Nature: sweet, neutral
Enters: Liver, Kidney
Actions: Nourishes blood; supports Jing; moistens the large intestine, promotes bowel movement; extinguishes wind (due to blood deficiency).
Indications:
• Blood deficiency, body fluid deficiency, or Yin deficiency: constipation (good for the elderly).
• Blood and Jing deficiency: early greying of the hair, dizziness.
• Internal wind due to blood deficiency: headache, dizziness, numbness.
• This herb is only a weak tonic, but it has no side effects.
• Very rich in calcium.
• Sesame oil: excellent for massage, non-comedogenic, bacteriostatic.
Yoga of Herbs (Frawley and Lad): Tila: V-; P, K, or Ama + (in excess)
• Rejuvenative tonic for Vata.
• Sattvic.
Hong-Yen Hsu (Oriental Materia Medica): Purgative, lowers blood sugar.
Dose: 9-30g
Have you heard of an herb named Hei Ma Yi (Polyrhachis vicina roger)? Black ant extract has been labeled online as a traditional Chinese herb but I don’t see it categorized in any Chinese materia medica.
I believe it’s an obscure yang tonic.