
Xuan Shen
Name: Figwort Root (玄參)
Pinyin: Xuan Shen
Pharm. Name: Radix Scrophulariae, Radix
Properties:
Taste |
Characteristics |
Organs |
Dosage |
Salty |
Clear heat and cool blood, purge fire, remove toxicity, nourish yin for lowering fire. |
Kidney |
7-30g |
Description:
Its action of heat-clearing and blood-cooling is quite similar but a little bit weaker than that of Di Huang, but it has the actions of body fluid-promoting and dryness-moistening by means of nourishing stomach yin, and it can purge fire and remove toxicity although no action of stopping bleeding, so it is indicated for syndrome of heat entering nutrient-blood in warm disease. With the actions of purging fire and removing toxicity, cooling blood, and nourishing yin, it can also be used in treating both syndromes of heat-toxicity manifested as sore and abscess with swelling pain, and syndrome of yin deficiency with effulgent fire and accumulation of phlegm and fire manifested as scrofula and subcutaneous nodule.