Herbs That Tranquilize
Herbs
that calm the spirit will act either on the Liver or the Heart. The heart houses the spirit or shen while the
liver contains the soul or hun.
If either of these organs are disturbed problems such as
insomnia, palpitations, irritability, anxiety and possibly insanity
may occour. There are two types of herbs in this category.
Primarily are the herbs that anchor, calm and settle the spirit
and secondarily the herbs which calm the spirit by nourishing
the heart.
Zhu sha Properties: SWEET, COOL - TOXIC
Dosage:
0.3 – 2.7g,
Cinnabar Meridian: HEART
Mercury -sedate heart, calms spirit – restless, palpitation,
anxiety, insomnia
-clears heat, relieves
toxicity – carbuncles, sore throat, snake bite
Ci Shi Properties: PUNGENT, SALTY -
COLD
Dosage: 9 – 30g.
Magnetite Meridian: KIDNEY, LIVER
-anchors
and calms spirit – restlessness, palpitation, insomnia, tremors
-yin
deficiency, ascending yang – dizziness, vertigo
-tonify
kidney yin and liver – improve hearing and vision
-helps
kidney to grasp Qi – chronic asthma
Hu Po Properties: SWEET - NEUTRAL
Dosage: 0.9 – 3g.
Amber Meridian: BLADDER, HEART, LIVER
-calm
spirit – tremor, palpitation, anxiety, excessive dreams, insomnia,
poor memory, convulsions, seizures
-invigorate
blood, dissipate stasis – amenorrhea with pain, palpable masses
-promote
urination, invigorate blood – long bi, lin syndrome
-reduce
swellings, promote healing – sores, carbuncles, ulcers
Bai Zi Ren Properties: SWEET – NEUTRAL
Dosage:
6 – 18g.
Arbor-Vitae Seed Meridian: HEART, KIDNEY, LARGE INTESTINE
-nourish
heart yin, calms spirit – irritability,
insomnia, forgetfulness, palpitations
-moisten
intestines due to blood/yin deficiency – constipation
-night
sweats
Suan Zao Ren Properties: SWEET, SOUR - NEUTRAL Dosage:
9 – 18g.
Sour Jujube Seed Meridian: GALLBLADDER, HEART, LIVER, SPLEEN
-nourish heart yin, tonify liver blood, quiet spirit
-irritability, insomnia,
palpitations, anxiety due to deficiency
-prevents abnormal sweating
Yuan Zhi Properties: BITTER, PUNGENT - WARM
Dosage:
3 – 9g.
Senega Root Meridian: HEART, LUNG
-calm spirit, quiet heart – insomnia, palpitations, anxiety,
restlessness
-expel
phlegm from lungs, clears orifices – copious
sputum, mental confusion
-reduces
abscesses, dissipate swellings – boils, sores, painful breasts
He Huan Pi Properties: SWEET - NEUTRAL
Dosage:
9 – 15g.
Mimosa Tree Bark Meridian: HEART, LIVER
-calms
spirit, relieve constrained emotions – vexation, depression, insomnia,
irritability, poor memory
-invigorate
blood, alleviate pain – swelling due to trauma, abscesses
Ye Jiao Teng Properties: SWEET, BITTER - NEUTRAL
Dosage:
9 – 30g.
Fleeceflower Vine Meridian: HEART, LIVER
-calm
spirit, nourish heart and blood – insomnia, irritability, dream
disturbed sleep
-nourish
blood – weakness, soreness, pain, numbness due to deficiency