INDIVIDUAL HERBS
| Pharmaceutical Latin: | Radix Adenophorae/Glehniae |
| Common English: | Adenophora (Nan) Four Leaf Lady-Bell Root Upright Lady-Bell Root Glehnia Root (Bei) Coastal Glehnia Root |
| Taste | Temperature | Entering Meridians | Dosage |
Sweet Slightly Bitter |
Slightly Cold (Cool) |
Lung Stomach |
9-30g |
| Taste | Temperature | Entering Meridians | Dosage |
Sweet (Slightly Bitter) |
Cool |
Lung Stomach |
9-15g |
| Actions | Indications/Syndromes |
Nourishes Lung Yin and clears Lung Heat |
Dry, non-productive cough due to Heat injuring the Lung Yin with dry mouth and thirst |
Nourishes Stomach Yin and generates fluids |
Pathogenic Heat due to Warm febrile disease injuring the Stomach Yin with parched mouth, thirst and irritability |
Tonifies Liver and Kidney Yin |
Liver and Kidney Yin Deficiencies with Dryness or Qi and Blood Stagnation causing hypochondriac pain, acid reflux, dry mouth and throat and a red tongue |
| Actions | Indications/Syndromes |
Nourishes Yin, moistens the Lungs, dispels Phlegm and stops coughing |
Dry, non-productive cough due to Lung Yin Deficiency Chronic consumptive cough with Blood in the sputum or hoarseness |
Nourishes the Stomach, generates fluids and clears Heat |
Used in the aftermath of a febrile disease or when Yin Deficiency causes dry mouth or throat with accompanying constipation |
CONTRAINDICATIONS |
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INCOMPATIBILITIES |
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HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS |
Chronic, dry, non-productive cough with marked reduction of fluids due to Lung Yin Deficiency. Thirst and Dryness due to Stomach Yin Deficiency. |
Hemoptysis due to Yin Deficiency and Heat from consumption. |
Dry, parched throat and thirst after a warm pathogen disease injuring Stomach Yin. |
Tub. Ophiopogonis |
Tub. Ophiopogonis |
Gypsum Fibrosum |
Dry cough with little Phlegm and a parched throat due to Lung Dryness or Heat injuring the Lung Yin. Dry throat, constipation, thirst and a red tongue with little coat due to pathogenic Warmth or Heat injuring the Stomach Yin or long-term Yin Deficiency. |
Dry cough. |
Dry cough with Fire. |
Tub. Ophiopogonis |
Colla Corii Asini |
Fol. Mori |
Dry cough with scanty, yellow, difficult-to-expectorate sputum. |
Dry cough with Blood or Blood-streaked sputum. |
Wind-Heat with aversion to Cold. |
Cx. Mori |
Bul. Fritillariae Cirrhosae |
Tub. Ophiopogonis |
Lung Heat with coughing and yellow sputum. |
Lung Yin Deficiency with Dryness and Rising Deficient Fire. |
Chronic Stomach Yin Deficiency. |
Fr. Setariae Germinatus |
Rz. Dioscoreae |
Rx. Rehmanniae Preparata |
Chronic Stomach Yin Deficiency with poor appetite or Food Stagnation. |
Chronic Stomach Yin Deficiency with Spleen Qi Deficiency. |
Liver and Kidney Yin Deficiency. |
Tub. Ophiopogonis |
Bul. Fritillariae Cirrhosae |
Hb. Dendrobii |
Chronic, dry, non-productive cough with marked reduction of fluids due to Lung Yin Deficiency. Thirst and Dryness due to Stomach Yin Deficiency. |
Dry cough with sputum that is difficult to expectorate due to Lung Yin Deficiency. |
Thirst, dry throat and mouth, constipation, and/or low-grade fever due to Stomach Yin Deficiency in the aftermath of warm febrile disease where the fluids have been injured. |
Rz. Polygonati Odorati |
Fol. Armeniacae |
Fol. Mori |
Itching, especially when aggravated by Dryness and Cold as during the winter. Symptoms of Lung Yin DeficiencyDry cough, thirst and other symptoms associated with injured Fluids due to Lung and Stomach Yin Deficiency. Qi Level or Yang Ming Stage pathogenic diseases with profuse sweating - particularly if purging was used previously. |
Cooked with eggs, a large dose of Nan Sha Shen with Xing Ren treats toothache due to Yin Deficient Fire. Cooked with pork, they can treat lactation insufficiency. |
Initial stage of an exterior Warm febrile disease with Dryness, with acute dry cough and yellow sputum. |
Tub. Ophiopogonis |
Rx. Asparagi |
Gypsum Fibrosum |
Dry Heat damaging the Lung and Stomach Yin with dry cough, thirst, dry throat and scanty sputum. |
Dryness and Heat turning into Fire causing a dry cough with Blood-streaked sputum. |
Dry cough with difficult-to-expectorate sputum. Lung Heat with cough and yellow Phlegm. |
Rx. Asparagi |
Rx. Rehmanniae Preparata |
Rx. Ophiopogonis |
Chronic dry cough with no sputum due to Lung Yin Deficiency. |
Tuberculosis or other chronic respiratory disorders due to Yin Deficiency. |
Stomach Yin Deficiency. |
Fr. Hordei Germinatus |
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Stomach Yin Deficiency with poor appetite. |
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- Glehnia is thinner and more pliable than Adenophora.
- It is commonly used as Yin tonic for the Lungs.
- It has a similar action to American Ginseng Xi Yang Shen .
- Glehnia is Northern Sha Shen.
- Herbal pharmacies will generally supply Bei Sha Shen when Sha Shen is written on the prescription.
- Bei Sha Shen, Nan Sha Shen and Rx. Adenophorae Recens Xian Sha Shen all are sweet, cold, clear Heat, nourish the Yin, generate fluids and enter the Lungs and Stomach. Bei Sha Shen is heavier and firmer and more strongly enriches the Yin, especially of the Stomach. It is used when warm febrile disease has injured the fluids or led to Stomach Yin Deficiency. Nan Sha Shen is lighter, less dense, slightly bitter and is better at expelling Phlegm. It still nourishes Yin and cools Heat especially of the Lungs. It is used to treat Lung Yin Deficiency, especially if there is Phlegm. Xian Sha Shen is very juicy and is especially good at clearing Heat and generating fluids. Bei Sha Shen and Nan Sha Shen are often combined.
- Dry-fried Sha Shen, Chao Sha Shen is not so cold so that it nourishes Yin without injuring digestion. Dry-fried with rice Mi Chao She Shen is not as cloying and actively harmonizes the Stomach while nourishing Lung and Stomach fluids.
- Prepared Sha Shen, Zhi Sha Shen has an enhanced ability to moisten the Lungs and nourish the Stomach. It also harmonizes the Spleen and Stomach and is better at stopping coughs and expelling Phlegm.
- Adenophora is more brittle than Glehnia.
- It is commonly used as Yin tonic for the Lung. It is milder but better at resolving Phlegm.
- It is similar to American Ginseng Xi Yang Shen.
- It is a less potent Yin tonic than Glehnia.
- It is better at stopping coughs.
- It does not generate fluids.
- It is common in treatment of children’s coughs.
- It is Southern Sha Shen.
- Herbal pharmacies will generally supply Bei Sha Shen when Sha Shen is written on the prescription.
- Both Bei Sha Shen and Nan Sha Shen are sweet, cold, clear Heat, nourish the Yin, generate fluids and enter the Lungs and Stomach. Bei Sha Shen is heavier and firmer and more strongly enriches the Yin, especially of the Stomach. It is used when warm febrile disease has injured the fluids or led to Stomach Yin Deficiency. Nan Sha Shen is lighter, less dense, slightly bitter and is better at expelling Phlegm. It still nourishes Yin and cools Heat especially of the Lungs. It is used to treat Lung Yin Deficiency, especially if there is Phlegm. Bei Sha Shen and Nan Sha Shen are often combined.
- Both Sha Shen and Rx. Polygonati Odorati Yu Zhu enter the Lungs and Stomach and both nourish Yin and generate fluids. Yu Zhu has a slower, more harmonious action that requires a higher dosage, while Sha Shen is more cooling.
- Both Sha Shen and Bul. Lilii Bai He nourish Yin, clear the Lungs, moisten Dryness, stop coughing and are used in the treatment o dry coughs. Sha Shen is better for augmenting the Stomach, generating fluids and stopping thirst, while clearing the lungs and expelling Phlegm. Bai He moistens the Lungs, stops hemoptysis, clears the Heart and quiets the Spirit.
- Dry-fried Sha Shen, Chao Sha Shen is not so cold so that it nourishes Yin without injuring digestion. Dry-fried with rice Mi Chao She Shen is not as cloying and actively harmonizes the Stomach while nourishing Lung and Stomach fluids.
- Prepared Sha Shen, Zhi Sha Shen has an enhanced ability to moisten the Lungs and nourish the Stomach. It also harmonizes the Spleen and Stomach and is better at stopping coughs and expelling Phlegm.
- Fresh Adenophorae Xian Sha Shen clears Heat and generates fluids and is especially good for Lung Heat with cough, vomiting of yellow Phlegm or thirst associated with warm febrile disease.