American ginseng (Xiyangshen)
Botanical Name: Panax quinquefolium L.
Common Name: American ginseng.
Source of Earliest Record: Shennong Bencao Jing
Part Used & Method for Pharmaceutical Preparations: The three to six year old root is dug in autumn, dried in the sun and cut into slices.
Properties & Taste: Bitter, slightly sweet and cold.
Meridians: Heart, lung and kidney.
Functions: 1. To replenish qi and promote body fluids; 2. To nourish yin and clear heat
Indications & Combinations:
1. Deficient yin in the lungs and excessive fire manifested as asthma and cough with bloody sputum: American ginseng (Xiyangshen) is used with Ophiopogon root (Maidong), Donkey hide gelatin (Ejiao), Anemarrhena rhizome (Zhimu) and Tendrilled fritillary bulb (Chuanbeimu).
2. Exhaustion of qi and yin from febrile disease manifested as thirst, irritability, shortness of breath and deficient pulse: American ginseng (Xiyangshen) is used with Fresh rehmannia root (Shengdihuang), fresh Dendrobium (Shihu) and Ophiopogon root (Maidong).
Dosage: 3-6 g
Cautions & Contraindications: This herb should be cooked separately, then added into the decoction of other herbs. It is contraindicated for a person with cold and dampness in the stomach. It counteracts the herb Black false bellebore (Lilu). When frying or decocting, pots made from iron should not be used.
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