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Knowledge baseHerbs

Zhi Ban Xia制半夏

Rhizoma Pinelliae PreparatumPinellia Rhizome

  • Toxic

Also known asPrepared Pinellia Corm

Category
Warm Herbs that Transform Cold Phlegm
Nature
warm
Taste
pungent
Channels entered
Lung, Spleen, Stomach
Secondary channels
Heart
Dosage
3–15 g

Usual doses

Dosage
3–15 g
Tincture
2–4 ml

Actions & indications

Dries Dampness and transforms Phlegm
  • Cold-Phlegm in the Lungs (cough with copious sputum)
  • Especially effective for Damp-Phlegm of the Spleen (Cold-Damp Stagnation)
Descends Rebellious Qi and stops vomiting (harmonizes the Stomach)
Vomiting due to Phlegm-Damp in the Stomach (Tan Yin), Cold thin mucus, Stomach Deficiency, Stomach Heat or pregnancy
Dissipates nodules and reduces Stagnation (clumps)
  • Phlegm in the chest (nodules, pressure, distention, pain)
  • Phlegm nodules in the neck (goiter, scrofula)
  • Focal distension in the chest and epigastrium
  • Obstruction caused by Phlegm anywhere in the body
Treats sores, skin ulcerations and carbuncles and reduces swelling (external)
Topically as a powder for sores, skin ulcerations and carbuncles

Contraindications

  • Use with caution for dry cough from Yin Deficiency or Body Fluid Deficiency.
  • Use with caution for hemoptysis or sore throat caused by Fire.
  • Use with caution for headache from Blood Deficiency.
  • Use with caution in any case involving Heat.
  • Use with caution for wheezing caused by Qi Deficiency.
  • Use with caution for insomnia from Heart-channel Blood Deficiency.
  • Use with caution in pregnancy.
  • The fresh herb is toxic and is suitable only for external use.

Incompatibilities

  • Incompatible with Rx. Aconite in any form.
  • Counteracts Sargassum Hai Zao.
  • Counteracts Maltose Yi Tang.

Combinations

    • Chen Pi

    Epigastric and abdominal distention or pain from disharmonious Stomach Qi; productive cough with chest stuffiness from Phlegm-Damp Obstruction or Spleen Qi Deficiency.

  • Cold-type vomiting with copious frothy sputum, Cold signs and thin mucus in the Lungs.

  • Lung Phlegm-Heat with yellow, viscous sputum, accompanying Heat signs and vomiting.

  • Phlegm-Dampness ascending together with rising Internal Wind, producing headache, dizziness, focal distention, chest and diaphragm stuffiness, a greasy white tongue coat and a wiry, slippery pulse.

  • Chest Bi from Cold Phlegm clumped in the chest, with pain, cough and shortness of breath.

  • Expels Phlegm and stops nausea, vomiting and hiccups; treats cough with clear, profuse Phlegm and loose, watery stools, along with Phlegm, thin mucus and turbid Dampness generally, and keeps turbid Phlegm-Dampness from disturbing the Heart and causing dizziness, palpitations and insomnia.

  • Insomnia caused by Phlegm-Heat.

  • Vomiting from Cold and thin mucus; assists in eliminating toxins.

  • Vomiting with clear Cold signs in the Middle Jiao.

    • Ren Shen

    Vomiting caused by Stomach Deficiency.

  • Epigastric distention and indigestion from Hot and Cold pathogenic factors invading the Stomach together.

  • Vomiting from Stomach Heat.

  • Morning sickness.

  • Nausea with lethargy, poor appetite, poor concentration and a swollen, pale tongue with a greasy white coat from turbid Dampness in the Spleen and Stomach; summertime vomiting; and Summerheat with fever, vomiting, lethargy and diarrhea.

  • Phlegm-Heat clumped in the chest and epigastrium, with epigastric stuffiness and distention worsened by pressure, cough with viscous yellow sputum, a greasy yellow tongue coat and a slippery, rapid pulse.

  • Phlegm-induced cough, vomiting and epigastric/abdominal distention; treats Phlegm-Dampness with Qi Stagnation to relieve Phlegm-Qi Obstruction presenting as chest fullness with cough and wheezing, nausea, vomiting and hypochondriac distention; also Plum-pit Qi Stagnation.

    • Zhe Bei Mu

    Scrofula, or cough caused by Phlegm-Dampness.

  • Goiter, scrofula or thyroid nodules.

  • Rebellious Qi from Phlegm-Heat, with cough, nausea and vomiting.

    • Gua Lou

    Focal distention of the chest and diaphragm from Phlegm and Heat clumping into Qi Stagnation; Chest Bi from sticky, thick, turbid Phlegm clumping.

    • Tian Zhu Huang

    Clears Heat, dries Dampness, dislodges Phlegm and calms the Spirit for internally retained Damp-Heat with deep, hard-to-expectorate sputum, nausea, chest stuffiness and insomnia or restless sleep; expels Wind and controls palpitations and convulsions for febrile convulsions in children from Phlegm-Heat, for seizures, and for Wind-Stroke with profuse Phlegm impairing speech; also cough with profuse Phlegm and chest stuffiness, and Phlegm-Heat affecting the Stomach with restless sleep.

  • Nausea and vomiting caused by Heat or Cold.

  • Chronic neurogenic vomiting.

  • Plum-pit Qi Stagnation.

Notes

  • It is frequently combined with Bul. Fritillariae Thunbergii Zhe Bei Mu or Bul. Fritillariae Cirrhosae Chuan Bei Mu.
  • Bul. Fritillariae Bei Mu works better at clearing Phlegm-Heat and transforming Phlegm in the Lungs.
  • Zhi Ban Xia, in turn, is more effective at clearing Phlegm-Damp and transforming Phlegm in the Stomach.
  • Toxicity is greatest in the unprepared herb, somewhat less when prepared with ginger, and least when prepared with alumen.
  • Toxic symptoms include burning and numbness of the throat and lips, an upset stomach with nausea, and chest pressure; taking raw ginger orally serves as an antidote.
  • It ranks among the most important herbs for Phlegm disorders and digestive disturbances.
  • Although said to be avoided in pregnancy, in practice it is used, particularly for morning sickness, always alongside a generous amount of ginger.
  • It is credited with dispersing Stagnation and reducing distention.
  • It inhibits cancer cell growth.
  • It resolves swellings and lumps and treats carbuncles and goiter, whether given internally or applied topically.
  • One source credits it with curing sores, throat paralysis, regurgitation, vomiting, masses and goiter.
  • For tongue-cancer symptoms — double tongue, or a swollen, rigid tongue — gargle with the herb decocted in vinegar.
  • For carbuncle and cellulitis of the back, and for breast furuncle, grind the herb to powder, mix it with egg white, and apply topically.
  • For aphasia, aphonia from Shao Yin channel pain, and sore throat: crush seven pieces of the herb, pack them into an egg with the yolk removed, fill the egg with wine, and boil briefly over charcoal; strain out the dregs and sip slowly, repeating as needed.
  • Zhi Ban Xia and Poria Fu Ling both expel Phlegm-Dampness: Fu Ling strengthens the Spleen while expelling Dampness and transforming Phlegm, whereas Zhi Ban Xia dries Dampness and transforms Phlegm directly.
  • Zhi Ban Xia and Rz. Zingiberis Recens Sheng Jiang both harmonize the Stomach, settle nausea and ease cough. Zhi Ban Xia dries Dampness and disperses Phlegm and thin mucus to settle nausea, and dries Dampness while transforming Phlegm to treat cough; Sheng Jiang warms the Stomach and rouses the Spleen to harmonize the Stomach and settle nausea, and warms the Lungs and transforms thin mucus to stop cough. Together they treat Cold-Dampness injury to the Stomach and Cold-Phlegm cough with profuse mucus — an effect that is even stronger if Rz. Zingiberis Gan Jiang replaces the fresh form.
  • Zhi Ban Xia and Rz. Arisaematis Preparatum Zhi Tian Nan Xing both dry Dampness and transform Phlegm, treating Spleen-Stomach Phlegm-Dampness. Zhi Ban Xia is specific for Spleen and Stomach Phlegm-Dampness, easing nausea and reducing focal distention; it is acrid yet conserving. Zhi Tian Nan Xing disperses far more strongly, acts mainly on the Liver channel, and excels at Wind-Phlegm in the channels and collaterals, dispersing Blood and reducing swelling; it is acrid, not conserving, and strongly drying. When combined, Zhi Ban Xia leads if Phlegm-Dampness is the target and Zhi Tian Nan Xing leads if Wind-Phlegm is the target.
  • Zhi Ban Xia and Flos Inulae Xuan Fu Hua both disperse clumped Phlegm, settle the Stomach and stop vomiting. Zhi Ban Xia mainly dries Dampness to transform Phlegm, making it best for profuse, thin, clear Phlegm that is easily coughed up; Xuan Fu Hua descends rebellious Qi, breaks up clumped accumulation and moves pathogenic water, suiting it better to thick, viscous Phlegm that is difficult to expectorate, or to flank pain with chest and abdominal distention and fullness from accumulated water and thin mucus, or to Middle Jiao Qi Deficiency letting water and Dampness build up in the Spleen and Stomach and cause nausea.
  • Zhi Ban Xia and Pi Pa Ye Fol. Eriobotryae both treat Lung and Stomach conditions. Pi Pa Ye is cool and moistening; it cools the Lungs to stop cough and transform Phlegm, treating Phlegm-Heat and cough from Lung Dryness, and it cools Stomach Heat to keep Excess Yang from carrying Stomach Qi upward, which in turn lets Zhi Ban Xia move Phlegm more easily. Zhi Ban Xia itself is warm and parching, transforming Dampness and Phlegm; it suits cough with profuse Phlegm from Phlegm-Dampness better, freeing Stomach Qi to descend properly and so preventing nausea. Combined, the pair represents Moistness with Dryness and Cold with Heat, considerably strengthening the ability to descend Qi, and they are often used together for cough, wheezing, nausea and an unsettled Stomach.
  • Rz. Pinelliae, unprepared Pinellia Sheng Ban Xia, is too toxic to take internally; externally it is inhaled as a powder for coma, fainting, childhood convulsions, or swollen, painful throat obstruction, and modern practice also applies it to boils, goiter, pain relief and skin diseases.
  • Ginger Pinellia, Jiang Ban Xia, is less toxic, warm and drying; it dries Dampness, transforms Phlegm, descends Qi and eases nausea, and works best for Phlegm and thin mucus from Spleen Deficiency, or for Cold-Phlegm cough with rebellious Qi.
  • Standard Pinellia, Fa Ban Xia, has a milder drying action and is often used for Spleen Deficiency with Dampness, Phlegm and thin mucus, suiting both Deficiency Cold and Damp-Heat.
  • Clear Water Pinellia, Qing Shui Ban Xia, is less acrid and drying, suiting weak patients with copious Phlegm and comparatively mild Cold-Dampness.
  • Pinellia Rhizome Fermented Mass, Ban Xia Qu, is bitter, pungent and neutral, entering the Lung, Large Intestine and Spleen channels; it resolves Phlegm, relieves cough and aids digestion, and is used for diarrhea and cough at a dosage of 6-9g.
  • Purified Pinellia, Qing Xia, is soaked, boiled or salted in Alumen Ming Fan solution, which removes the throat-tingling side effect and lowers toxicity; slightly acrid, this form is used mainly for drying Dampness and transforming Phlegm.
  • It also shows promise for type IV hypersensitivity responses such as contact dermatitis and tubercular lesions, and for autoimmune disorders more generally.

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