Materia Medica Data
- Category
- Herbs that Tonify Yin
- Temperature
- Cold
- Nature & Flavour
- Sweet, Slightly Salty, Bland, Cold
- Channels Entered
- KI, ST
- Latin (pharmaceutical)
- Herba Dendrobii
- Chinese
- 石斛
- Tone Marks
- shí hú
- Translation
- Bushel of Stone
- Photo Note
- Substitute Shown (You Gua Shi Hu)
Chinese Herb Actions
- Nourishes Stomach Yin, Generates Body Fluids and Clears Heat For thirst, dry/parched mouth and throat, irritability and perspiration due to a warm febrile disease injuring Body Fluids
- Nourishes Kidney Yin and Clears Deficiency Heat For unremitting low grade fever, dry and painful throat, and red tongue with no coat. Also used for chronic dry cough with low grade fever, night sweats and dry mouth in conjunction with other herbs.
- Tonifies Kidneys, Brightens the Eyes Strengthens weak back, tendons and bones. Improves visual acuity, dizziness, and platycoria (spots in front of the eyes). Also used for numbness of extremities or Wei atrophy syndrome.
Chinese Herb Dosage
- 6-15 grams dried in decoction, 15-30 grams fresh herb precooked in decoction (Chen)
- 6-12 grams in decoction (Bensky)
Chinese Herb Contraindications & Cautions
- Do not use during initial stage of Warm-febrile disease, especially damp-heat
- Do not use in cases with loose stools due to Spleen deficiency or with a thick, greasy tongue coating
- Do not use during the exterior stage of a disease, excess febrile diseases or damp and phlegm accumulation
Chinese Herb Toxicity & Overdose
- Seizures have been reported with gross over dosage
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