Herbal Treatment

HERBS OF CHOICE Herbs are often used in combinations when combating an illness. Some of the most frequently used herbs are listed below. These nine herbs were picked up from different herbal combinations and are not meant to form a recipe. Our reference code for the different combinations of herbs used for this condition is CPT. This listing is not meant to diagnose, only to inform. This is of course not a complete list and is not meant to be used in the place of a doctor's advice. Click the image of each herb for a brief introduction in terms of Traditional Chinese Medicine.






Herba Dianthi

Source: The aerial part of Dianthus superbus L or D. chinensis L., family Caryophyllaceae.

• Indication: (a). Clear away heat, promote diuresis and relieve stranguria: For stranguria of heat type and caused by urinary stone. (b). Remove bloody stasis and restore menstruation: For amenorrhea of blood stasis type.

• Pharmacological Actions: (a). Diuretic and hypotensive. (b). Cardio-inhibitory. (c). Exciting the intesinal tract of experimental animals in vivo and in vitro

Herba Polygoni Avicularis

Source: The whole plant of Polygonum aviculare L., family Polygonaceae.

• Indication: (a). Promote diuresis and relieve stranguria: For stranguria caused by urinary stone and of heat-type. (b). Clear away dampness-heat: For dysentery and jundice of dampness-heat type. (c). Cool the blood and stop bleeding: For hematuria and metrorrhagia. (d). Alleviate itching: External use for eczema, trichomonas vaginitis, pruritus valvae.

• Pharmacological Actions: Avicularin, an active component, is a diuretic and cholecystagogue.

Rhizoma Alismatis

• Source: The stem tuber of Alisma orientale ( Sam.) Juzep., family Alismataceae.

• Indication: Promote diuresis to eliminate dampness from the lower-jiao and expel heat: For dampness-retention syndrome, such as edema, dysuria, diarrhea and leucorrhagia; for jaundice of dampness-heat typel; for dizziness due to the retention of phlegm. Recently used for otogenic dizziness; for stranguria of heat type and urinary stone origin; for syndrome of kidney-fire excess manifested as dizziness, flushed face and hectic fever. Recently also used for hyperlipemia, cirrhotic ascites and fatty liver.

• Pharmacological Actions: (a). Protective against hyperlipemia and fatty liver in experimental animals. (b). Its decoction exters a diuretic effect. (c). Increasong coronary flow in rabbits. (d). Decreasing the level of blood sugar.

Herba Dendrobii

• Source: The stem of Dendrobium nobile Lindl., D. chrysanthum Wall. ex Lindl., D. loddigesii Rolfe and Ephemerantha fimbriata (Bl.) Hunt et Summerh., family Orchidaceae.
• Indication: Nourish yin, clear away heat, benefit stomach and promote the production of body fluid: For febrile diseases with consumption of yin manifested as dry throat, thirst, asthenic-heat, and vexation; insufficiency of stomach-yin and flaming-up of asthenic fire manifested as epigastric pain, thirst, retching, red tongue with little coating or uncoated and smooth tongue.

• Pharmacological Actions: (a). Dendrobine, one of its components, exerts the effects of raising the level of blood sugar, hypotensive, antipyretic and analgesic. (b). Its infusion is cardio-inhibitory. (c). Low dosage causes excitation while high dosage causes inhibition of the intestine of rabbits in vitro.

Medulla Junci

• Source: Pith of Juncus effusus L., family Juncaceae. Surface white or light yellow, with longitudinal striae. Texture light in weight, floating on water, very soft, elastic when slightly pressed, easily bend, fractured section white. Odourless, bland taste. Cutting as segment, 10-20 cm long, bundled.

• Indication: Purging heat-fire, promoting diuresis. Indicated for irritability, insomnia, oliguria, aphthae.

Semen Plantaginis

• Source: Seed of Plantago asiatica L. and other species of the same genus, family Plantaginaceae..

• Indication: (a). Clear away heat promote diuresis and relieve stranguria: For stranguria of heat type or of urinary stone origin, edema and diarrhea of dampness-heat or summer-heat and dampness type. (b). Clear away heat to improve visual acuity: For conjunctivitis of liver-heat origin; for dim eyesight due to liver-deficiency. (c). Eliminate sputum and relieve cough: For cough of lung-heat type.

• Pharmacological Actions: (a). Diuretic. (b). Expectorant and antitussive.

Herba Scutellariae Barbatae

• Source: Herb of Scutellaria barbata D. Don, family Labiatae.

• Indication: (a). Clear away heat and toxic material. promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis: For carbuncle, cellulitis, acute appendicitis, scorfula, snake bite, trauma and abdominal mass. Recently, usually applied for liver cancer, and also tumour of digestive tract, carcinoma of lung, cervix and breast, etc. (b). Clear away dampness-heat: For jaundice of dampness-heat type, ascites, edema. leucorrhea of dampness-heat type and dysentery. (c). Eliminate the phlegm, relieve cough and dyspnea: For cough of lung-heat type with profuse expectoration and dyspnea.

• Pharmacological Actions: (a). Inhibiting sarcoma180, cervix carcinoma14 and brain tumour22 in mice. (b). Its alcoholic extract can relax bronchiospasm, and carthamidin counteract the spasm of smooth muscles induced by histamine. (c). Expectorant and antitussive. (d). Diuretic.

Flos Carthami

• Source: The flower of Carthamus tinctorius L., family Compositae.

• Indication: (a). Promote blood circulation to remove blood stasis, promote menstruation and alleviate pain: For blood-stasis syndrome with amenia, dysmenorrhea, or postpartum abdominal pain, and traumatic injury. Recently, for ischemic apoplexy, angina pectoris, thromboangiitis obliterans, sudden deafness, sclerederma neonatorum, flat wart, neurodermatitis, etc. (b). Promote blood circulation to relieve carbuncle: For preventing and treating bed sore (ecternal use); for conjunctivitis and the early stafe of the carbuncle. (c). Proote blood circulation and let out the skin eruption: For blood stasis with impediment of skin eruptions.

• Pharmacological Actions: (a). Its decoction stimulate uteri and intestines of experimental animals i vitro. (b). Its decoction increases coronary flow and lowers blood pressure in dogs. (c). Small dose of its decoction mildly stimulates and large dose inhibits the heart of toads.

Herba Hedyotis Diffusae

• Source: Herb of Hedyotis diffusa Willd., family Rubiaceae.

• Indication: (a). Clear away heat and toxic material, promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis: For sthenia-heat syndrome in qifen and heat-toxic syndrome, especially for appendicitis, sorethroat and mumps; for acne, seborheic dermatitis, and various kinds of tumours, such as tumours of digestive tract, carcinoma of liver, pancreas and urinary bladder, lymphoma, hysteromyoma, etc.; also for snake bite. (b). Clear away dampness-heat: For jaundice of dampness-heat type, infectious hepatitis including acute, chronic and fulminant types, also for stranguria of heat-type, leucorrhagia of dampness-heat type and edema.

• Pharmacological Actions: (a). Its components coumarins, triterpenes, polysaccharide and ß-sitosterol inhibit the growth of sarcoma180 and cervix carcinoma14 in vitro. (b). Promoting white cell phagocytosis and humoral immunity.