Nature: sweet, slightly bitter, neutral

Enters: Spleen, Lung

Actions: Tonifies Lung Qi and spleen Qi; produces body fluids.

Indications:
• Spleen and Lung Qi deficiency: poor appetite, fatigue, palpitations, spontaneous sweating.
• Lung deficiency, dryness, heat: cough and thirst.
• Qi and yin deficiency: thirst, palpitations, insomnia. Treats chronic febrile disorders.
• Especially indicated for those who are so deficient that they can’t assimilate stronger/richer tonics; also commonly used for those recuperating from chronic illness. [Chen & Chen]
• Commonly used for Spleen Qi deficiency with Stomach yin deficiency.
• Thirst and injury to fluids after a febrile disease.
• Unrelenting fever or summer-heat in children.
• Specifically considered a weak Qi tonic (yet not inexpensive)
• Used with Wu wei zi to treat “neurasthenia”: fatigue, lassitude, depression, anxiety, etc.
• For poor appetite due to Spleen and Stomach deficiency, combine with Bai zhu and Gu ya.
• For acute or chronic hepatitis, combine with Wu wei zi and Yu mi xu.
• For insomnia and palpitations due to Qi and Yin deficiency with heat, combine with Wu wei zi, Suan zao ren, and Bai zi ren.
• For thirst due to Qi and Yin deficiency with heat, combine with Sheng di, Zhi mu, Mai men dong.
• For dry cough due to heat drying Lung fluids, combine with Sha shen, Bai he, Mai men dong, and Bei mu.
• Similar to Xi yang shen, but gentle – weaker than Xi yang shen at tonifying both Qi and Yin, but a reasonable substitute for mild cases of Qi and Yin deficiency.
• Can often be used as a substitute for Ren shen, especially in cases of liver Yang rising.
• Contraindicated for use with Li lu.
MLT: Very similar to Starflower (Trientalis borealis) of the Pacific Northwest United States.

Dose: 9-30g