INDIVIDUAL HERBS
| Pharmaceutical Latin: | Fructus Arctii |
| Common English: | Arctium Great Burdock Fruit Cocklebur |
| Taste | Temperature | Entering Meridians | Dosage |
Acrid Bitter (Slightly Sweet) |
Cold (Cool) |
Lung Stomach |
3-12g Tincture: 2-4ml |
| Actions | Indications/Syndromes |
Disperses Wind-Heat and benefits the throat |
Wind-Heat with fever, cough and sore throat |
Relieves toxicity and vents rashes |
Carbuncles, red swellings, early-stage measles, mumps, erythema, acute febrile maculo-papular rashes Incomplete expression of rashes Pruritic rashes due to Wind-Heat |
Moistens the Intestines |
Wind-Heat toxins where there is also Internal Heat causing constipation Constipation associated with other forms of toxicity such as acne |
CONTRAINDICATIONS |
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INCOMPATIBILITIES |
HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS |
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Rx. Glycyrrhizae |
Rx. Platycodi |
Rx. Platycodi |
Strongly clears the throat and Lungs to treat Wind-Heat Attacks the Lungs or Fire toxin flaring upwards. |
Throat inflammation and productive cough due to Wind-Heat. |
To increase the Wind-Heat dispersing properties of the previous combination. |
Rx. Platycodi |
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Wind-Heat coughs with difficult to expectorate sputum. |
Severe sore throat. |
Cough and Yin Deficiency. |
Rx. Angelicae Dahuricae |
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Incomplete expression of rashes. Pruritic rashes due to Wind-Heat. |
Pain and swelling of carbuncles and boils that have not yet ulcerated. |
Severe sore throat due to Fire toxin. |
Rz. Dioscoreae |
Fr. Forsythiae |
Rz. Cimicifugae |
Cough and dyspnea due to Yin Deficiency affecting the Lungs. |
Unblocks and drains Heat toxin, disperses clumps and swellings for sore, swollen throat, swellings like mumps, boils and other Heat toxin lesions and ulcerations and abscesses of the tongue and mouth. |
Incomplete expression of measles rash. |
Hb. Violae |
Hb. Menthae Haplocalycis |
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Toxic Heat swellings, carbuncles and mumps. |
Sores due to Wind-Heat, dry throat, cough with yellow sputum and incomplete expression of measles or pruritic rash. |
Pain and swelling of the throat. |
Fol. Isatidis |
Rx. Isatidis |
Flos Lonicerae |
Dermatological disorders due to accumulation of Heat and toxins with redness and/or pain. |
Mumps. |
Sore throat caused by a febrile disorder or Wind-Heat. |
Lasiosphere/Calvatia |
Flos Lonicerae |
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Clears Heat and eliminates toxins for sore throat. |
Sores, carbuncles or fixed swellings with redness and pain. |
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- Some sources say that this herb clears Heat, normalizes Lung function and acts as a diuretic.
- It is good for skin ailments with severe swelling and Phlegm.
- It is used externally for skin inflammations.
- It has a long history as an antibacterial folk remedy in Europe and the Americas.
- In the Middle Ages, it was used for gall stones and kidney stones.
- This herb can either raise or descend Qi to treat Wind-Phlegm in the upper body, swelling of the face and eyes, difficulty swallowing and all accumulations of toxic Heat.
- This herb has been shown to inhibit the growth of cancer cells.
- For swelling due to Heat in the throat, decoct 15g Niu Bang Zi in 200 ml of water, boil down to 40 ml and take three times a day.
- Rx. Arctii, Burdock Root, Niu Bang Gen is pounded and its juice is used for pharyngeal swelling in children.
- For the treatment of chronic malignant boils, ulcerous mass and stubborn anal fistula, pound and blend Niu Bang Gen with lard to seal the lesion every day.
- For amenorrhea, and an abdominal mass with severe distention, steam 1000g of Niu Bang Gen three times, put in a silk bag and immerse in 1000ml of wine for five days. Take a small cup of the wine before each meal every day.
- Both Niu Bang Zi and Hb. Menthae Haplocalycis Bo He spread and disperse Wind-Heat and are frequently combined for this purpose. Niu Bang Zi is bitter, draining and slippery, vents Wind-Heat without inducing sweating and is beneficial for the throat. It also cools, relieves toxicity, disseminates Lung Qi to stop coughs and transform Phlegm, vents skin rashes and facilitates bowel movements. Bo He is acrid, cool and induces sweating. It is good for dispersing Heat in the face and eyes and treating sores and skin rashes, regulating Qi, relieving constraint and breaking up turbid filth by the effect of its aroma.
- Dry-fried Arctium Chao Niu Bang Zi is less cold and slippery and does not injure the Middle Jiao Yang Qi, especially for elderly or deficient patients.
- Processed Arctium Zhi Niu Bang Zi or Cooked Arctium Shu Niu Bang Zi is able to rise, enabling it to roam all twelve channels, expel Wind from the skin and eliminate toxic rashes.