Nature: bitter, sweet, salty, cold

Enters: Kidney, Lung, Stomach

Actions: Nourishes Yin; strongly clears heat and eliminates toxicity; cools the blood; softens hardness, dissipates nodules and swellings; drains fire.

Indications:
• Stagnation of heat/fire and toxicity in the blood: swollen, severely painful throat, swollen or red eyes, carbuncles, boils, nodes in the skin. For throat problems, Xuan shen can be used for wind-heat, Lung heat, and kidney Yin deficiency patterns when combined appropriately.
• Ying level heat with injury of the Yin: feverish body, dry mouth, deep red tongue.
• Heat in the blood or Xue level heat: skin eruption, restlessness, delirium, bleeding, dry mouth, purplish tongue.
• Phlegm-fire: neck lumps, enlarged lymph nodes, etc. (Often with Zhe bei mu)
• Weaker than Sheng di at nourishing Yin.
• Lowers blood pressure – especially effective for renal hypertension – probably by vasodilation.
• Dry-fry it in salt to enhance its Yin nourishing properties.
• Not to be combined with Li lu.
Li: For enlarged lymph nodes, use Xuan shen:Huang lian::1:2.
• Caution with the dosage for sore throat – its ability to generate Yin can create phlegm (2g or less per day is safe).
• Can treat hyperthyroidism
PFGC: Treats rootless kidney fire attacking the throat.
Hsu: Vasodilator; stimulates blood circulation; antiphlogistic; hypotensive; antipyretic; hypoglycemiant; antifungal.
• Use 30-90g for tuberculosis and vasculitis.
DY: Drains floating fire; disinhibits the throat.
• With Ban lan gen to clear heat, resolve toxins, cool the blood, nourish Yin, downbear fire, disinhibit the throat, disperse swelling, and stop pain. For painful, red, swollen throat with dry, red tongue, and a fine, rapid pulse due to Yin deficiency generating a deficiency fire or replete fire which damages Yin. For heat-toxins, add Shan dou gen and Gan cao. For deficiency fire, add Mai men dong and Sheng di huang.
HF: An An Shen (spirit calming) herb, important in Gu Zheng (Gu parasite) formulas (because of emotional disturbance common in patients with Gu).
NAH: (Figwort – S. nodosa) Alterative. Thought to stimulate the lymphatic system. Formerly used [in Western herbalism] to treat scrofula (tuberculosis of the cervical lymph nodes). Because of its eliminative power, it is useful for eruptive skin diseases.
PCBDP: (herb) Diuretic, depurative, anodyne.

Dose: 6-30g