Nature: acrid, bitter, cold

Enters: Heart, Liver, Gallbladder, Lung

Actions: Promotes blood and Qi circulation, dispels blood stasis; promotes circulation of liver Qi; relieves pain; clears heart heat; cools the blood; opens the orifices of the heart; normalizes the function of the gallbladder and relieves jaundice.

Indications:
• Qi or blood stasis which has created heat.
• Liver Qi stagnation and blood stasis: pain in the chest, hypochondria, costal region, and abdomen, irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea, masses in the abdomen.
• Blockage of the heart by damp-heat: distention in the chest and epigastrium, fuzzy head.
• Blockage of heart by stagnant phlegm and Qi: seizures, mania, mental depression, anxiety, agitation.
• Liver Qi stagnation heat: hematemesis, hematuria, epistaxis during menstrual period.
• Gallbladder disorders: damp-heat, jaundice, gall stones, hepatitis.
• Lung heat.
• Topical and internal: pain related to traumatic injury, chronic sores.
• Viral hepatitis: effective at alleviating pain, treating jaundice, and reducing organomegaly.
• There are two main types of Yu jin: Chuan yu jin (“River Constrained Gold”) is less commonly used, is considered to be milder, and is usually used for patients who are relatively weak; Guang yu jin (“Broad Constrained Gold”) is the more commonly used variety.
• There has been much confusion in the identification of Yu jin vs Jiang huang, and even another Curcuma species, E zhu. Subhuti Dharmananda explains the taxonomy and history in this article.
MLT: Use with Shi chang pu for mental derangement, the effects of intoxicating drugs such as marijuana, and lack of focus.
Hsu: Promotes production and secretion of bile; stimulates motor activities of the stomach; stimulates gastric secretions and appetite.
HF: A Sha Chong (kill worms or parasites) herb, important in Gu Zheng (Gu parasites) formulas.

Dose: 4.5-9g