INDIVIDUAL HERBS
| Pharmaceutical Latin: | Fructus Tribuli |
| Common English: | Caltrop Fruit Puncture-Vine Fruit Tribulus |
| Taste | Temperature | Entering Meridians | Dosage |
Acrid Bitter |
Neutral (Warm) (Cool) |
Liver (Lung) (Bladder) |
6-15g Tincture: 2-4ml |
| Actions | Indications/Syndromes |
Calms the Liver and anchors Yang |
Liver Yang Rising with headache, vertigo or dizziness |
Dredges Liver Qi and disperses Stagnation and clumping |
Liver Qi Stagnation with pain and distention in the flanks, irregular menstruation or insufficient lactation |
Dispels Wind-Heat and brightens the eyes |
Red, swollen and painful eyes Excess tearing |
Dispels Wind and stops itching |
Any kind of skin lesion with significant itching, such as hives Vitiligo (can be used as a stand-alone herb) |
| Extinguishes Liver Wind | Liver Wind |
CONTRAINDICATIONS |
|
INCOMPATIBILITIES |
HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS |
|
Ram. cum Uncis Uncariae |
||
Dizziness and unclear vision due to Liver Yang Rising. |
Headache, dizziness and vertigo from hypertension due to Liver Yang Rising. |
Pain and distention in the chest and hypochondria. |
Fr. Foeniculi |
Squama Manitis |
|
Running piglet disorder. Bulging disorders. Mobile abdominal masses. |
Swollen and painful breast masses. |
Pain and swelling of the chest and flanks, or insufficient lactation due to Liver Qi Stagnation. |
Sm. Cassiae |
Rx. Asparagi |
|
Pain, redness, and swelling of the eyes with extensive tearing due to Wind-Heat Invading the Liver Channel. Hypertension. |
Corneal opacities. |
Visual disturbance due to Liver and Kidney Yin Deficiencies. |
Cx. Dictamni |
Rx. Angelicae Sinensis |
|
Itchy skin due to Wind-Heat. |
As an external wash for eczema. |
Excruciating itching from ascendant Liver Yang and Blood Deficiencies. |
Sm. Astragali Complanati |
Ram. cum Uncis Uncariae |
Rx. Bupleuri |
Tonifies the Liver and Kidneys to ensure that the eyes are nourished, anchors Liver Yang and expels Wind-Heat to treat many eye disorders, especially when there is Liver and Kidney Deficiencies with either Liver Qi Stagnation with Liver Yang Rising or External Wind-Heat affecting the eyes. |
Hypertension with vertigo. |
Chest and hypochondriac pain. |
Spina Gleditsiae |
Carapax Trionycis |
Sm. Cassiae |
Hypochondriac pain related to hepatitis. |
Palpable masses associated with Liver Qi Stagnation. |
Red, painful eyes, with increased tearing and photophobia. |
Flos Chrysanthemi |
Rx. Angelicae Sinensis |
Rx. Angelicae Sinensis |
Superficial visual obstruction. |
Skin lesions, chronic eczema, or neurodermatitis. |
Eczema with itching. |
- This herb is used primarily for treating Liver Yang Rising causing headache, eye problems, and nervousness. It is also specific for the eyes and itching skin.
- This herb focuses almost entirely on the Liver.
- Use 15g of this herb alone in decoction twice a day for vitiligo
- Both Bai Ji Li and Hb. Equiseti Hiemalis Mu Zei dredge and disperse Wind-Heat, brighten the eyes, stop itching and can be combined to treat these conditions. Bai Ji Li calms and extinguishes Internal Wind and dredges the Liver to promote the flow of stagnant Qi and Blood. Mu Zei releases the muscle layer, expels Wind-Dampness and more strongly eliminates superficial visual obstruction.
- Other than treating the eyes, Bai Ji Li and Sm. Astragali Complanati Sha Yuan Zi are completely different in appearance and actions. Bai Ji Li dredges the Liver and expels Wind to brighten the eyes with no tonifying effect. Sha Yuan Zi tonifies the Liver and Kidneys to brighten the eyes. They are often used together to treat eye diseases.
- Dry-fried Fructus Tribuli Chao Bai Ji Li is better able to calm the Liver, anchor Yang and release constraint. It is used to treat Liver Yang headaches and dizziness, pain in the chest and flanks and insufficient lactation.
- Some sources say that this herb treats urinary pain and urgent incontinence from spastic Bladder or metabolic acidosis.