INDIVIDUAL HERBS
| Pharmaceutical Latin: | Herba cum Radix Asari |
| Common English: | Asarum Chinese Wild Ginger Manchurian Wild Ginger Seoul Wild Ginger Siebold Wild Ginger |
| Taste | Temperature | Entering Meridians | Dosage |
Acrid (Slightly Bitter) |
Warm (Slightly Toxic) |
Lung Heart Kidney (Liver) |
0.5-5g Tincture: 0.5-2ml |
| Actions | Indications/Syndromes |
Releases Exterior Wind and Cold |
As an adjunctive for any exterior Wind-Cold especially with Dampness in Lung or underlying Yang Deficiency Frequently used for Wind-Cold when the dominant symptoms are head and body aches |
Disperses Wind-Cold and Internal Cold and alleviates pain |
Pain due to Wind and/or Cold anywhere in the body, particularly headache, painful obstruction, abdominal pain or headache due to obstruction of Fluids and Blood by Cold, often with anhydrous Wind-Cold-Damp Bi pain |
Warms the Lungs and transforms Phlegm and Thin Mucus (circulates water) |
Cough and Qi which surges upward and fullness in the chest in the chest with continuous cough from clumped Qi in the chest and diaphragm marked by copious, watery sputum due to Phlegm-Damp or Wind-Cold with congested fluids |
Disperses and unblocks the Qi of the nasal orifices (clears the orifices of the head) |
Nasal congestion Oral pathology Loss of consciousness |
Promotes healing of oral ulcerations |
Oral lesions or ulcerations |
Relieves toothache |
Toothache |
CONTRAINDICATIONS |
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INCOMPATIBILITIES |
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HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS |
Hb. Ephedrae |
Rx. Bupleuri
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Alleviates cough and wheezing due to Phlegm caused by Wind-Cold. Alleviates Wind-Cold-Damp Bi pain. |
Shao Yin Stage disorder with a deep pulse. Exterior Wind-Cold with underlying Yang Deficiency. |
Headache due to trauma or Wind-Cold obstructing the channels. |
Rx. Lateralis Aconiti Preparata |
Rx. Rehmanniae
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Painful obstruction with chills which is aggravated by exposure to Wind or Cold. |
Headache and toothache due to Wind-Heat |
Chest pain due to Cold induced stagnant Qi. |
Fr. Schisandrae |
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Painful breast lumps. |
Regulates the opening and closing of the Lungs, alleviating cough and calming wheezing for patients with existing thin mucus who are exposed to Wind-Cold leading to acute wheezing and coughing of clear thin sputum. |
Thin mucus rebelling upward and affecting the Lungs with wheezing and urinary difficulty. |
Rx. Asteris |
Rx. Angelicae Dahuricae |
Rz. Ligustici Chuanxiong |
Chronic, persistent cough. |
Nasal congestion and rhinorrhea. |
Wind-Cold headache, toothache and Bi pain. Shao Yin Cold headaches. Swelling and pain from sores, boils and trauma. |
Rz. Ligustici Chuanxiong |
Rz. Coptidis |
Rx. Angelicae Dahuricae |
Headache and nasal congestion due to Wind-Cold with loss of the sense of smell and profuse, runny nasal discharge. |
As a topical powder for mouth or tongue ulcers. |
Wind-Cold toothache. |
Rx. et Rz. Notopterygii |
Rx. seu Rz. Notopterygii |
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Toothache due to Stomach Fire. |
Wind-Cold-Damp Bi pain. |
Wind-Cold. |
Rx. Angelicae Pubescentis |
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Cold Phlegm and Fluid Attacking the Lungs. |
Disperses Cold and stops pain. Cold damage both Internal and External with aversion to Cold, headache and generalized body aches with aching joints. Wind-Damp-Cold Bi with spasms of the joints and intolerable pain. |
Shao Yin headache, with splitting pain that involves the teeth and cheeks due to External Wind-Cold. Joint pain due to Wind-Cold-Dampness. |
Rz. Ligustici Chuanxiong |
Rz. Ligustici Chuanxiong |
Cx. Eucommiae |
Wind headache. |
Bi syndrome. |
Chronic low back and knee pain. |
Rx. Lateralis Aconiti Preparata |
Bul. Allii |
Hb. Ephedrae |
Abdominal pain, coldness of the lower extremities, a pale tongue and no thirst. |
Chest pain due to Cold Qi Stagnation. |
Exterior Wind-Cold or Lung Cold. |
- This herb exerts most of its effects on the upper body. It directs other herbs to the Heart and Kidney-especially the arms and chest.
- It is one of the most acrid herbs (opens up circulation to the periphery and dispels Wind), however its diaphoretic ability is quite weak.
- It alleviates watery eyes from Wind.
- It is a good analgesic.
- The powder is blown onto the nose for nasal polyps and deafness and to restore consciousness.
- Some sources list this herb in the Internal Warming category.
- Asarum Powder Xi Xin Mo is applied externally, including in the mouth.
- It can be applied topically for nasal obstruction.
- Honey-prepared Asarum Zhi Xi Xin is less drying and dispersing to warm the Lungs and transform thin mucus without injuring the Yin and used to treat the elderly or patients with weak constitutions.