<< Pin Yin Herb Index || << Latin Herb Index

INDIVIDUAL HERBS

NAME: YUAN ZHI - 元志 - RADIX POLYGALAE

Pharmaceutical Latin:	Radix Polygalae
Common English:	Polygala Root Chinese Senega Thin-Leaf Milkwort Siberian Milk-Wort Root

CATEGORY:

Substances that Calm the Spirit

PROPERTIES:

Taste	Temperature	Entering Meridians	Dosage
Bitter Acrid	Slightly Warm (Warm)	Heart Lung (Liver)	3-15g Tincture: 2-4ml

ACTIONS AND INDICATIONS:

Actions	Indications/Syndromes
Calms the Spirit, sedates the Heart and clears the channel joining the Heart and Kidney	Insomnia, palpitations with anxiety, restlessness, and disorientation. Most effective for excessive brooding or pent-up emotions Lack of communication between the Heart and Kidneys
Expels Phlegm, opens the Orifices, clears the Lungs and stops coughing	Phlegm Blocking the Heart Orifices with emotions and mental disorientation, spasms or seizures Phlegm Obstructing the Lungs with copious sputum, especially when it is difficult to expectorate Angina pectoris
Reduces abscesses and dissipates swellings	Boils, abscesses, sores and swollen, painful breasts (powdered and applied topically or taken with wine)

CONTRAINDICATIONS, INCOMPATIBILITIES AND HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS:

CONTRAINDICATIONS

Contraindicated for those with Yin Deficiency with Heat signs.
Use with caution for those with Hot Phlegm.
Large doses are contraindicated Pregnancy.
Contraindicated for those with ulcers or gastritis.

INCOMPATIBILITIES

Counteracts Margarita Zhen Zhu.
Counteracts Rz. Veratri Li Lu.

HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS

Concurrent use with diuretics such as chlorothiazide, hydrochlorothiazide, furmoside (Lasix), bumetinide (Bumex) and torsemide (Demadex) may lead to increased elimination of water and/or electrolytes.

MAJOR COMBINATIONS:

Poria Pararadicis Fu Shen Sm. Zizyphi Spinosae Suan Zao Ren	Sm. Zizyphi Spinosae Suan Zao Ren Rz. Atractylodis Macrocephalae Bai Zhu Rx. Angelicae Sinensis Dang Gui	Rx. Ginseng Ren Shen Poria Fu Ling Rz. Acori Tatarinowii Shi Chang Pu
Irritability, disorientation, palpitations, anxiety and insomnia due to Heart Blood Deficiency or Qi Stagnation.	Palpitations and insomnia due to Qi Deficiency.	Forgetfulness. Calms the Spirit.
Rx. Astragali Huang Qi Rx. Angelicae Sinensis Dang Gui Arillus Longan Long Yan Rou	Rx. Curcumae Yu Jin Rz. Acori Tatarinowii Shi Chang Pu	Scorpio Quan Xie Rz. Pinelliae Preparatum Zhi Ban Xia Rz. Gastrodiae Tian Ma
Forgetfulness, palpitations and insomnia.	Disorientation due to Phlegm Blocking the Heart Orifices.	Seizures associated with Phlegm Blocking the Heart Orifices.
Bul. Fritillariae Cirrhosae *Chuan Bei Mu* Rz. Pinelliae Preparatum Zhi Ban Xia	Bul. Fritillariae Cirrhosae Chuan Bei Mu Sm. Armeniacae Xing Ren Fr. Trichosanthis Gua Lou	Sm. Raphani Lai Fu Zi Sm. Sinapis Bai Jie Zi Sm. Vaccariae Wang Bu Liu Xing
Wheezing and coughing due to Cold Phlegm.	Cough and wheezing due to Cold Phlegm that leads to viscous sputum that is difficult to expectorate.	Angina pectoris due to Cold-Phlegm and Blood Stasis.
Rice Wine	Sm. Zizyphi Spinosae Suan Zao Ren	Rx. Glycyrrhizae Gan Cao
Applied topically for early-stage sores.	Balances the contrasting, introverted and dispersing, extroverted manifestations of Spirit to ensure the proper balance of openness and sobriety.	Reduces the irritating effect of Yuan Zhi, to prevent nausea and vomiting.
Rx. Ginseng Ren Shen Rz. Acori Tatarinowii Shi Chang Pu Poria Fu Ling	Poria Pararadicis Fu Shen Dens Draconis Long Chi or Poria Pararadicis Fu Shen Cinnabaris Zhu Sha	Rx. Ginseng Ren Shen Poria Fu Ling Fol. Ginkgo Bai Guo Ye Rz. Acori Tatarinowii Shi Chang Pu
Reduces ethanol-induced impairment of memory registration. Ameliorates scopolamine-induced memory registration deficit.	Insomnia, palpitations with anxiety, nocturnal emissions and spermatorrhea.	Forgetfulness, memory loss or inability to concentrate.
Rx. Curcumae Yu Jin Rz. Acori Tatarinowii Shi Chang Pu Concretio Silicea Bambusae Tian Zhu Huang Arisaema cum Bile Dan Nan Xing	Sm. Armeniacae Xing Ren Rx. Platycodi Jie Geng Rx. Glycyrrhizae Gan Cao
Disorientation and seizures.	Coughing with white sputum due to Cold.

NOTES:

Used when tonifying Heart Qi, Yin, and Blood to nourish the Heart, dispel Phlegm and sedate the mind.
It is commonly used for severe weakness and insomnia when the Kidney and Heart are weak.
It is useful for treating a variety of sensory disorders.
This herb is good for insomnia or palpitations due to pent-up emotions.
It is said to benefit wisdom.
It can be used alone, honey-fried to treat insomnia and excessive dreaming.
It can be taken internally as a powder with liquor or made into a paste to be applied topically for boils, abscesses, sore or swollen and painful breasts due to Phlegm Obstructing the channels and collaterals.
Both Yuan Zhi and Sm. Zizyphi Spinosae Suan Zao Ren enter the Heart channel, calm the Spirit, and treat palpitations with anxiety and insomnia. Yuan Zhi is acrid, dispersing, bitter, draining, and warm to enable it to unblock, assisting the Heart Yang and augmenting the Heart Qi to reestablish communication between the Heart and Kidneys thereby strengthening resolve. It is more appropriate for palpitations and insomnia due to loss of communication between the Heart and Kidneys along with confusion, lack of concentration and forgetfulness. Suan Zao Ren is sour, sweet and neutral. It nourishes the Heart and Liver Blood and is more appropriate for Deficiency irritability and insomnia in which the sour-contracting nature generates Fluids and restrains excessive dispersal of Spirit.
Yuan Zhi, Sm. Zizyphi Spinosae Suan Zao Ren and Sm. Platycladi Bai Zi Ren all enter the Heart channel, calm the Spirit, and treat fright, palpitations and insomnia. Suan Zao Ren and Bai Zi Ren are sweet, neutral and nourish the Heart Yin and Liver Blood and are most appropriate for irritability and insomnia from Deficiency. Bai Zi Ren primarily treats the Heart and moistens and lubricates the Intestines to treat dry constipation while Suan Zao Ren primarily treats the Liver. primarily treats the Liver. It restrains and inhibits, astringing sweat and generating Fluids to treat thirst due to injured Fluids and profuse sweating from Deficiency. Yuan Zhi is acrid-dispersing, bitter-draining and warm to unblock, assisting Heart Yang and augmenting Heart Qi to reestablish harmonious communication between the Heart and Kidneys, calm the Spirit and strengthen resolve. It is more appropriate for palpitations and insomnia due to loss of communication between the Heart and the Kidneys with confusion, loss of concentration and forgetfulness. It disperses Stagnation, , expels Phlegm, reduces swellings, and disperses sores and can be used for cough due to Cold-Phlegm and for Cold Obstructing the Qi allowing Phlegm and Dampness to enter the collaterals and cause toxic swollen sores.
Both Yuan Zhi and Rz. Acori Tatarinowii Shi Chang Pu enter the Heart, clear Phlegm and open the Orifices. Shi Chang Pu is acrid and war and relies on its aromatic fragrance to open the Orifices, disseminate Qi and Dampness and expel Phlegm. Yuan Zhi expels phlegm, calms the Spirit and augments the mind and uses its bitterness to drain and descend the Phlegm that rebels upward to the Heart. Both herbs are often used together.
Processed Polygala Zhi Yuan Zhi is less drying and numbing which irritates the throat. Its ability to calm the Spirit is stronger.
Honey-prepared Polygala Mi Zhi Yuan Zi is stronger at transforming Phlegm a stopping coughs. It is best for cough with profuse Phlegm that is difficult to expectorate.