All Common Herbs

TCM: Listed under "Herbs that drain downwards", included in "Moist Laxatives", it also tonifies Blood and dispels Wind.   General: Flax is an annual herb which is believed to have originated in Egypt, but is now grown worldwide. Flax is one of the oldest cultivated plants in history; passages in the Bible mention that Jewish high priests wore garments made from flax, and flax-woven cloths and flaxseeds have been found in Egyptian tombs. Flaxseed has been used therapeutically for thousands of years. As far back …

Ligusticum root (also referred to as ‘cnidium’) is used orally in formulas to treat a wide variety of disorders that involve pain or poor blood circulation. It has been shown to dilate the coronary arteries and improve blood flow to the heart muscle and lower oxygen consumption of the heart muscle. It improves blood flow to the brain and limbs and lowers the resistance of the peripheral blood vessels. It also has the following actions: antispasmodic, analgesic antibiotic, anti-coagulation of …

Listed under "Herbs that release the Exterior" in "Warm, Acrid Herbs", the warm, acrid Ligusticum sinense (gao ben), enters the Bladder channel and the Governing Vessel (du mai). It dispels Wind and Cold, relieves pain and dries Damp. It dispels Wind and Cold to treat the common cold and headache (especially vertex) and those involving the teeth, gynecological hernia, swellings and masses, abdominal pain due to Cold and Damp, diarrhoea. It is used externally for skin diseases. It contains ferulic acid, volatile oils …

See Juncus effusus, medulla …

TCM: Listed under ‘Herbs that drain Dampness’, sweet, bland, slightly cold Juncus effusus entered the Heart, Lung and Small Intestine channels. It eliminates Heat in the Heart and Lungs and directs it downward, promotes urination and unblocks painful urinary dribbling, leads Heat downward from the Heart and out through the urine via the Small Intestine,calms the Mind. General: It is used in the treatment of restlessness and insomnia, ulcerations of the mouth or tongue, urethral infections, oliguria and difficult urination, jaundice due to Damp …

TCM: Listed under ‘Herbs that clear Heat’, in ‘Herbs that clear Heat and resolve Toxicity’, bitter, cold Isatis tinctoria root (ban lan gen) enters the Heart, Lung and Stomach channels.  iIt clears Heat and Toxins,cools the Blood and benefits the throat.eg mumps. General: It treats fever due to Warm diseases, common cold due to Wind Heat, sore throat, meningitis, encephalitis B, pneumonia, parotitis. …