Herbs That Tonify Yin - Herbal Functional Grouping (15 herbs)
Herbs That Tonify Yin General Introduction
- Yin tonics are generally sweet, cold, enriching and cloying. They are inappropriate for spleen or stomach deficiency, internal dampness or phlegm, abdominal distension, and/or diarrhea.
- General Symptoms by System:
- Lung Yin Deficiency - dry cough, loss of voice, thirst, dry throat, dry skin, spitting up thick sputum, chronic cough, low-grade afternoon fevers, night sweats, coughing up blood, a thin rapid pulse.
- Stomach Yin Deficiency - lack of appetite, irritability, thirst, dry mouth, constipation, occurs often after severe febrile diseases.
- Liver Yin Deficiency - visual acuity, dry, dull eyes, night blindness, dizziness, tinnitus, dry nails, low grade sensation of heat, red tongue, dry mouth and throat, fast and thin pulse.
- Kidney Yin Deficiency - many chronic diseases, dizziness, tinnitus, weakness of the lower back and knees, heat in the five palms, afternoon low-grade fever, diminished sexual function, scanty and ark urine, a red and dry tongue, and a thin pulse without strength (usually with liver yin deficiency).
Herbs That Tonify Yin Section Summary / Study Notes
- Sha Shen, Mai Men Dong, Tian Men Dong, Yu Zhu, Bai He - generate fluids, moisten the lungs, and tonify lung yin.
- Tian Men Dong - colder and more effective than Mai Men Dong in clearing and moistening dry heat in the lungs and reducing fire from kidney yin deficiency.
- Mai Men Dong - treats stomach yin deficiency, more for upper and middle jiao issues, often used together with Tian Men Dong for dry cough with lung yin deficiency.
- Yu Zhu - weaker than Tian Men Dong in clearing heat but is not cloying (Tian Men Dong is severely cloying).
- Guo Qi Zi, Nu Zhen Zi, Sang Shen - mild tonic for liver and kidney yin.
- Nu Zhen Zi and Han Lian Cao - nourish liver yin.
- Gui Ban, Bie Jia - for ascending liver yang.
- Bie Jia is not as strong as Gui Ban, but more effective in treating palpable abdominal masses and is less apt to cause stagnations.
- Sang Ji Sheng - tonify liver and kidney yin, lower back problems.