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Knowledge baseHerbs

Bai Guo (Yin Xing Ye)白果

Semen GinkgoGinkgo Nut

  • Slightly toxic
Category
Herbs that stabilize and bind
Nature
neutral
Taste
sweet, bitter, astringent
Channels entered
Kidney, Lung
Secondary channels
Heart
Dosage
3–10 g

Usual doses

Dosage
3–10 g
Tincture
2–4 ml

Actions & indications

Astringes the Lungs, expels Phlegm and stops wheezing
  • Phlegm in the Lungs with wheezing and coughing (especially useful for chronic coughs or those with copious Phlegm)
  • Lung Heat asthma
Stabilizes the Lower *Jiao, eliminates Dampness, stops discharge and astringes the urine*
Lower Jiao Deficiency with vaginal discharge and turbid urine (used for both Deficiency and Damp-Heat)

Contraindications

  • Contraindicated in Excess conditions.
  • Contraindicated for Exterior patterns in the early stage of a cough.
  • Contraindicated in Lung Yin Deficiency presenting cough with sticky yellow Phlegm.
  • Contraindicated in Cold-Damp conditions.
  • Exercise caution when sputum is thick and hard to expectorate.
  • Use cautiously during pregnancy.
  • It carries mild toxicity, so avoid large doses or prolonged use.

Interactions

  • Bai Guo Ye can affect bleeding time, so caution is needed alongside anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs such as warfarin.
  • The extract of Bai Guo Ye may enhance the antiplatelet and antithrombotic action of ticlopidine.
  • Stop use two to three weeks before surgery.

Combinations

Notes

  • Certain sources describe this herb as having a hemostatic action.
  • Overdose presents with headache, fever, tremor, irritability, and difficulty breathing.
  • The antidote is 60 g of Rx. Glycyrrhizae Gan Cao, or 30 g of boiled Ginkgo shells.
  • Retaining the hard shells and thin seed linings helps prevent side effects.
  • In severe overdose, skin reactions can occur, including shedding of the mucous membranes.
  • It is indicated when sputum is copious, particularly where the Lungs are weak.
  • Although eaten as food, Ginkgo seeds carry mild toxicity and can harm children if consumed excessively.
  • For cough and wheezing, it fits Heat-leaning patterns best.
  • Ginkgo is the oldest living tree species.
  • It is also known as the silver apricot.
  • Bai Guo and Fr. Schisandrae Wu Wei Zi both astringe the Lungs for cough and wheezing and both address Lower Burner disorders, but differently. Bai Guo mainly restrains the Lungs to check wheezing, best for Lung-Heat wheezing with heavy Phlegm, and treats turbid vaginal discharge rooted in Dampness. Wu Wei Zi astringes the Lungs chiefly to stop cough; being warmer, it better suits chronic cough from Lung Deficiency or cough and wheezing from Lung Cold with heavy Phlegm. It also astringes the Lower Jiao and enriches Kidney water, used mainly for enuresis, frequent urination, spermatorrhea, and diarrhea, and generates Fluids while restraining Heart Qi to treat Qi-and-Yin injury marked by unquenchable thirst, excessive sweating, irritability, and insomnia.
  • Dry-fried Gingko Chao Bai Guo is less toxic and astringes more strongly, settling wheezing and checking urinary leakage and vaginal discharge.
  • Gingko Leaf (Folium Gingko) Bai Guo Ye, also called Yin Xing Ye, is sweet, bitter, astringent, and neutral. Entering the Lung channel, it protects the Lungs and calms wheezing while moving Blood and relieving pain; it treats cough from Lung Deficiency along with a stifling chest sensation and chest pain, at a dosage of 3–6 g. Ground into cakes, it checks dysenteric disorder. It further addresses peripheral, cerebral, and coronary vascular disease and helps varicose veins, and it tonifies Kidney Jing to improve mental focus and treat poor memory, dizziness, and depression tied to premature aging — helping prevent early aging and damage from environmental toxins.

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