State/School

California License Exam, Pacific College Comps

Pharm Name

Anemarrhenae Rhizoma

Common Name

Anemarrhena Rhizome

Category

Clear Heat Drain Fire

Ingredients

Taste

Bitter, Sweet

Pao Zhi

Wine-fried to guide its actions upward and moderate its cold, draining properties.

Temperature

Cold

Action / Indication

1. Clears heat and drains fire: for high fever, irritability, thirst, and a rapid, flooding pulse in patterns of heat from excess in the Lungs and Stomach. Also for cough due to heat in the Lungs with expectoration of thick, yellow sputum.
2. Enriches the yin and moistens dryness: for exhaustion or deficiency of Lung and Kidney yin with such heat signs as night sweats, steaming bone disorder, irritability, afternoon or low-grade fevers, heat in the five centers, and bleeding gums. Also for such Kidney heat signs as spermatorrhea, nocturnal emissions, and abnormally elevated sex drive. 
   
3. Generates fluids and clears heat: for oral ulcers and inflammation due to yin deficiency, and for wasting and thirsting disorder.  
   
4. Ameliorates the dryness of tonifying or warming substances: for circumstances when tonifying herbs, such as Astragali Radix (huang qi), or warming herbs, such as Cinnamomi Ramulus (gui zhi) and Aconiti Radix lateralis preparata (zhi fu zi), are used, but there is concern that they not be too drying. See, e.g., the formulas Raise the Sinking Decoction (sheng xian tang) and Cinnamon Twig, Peony, and Anemarrhena Decoction (gui zhi shao yao zhi mu tang).

Treatment Principles

Clears Heat and Drains Fire
Enriches Yin
Gereates Fluids
Clears Deficiency Heat
Protects the Yin

Contraindication

Diarrhea due to Spleen or Kidney deficiency. Use caution in conjunction with antidiabetic medication.

Dosages

6-12g. 30g maximum. Use raw, wine-fried, or salt-fried.

Meridians

LU, KD, ST

Tom's Comment

Source

Formula Type