Materia Medica Data
- Category
- Purgatives
- Temperature
- Cold
- Nature & Flavour
- Bitter, Cold
- Channels Entered
- HT, LI, LIV, ST
- Latin (pharmaceutical)
- Radix Et Rhizoma Rhei
- Chinese
- 大簧
- Tone Marks
- dà huáng
- Translation
- Big Yellow
Chinese Herb Actions
- Drains Heat and Purges Excess For Yang Ming organ stage or intestinal heat excess with very high fever, constipation and abdominal fullness.
- Reduces Damp-Heat For draining Damp-Heat thru the stool in cases of Damp-Heat jaundice or acute dysentery.
- Reduces Blood Level Heat For Bloody stool from hemorrhoids or heat in the intestines. Also for epistaxis or hematemesis from reckless movement of hot Blood.
- Invigorates the Blood and Removes Stagnation For dysmenorrhea or amenorrhea, fixed abdominal masses, tumors, or pain from Blood stagnation. Also for Blood stagnation in the intestines and intestinal abscesses.
- Clears Blood Level Heat For fever, swollen eyes, or Fire Toxins both internally and externally in the Blood or on the skin, such as burns and skin lesions.
Chinese Herb Dosage
- 3-12 grams. Use raw as a purgative, or cook for less than 10 minutes.
Chinese Herb Contraindications & Cautions
- Do not use during menstruation, pregnancy, post-partum or during lactation.
- Also contraindicated in exterior syndromes, cold from deficiency of the spleen and stomach, or in cases of qi and blood deficiency.
Chinese Herb Notes
- Use in wine or vinegar to increase the blood invigorating properties, charred to stop bleeding, and as a powder or wash when used externally.
Sources & References
Compiled and edited by Thomas Dehli, Founder & Editor, Sacred Lotus
The information here is referenced from numerous sources — teachers, practitioners, class notes from Five Branches University, the books below, and the published research literature, with citations given as resolvable PubMed identifiers. Where sources disagree, I have flagged the discrepancies directly. If facts couldn't be verified, I have left them out. How we source our content.
Reference information for students and practitioners — not medical advice. Consult a qualified practitioner. Terms of use.
Chinese Herbs Books & References
https://amzn.to/3WfB3DK
https://amzn.to/3DR1VUh
https://amzn.to/42aMz73
https://amzn.to/3PuD4bt