity, graying of hair, impotence and memory loss
5. Arrests coughing and wheezing
   Kidney Deficient coughing, wheezing and asthma, such as inability of the Kidneys to grasp Qi

Standard Dosage: 10-30g in decoction.
Cautions: It should be used with cautions for spleen and stomach deficiency, loose stool due to fullness in abdomen and qi stagnation with excessive phlegm because it is greasy and will produce indigestion.

Pinyin: Shen Jin Cao  Chinese: 伸筋草
Pharmaceutical: Herba Lycopodii
English: Clubmoss / Ground Pine / Creeping Cedar

Tastes: Slightly bitter, pungent, warm
Meridians Entered: Liver, Spleen and Kidney

Actions & Indications:

1. Dispels Wind and eliminates Dampness
   Wind-Damp Bi, especially when there are problems flexing and extending joints
2. Relaxes the sinews, invigorates the collaterals and invigorates the Blood
   Swelling and pain due to Blood Stasis from external or internal trauma
   Difficulty bending and stretching the body after hemiplegia

Standard Dosage: 3-12g in decoction.
Cautions: It should be used cautiously in pregnant women.

Pinyin: Sang Shen  Chinese: 桑椹
Pharmaceutical: Fructus Mori
Taxonomy: Morus alba
English: Mulberry Fruit

Tastes: Sweet, sour, cold
Meridians Entered: Heart, Liver and Kidney

Actions & Indications:

1. Tonifies the Blood and enriches Yin
   Blood Deficiency and Yin Deficiency with dizziness, tinnitus, insomnia and premature graying of the hair
   Wasting and thirsting disorder due to Yin Deficiency
2. Lubricates the Intestines
   Constipation due to Blood Deficiency or insufficiency of Fluids
3. Generates Fluids
   Thirst and Body Fluid Deficiency

Standard Dosage: 15-30g in decoction, or sometimes up to 60g; alternatively, can be made into a paste.
Cautions: It is contraindicated for deficiency-cold in spleen and stomach with loose stool.

Pinyin: Hei Zhi Ma  Chinese: 黑芝麻
Pharmaceutical: Semen Sesame Nigrum
Taxonomy: Sesamum indicum
English: Black Sesame Seed

Tastes: Sweet, neutral
Meridians Entered: Liver, Spleen and Kidney

Actions & Indications:

1. Nourishes and fortifies Liver and Kidney Yin
   Kidney and Liver Yin Deficiencies with blurred vision, tinnitus and dizziness
   Aids in recovery from severe illness
   Increases the quantity of breast milk
2. Nourishes Jing and Blood and extinguishes Wind
   Headaches, dizziness and numbness due to Blood Deficiency or Yin Deficiency
   Especially for dizziness that worsens with activity
3. Moistens and lubricates the Intestines and Lungs
   Constipation due to Dry intestines or Blood Deficiency

Standard Dosage: 9-15g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated in case of spleen deficiency with loose stool.

Pinyin: Shan Yao  Chinese: 山药
Pharmaceutical: Rhizoma Dioscoreae
Taxonomy: Dioscorea polystachya syn. batatas
English: Chinese Yam / Shu Yu

Tastes: Sweet, neutral
Meridians Entered: Spleen, Lung and Kidney

Actions & Indications:

1. Tonifies the Spleen, nourishes Stomach Yin and stops diarrhoea
   Spleen or Stomach Deficiency with diarrhoea, fatigue, spontaneous sweating and anorexia
2. Tonifies Lung Qi and nourishes Lung Yin
   Lung Qi and/or Yin Deficiency with chronic cough
3. Tonifies Kidney Yin and astringes Jing
   Kidney Qi Deficiency with spermatorrhea, urinary frequency and vaginal discharge
   消渴 Xiao Ke due to Qi and Yin Deficiency
4. Aids fasting
   Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as part of the superior class of herbs which can, with protracted taking, sharpen the ears and eyes, make the body light, make one free from hunger and prolong life. This may suggest it was part of supplementing the diet when engaging in an "avoiding grain" (Bigu 辟穀) fasting regime to cultivate life (Yangsheng 養生). Despite being a starchy vegetable, this may still have been an appropriate addition to a ketogenic diet as the starches are mostly resistant and many of its other compounds have been shown to have blood glucose reducing effects, making it a potential important source of this essential nutrient group while engaging in a low carbohydrate diet.

Standard Dosage: 5-30g in decoction. Very large doses, up to 500g have been used in trials for diabetes management.

Pinyin: Nan Zhu Zi  Chinese: 南燭子
Pharmaceutical: Fructus bracteatum
Taxonomy: Vaccinium bracteatum
English: Sea Bilberry Fruit / Oriental Blueberry

Tastes: Sour, sweet, neutral
Meridians Entered: Liver, Kidney and Spleen

Actions & Indications:

1. Tonifies the Liver and Kidneys, strengthens the Sinews and Bones and secures Essence
   Liver and Kidney deficiency with greying hair and beard
   Weakness in the sinews and bones
   Nocturnal emission, incessant vaginal discharge
2. Stops dysentery and diarrhoea
   Chronic diarrhoea and dysentery

Standard Dosage: 9-15g in decoction.

Pinyin: Hua Jiao / Chuan Jiao  Chinese: 花椒 / 川椒
Pharmaceutical: Pericarpium Zanthoxyli
Taxonomy: Zanthoxylum bungeanum seu schinifolium
English: Sichuan Pepper

Tastes: Pungent, warm
Meridians Entered: Spleen, Stomach and Kidney

Actions & Indications:

1. Warms the Middle Jiao, disperses Cold, dispels Dampness, relieves diarrhoea and alleviates pain
   Spleen and Stomach Deficiency Cold with Cold and pain in the abdomen, vomiting and diarrhoea
2. Kills Parasites and alleviates abdominal pain
   Abdominal pain due to roundworms
   Moist dermal ulcers
   Gu Parasites / chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)

Standard Dosage: 3-6g in decoction.

Pinyin: Bai Guo  Chinese: 白果
Pharmaceutical: Semen Ginkgonis Bilobae
Taxonomy: Ginkgo biloba
English: Ginkgo Seed

Tastes: Sweet, bitter, astringent, neutral, slightly toxic
Meridians Entered: Lung and Kidney

Actions & Indications:

1. Astringes Lung, expels Phlegm and stops wheezing
   Phlegm in the Lungs with wheezing and coughing (especially useful for chronic coughs or those with copious Phlegm)
   Lung Heat asthma
2. Stabilizes the Lower Jiao, eliminates Dampness, stops discharge and astringes the urine
   Lower Jiao Deficiency with vaginal discharge and turbid urine (used for both Deficiency and Damp-Heat)

Standard Dosage: 5-10g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated for raw use because this unprocessed herb is toxic. Overdose of stir-baked herb can also induce neurotoxic and cyanotic effects, especially for infants. Being astringe property, it should be used with cautions for cough and dyspnea with thick phlegm and difficult in spitting out.

Pinyin: Jiu  Chinese: 酒
Pharmaceutical: Alcohol
English: Rice Wine

Tastes: Hot, pungent, sweet, bitter, toxic
Meridians Entered: Stomach, Heart, Lung and Liver, but reaches every part of the body

Actions & Indications:

1. Nourishes and moves Blood and Qi, opens the Meridians
   Taken internally or applied topically as the medium for liniments in Blood stasis, especially from trauma or Bi syndromes in the elderly
2. Warms Yang and Expels Cold
   All Cold syndromes including Cold Bi, Interior Cold and Yang deficiency
   Often serves as the basis for longevity "elixirs" by soaking Yang tonifying herbs
3. Strengthens the Shen, dispels sorrow and promotes happiness
   Temporary low mood, celebration

Standard Dosage: 10-60ml, two to three times per day. Often combined with other herbs to bring out their Blood moving or warming aspects by washing them, or adding to a decoction, or soaking herbs in alcohol to make medicinal wines.
Cautions: Caution with Damp-Heat syndromes or long term consumption in the young and middle aged.

The Materia Dietetica (Shiwu Bencao 食物本草) by Lu He 卢和 from the Ming Dynasty says that excess drinking can hurt the spirit and consume blood, damage the stomach and deplete the body fluid, produce phlegm and induce fire.