Nature: bitter, cold
Enter: Liver, Gallbladder, Large Intestine
Actions: Clears heat, drains liver fire; drains dampness; disperses wind-dampness; eliminates toxicity; benefits the eyes.
Indications:
• Stagnant liver heat: red, swollen, painful eyes or superficial visual obstruction.
• Damp-heat or large intestine heat and toxicity: dysentery (not amebic) with pus and blood.
• Wind-dampness: Bi syndrome, mainly hot.
• Bensky/Gamble classifies Qin pi with herbs that clear heat and dry dampness.
Hsu: Antiphlogistic; analgesic; suppresses arthritis; diuretic.
Dose: 4.5-15g
Excelsior species: Similarity to Qin pi (Fraxinus rhynchophylla, F. bungeana, F. chinensis) unknown. However, studies done in Russia would seem to indicate that Eastern species possess the same (or similar) properties as Western species.
K&R: (Ash – F. excelsior) Laxative, purgative, febrifuge, astringent.
• Moves the bowels, relieves the pain of constipation.
• Stimulates sluggish metabolism, stimulates secretions of the Islets of Langerhans.
• In Russia it is used as a circulatory stimulant to warm the hands and feet (warms the entire body).
• For intermittent fevers. Once used in place of quinine for malaria.
• Uremia (Cheynes-Stokes), arteriosclerosis, hypercholesterolemia.
• Metal, water, fire, and earth excess:
• Metal: arterial hypertension, arteriosclerosis, hypercholesterolemia, uremia.
• Fire: urinary calculi, gout, rheumatism.
• Water: oliguria, urinary calculi, hypertension, arteriosclerosis, promotes longevity.
• Earth: arthritis, arteriosclerosis, rheumatism, stimulates sluggish lymph.