Nature: sweet, slightly cold
Enters: Lung, Stomach, Gallbladder
Actions: Descends gallbladder and stomach Qi and fire; clears heat; resolves phlegm; stops vomiting; cools the blood, stops bleeding; eases restlessness.
Indications:
• Vomiting: especially due to stomach heat and rebellious stomach Qi; also for other patterns (including morning sickness), when appropriately combined.
• Lung phlegm-heat: cough with thick and yellowish sputum, stifling sensation in the chest, hemoptysis.
• Shen disturbance due to gallbladder and/or stomach heat: restlessness, insomnia.
• Stomach heat: bad breath, aversion to heat, yellow, greasy tongue coat.
• Epistaxis, hematemesis.
• Often fried in ginger juice to mitigate its slightly cold nature.
• Compared to Ban xia, Zhu ru has similar effects and the two are often used together, though Zhu ru is cooling and is better for calming the Shen and alleviating irritability.
Hsu: Strongly antibacterial.
DY: With Ban xia for mutual reinforcement, to effectively dry dampness, clear heat, transform phlegm, harmonize the stomach, and stop vomiting. For such indications as:
– 1. Hiccup, nausea, and vomiting due to counterflow of stomach Qi. (Use ginger-processed Ban xia and ginger mix-fried Zhu ru.)
– 2. Vertigo, agitation, and insomnia due to phlegm turbidity. (Use lime-processed Ban xia and ginger-processed Zhu ru.)
– 3. Nausea and vomiting during pregnancy due to disharmony of the stomach, phlegm-heat, or heat in the stomach. In cases of stomach disharmony, add Zi su geng and Sha ren. In cases of stomach cold, add Sheng jiang and Sha ren. In cases of phlegm-heat, add Pi pa ye. In cases of stomach heat, add Bai mao gen and Pi pa ye.
Dose: 4.5-10g