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INDIVIDUAL HERBS

NAME: HE ZI - 訶子 - FRUCTUS CHEBULAE

Pharmaceutical Latin:	Fructus Chebulae
Common English:	Chebula Myrobalan Fruit Terminalia Chebgium

PROPERTIES

Taste	Temperature	Entering Meridians	Dosage
Bitter Sour Astringent	Neutral (Warm)	Lung Stomach Large Intestine (Spleen) (Kidney)	3-10g Tincture: 2-4ml

ACTIONS AND INDICATIONS

Actions

Indications/Syndromes

Astringes the Intestines and stops diarrhea

Chronic diarrhea and dysenteric disorders (both Heat and Cold patterns)

Intestinal Wind with hemafecia

Contains leakage of Lung Qi, stops coughing, improves the condition of the throat (Descends Lung Qi) and relieves Qi Stagnation in the diaphragm and chest

Chronic coughing, wheezing, and especially loss of voice

Coughing due to Phlegm-Fire Obstructing the Lungs (in combination)

CONTRAINDICATIONS, INCOMPATIBILITIES AND HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS

CONTRAINDICATIONS

Contraindicated for those with exterior patterns.
Contraindicated for those with internal accumulation and Stagnation of Damp-Heat.
Use with caution for those with acute coughing and diarrhea.
Use with caution for those with Spleen Deficiency.
It may inhibit digestive function.

INCOMPATIBILITIES

HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS

MAJOR COMBINATIONS

Galla Chinensis Wu Bei Zi Fr. Mume Wu Mei	Per. Papaveris Ying Su Ke Rz. Zingiberis Gan Jiang Per. Citri Reticulatae Chen Pi	Rz. Coptidis Huang Lian Rx. Aucklandiae Mu Xiang
Purulent bloody stools associated with dysenteric disorders.	Severe diarrhea due to Deficiency Cold.	Chronic dysenteric disorders with Heat.
Rz. Atractylodis Macrocephalae Bai Zhu Sm. Euryales Qian Shi	Rx. Ginseng Ren Shen Rz. Atractylodis Macrocephalae Bai Zhu Sm. Myristicae Rou Dou Kou	Rx. Saposhnikoviae Fang Feng Rx. Angelicae Dahuricae Bai Zhi Rx. Gentianae Macrophyllae Qin Jiao
Chronic diarrhea.	Long-term dysenteric disorders that have seriously injured the normal Qi leading to a prolapsed rectum.	Intestinal Wind where Fire and Wind stoke each other marked by bleeding of fresh Blood from the rectum.
Pumex Fu Shi Per. Trichosanthis Gua Lou Pi	Rx. Platycodi Jie Geng Rx. Glycyrrhizae Gan Cao	Fr. Schisandrae Wu Wei Zi Fr Mume Wu Mei (Rx. Adenophorae/Glehniae) (*Sha Shen)* Bul. Lilii Bai He
Chronic coughing and blood streaked sputum due to Lung Yin Deficiency.	Chronic hoarseness and loss of voice.	Chronic, incessant coughing and hoarseness due to Lung Yin Deficiency.
Rx. Glycyrrhizae Gan Cao	Borax Peng Sha Indigo Naturalis Qing Dai	Per. Papaveris Zhi Ying Su Ke
Hoarse voice.	Chronic hoarseness with a swollen, painful throat. (made into honey pills)	Binds Intestines and stops diarrhea.
Alumen Ming Fan	Gecko Ge Jie Fr. Schisandrae Wu Wei Zi Rx. Ginseng Ren Shen	Bul. Lilii Bai He Fr. Schisandrae Wu Wei Zi Fr Mume Wu Mei Rx. Ophiopogonis Mai Men Dong Fr. Aristolochiae Ma Dou Ling
Internally as a powder for chronic, recalcitrant diarrhea in the elderly.	Lung Qi Deficiency with chronic coughing, dyspnea ad asthma.	Chronic coughing.
Fr Mume Wu Mei Rz. Belamcandae She Gan Periostracum Cicadae Chan Tui Flos Inulae Xuan Fu Hua	Sm. Myristicae Rou Dou Kou Sm. Euryales Qian Shi Rx. Aucklandiae Mu Xiang Fr. Evodiae Wu Zhu Yu Fr. Psoraliae Bu Gu Zhi Rz. Atractylodis Macrocephalae Bai Zhu	Fr Mume Wu Mei Halloysitum Rubrum Chi Shi Zhi Four-Miracle Pill Si Shen Wan
Chronic laryngitis and pharyngitis with loss of voice.	Chronic diarrhea due to Deficiency and Cold.	Chronic dysentery.
Rz. Coptidis Huang Lian Rx. Aucklandiae Mu Xiang Rx. Glycyrrhizae Gan Cao	Rx. Saposhnikoviae Fang Feng Charred Flos Sophorae Huai Hua Charred Rx. Sanguisorbae Di Yu Charred Cx. Phellodendri Huang Bai Rz. Atractylodis Macrocephalae Bai Zhu	Per. Citri Reticulatae Chen Pi Cx. Magnoliae Officinalis Hou Po
Chronic diarrhea caused by Damp-Heat.	Bloody diarrhea.	Descends Qi.
Rx. Ginseng Ren Shen
Nourishes the Lungs and relieves coughs.

NOTES

This herb has recently been used for depression.
The strength of its downward-draining action is greater than its astringing action.
Unprepared, it treats the Lungs, baked, it treats the Spleen.
It can be used alone as a decocted drink for chronic coughing leading to loss of voice.
It can be combined with vinegar and burned so that it smokes the area while the patient squats over it to treat hemorrhoids and postpartum vaginal pain. It can also be decocted to steam and wash the area.
Both He Zi and Fr. Schisandrae Wu Wei Zi astringe the Lungs, stop coughs and treat chronic dysenteric disorders and diarrhea. He Zi descends Fire to unbind the voice and is better for Spleen Deficiency with Cold causing chronic, incessant diarrhea. Wu Wei Zi generates Yang Fluids to to moisten the Lungs and is better for daybreak diarrhea due to Kidney Deficiency. The two herbs are often used in combination.
Both He Zi and Fr. Mume Wu Mei are sour astringent and restrain the Lung Qi to stop chronic cough due to Lung Qi Deficiency and both enter the Large Intestine to treat long term diarrhea and dysenteric disorders. Wu Mei generates fluids, strengthens the Stomach and expels roundworms, none of which He Zi does. On the other hand, He Zi has is a stronger astringent so that it directs Qi downward to benefit the throat and unbind the voice, which Wu Mei cannot do.
Chebula Flesh He Zi Rou has the same properties as he Zi but is more effective.
Dry-fried Chebula Chao He Zi is warm, less sour and less astringent. It harmonizes the Stomach and transforms Phlegm and Food Stagnation better. Baked, it warms the Middle, stabilizes the Spleen, astringes the Intestines and stops diarrhea. It is used for chronic diarrhea or dysenteric disorders due to Spleen and Stomach Deficiency Cold with rectal prolapse and water vaginal discharge. In mild cases, it can be used as a stand-alone herb for these conditions.
Fr. Chebulae Immaturus (Tibetan Blue-Green Fruit) Zang Qing Guo benefits the throat and restores the voice and is frequently used for swollen sore throat, hoarseness and loss of voice.