Also Known As: Taraxacum Mongolicum
Chinese Name: 蒲公英
Thermal Nature: Cold
Flavor: Sweet, bitter
Organ Meridian: Liver, stomach
Properties: Cools the body and helps with detoxification, relieves swells and eases water retention in the body
Best Use For: Detoxifying, removing toxins in the liver
Serving Per Day For One Person: 10 to 15g
Dietary Caution: People with weak spleen should avoid consuming dandelions alone
Suitable For: All types of body constitution
Also Known As: Lonicera Japonica
Chinese Name: 金银花 (Jin Yin Hua)
Thermal Nature: Cold
Flavor: Sweet
Organ Meridian: Lung, heart, stomach
Properties: Cools the body, helps with detoxification, expels heat (wind-type)
Best Use For: Cooling the body when the person has heat-type flu (sore throat, fever etc), treating acne that is caused by heat toxins (due to wrong diet or foods)
Serving Per Day For One Person: 9 to 15g
Dietary Caution: Honeysuckle is a very cooling herb, do not consume it for long term. People with weak spleen should also avoid consuming honeysuckle alone.
Suitable For: All types of body constitution
Also Known As: Chrysanthemum Morifolium
Chinese Name: 菊花
Thermal Nature: Cold (Slight)
Flavor: Sweet, bitter
Organ Meridian: Lung, liver
Properties: Expel heat, relieve headache due to cold, relieve pain around the eye area
Best Use For: Treating heat-type flu. There are various kinds of chrysanthemum, please refer here for more details on the differences.
Serving Per Day For One Person: 5 to 10g
Dietary Caution: People with weak spleen should avoid consuming chrysanthemum alone
Suitable For: All types of body constitution
Also Known As: Cordyceps Sinensis
Chinese Name: 冬虫夏草
Thermal Nature: Neutral
Flavor: Sweet
Organ Meridian: Lung, kidney
Properties: Strengthens kidneys and lungs, stops bleeding, dissolves phlegm
Best Use For: Relieving knee and waist pain due to deficiency in the kidneys, relieving persistent coughing due to lung deficiency
Serving Per Day For One Person: 3 to 9g
Dietary Caution: People with flu symptoms (fever, sore throat, running nose, etc) should avoid consuming cordyceps
Suitable For: Yang deficiency body constitution
Also Known As: Rehmannia Glutinosa
Chinese Name: 生地黄
Thermal Nature: Cold
Flavor: Sweet
Organ Meridian: Heart, liver, kidney
Properties: Cools the blood, promotes Yin
Best Use For: Relieving heatiness in the blood, treating fever caused by Yin deficiency
Serving Per Day For One Person: 10 to 15g
Dietary Caution: People with weak spleen and loose stools should avoid consuming sheng di huang
Suitable For: Yin deficiency body constitution
Also Known As: Polygonatum Odoratum
Chinese Name: 玉竹
Thermal Nature: Cold
Flavor: Sweet
Organ Meridian: Lung, stomach
Properties: Nourish Yin, relieve cough, quench thirst
Best Use For: Treating Yin deficiency in the lungs, relieving dry cough, relieving Yin deficiency in the stomach (dry mouth, poor appetite, etc)
Serving Per Day For One Person: 6 to 12g
Dietary Caution: People with bloated stomach should minimize consumption of solomon’s seal alone
Suitable For: Yin deficiency body constitution
Also Known As: Panax Quinquefolium
Chinese Name: 西洋参
Thermal Nature: Cooling
Flavor: Sweet, bitter (slight)
Organ Meridian: Heart, lung, kidney
Properties: Boost Qi, nourish Yin, cools the body
Best Use For: People with Qi and Yin deficiency, boosting energy levels for people who are recovering from illness
Serving Per Day For One Person: 3 to 6g
Dietary Caution: People with flu symptoms should avoid consuming ginseng for the time being. Never consume American Ginseng with Hellebore as they have clashing effects on each other.
Suitable For: Yin deficiency body constitution, Qi deficiency body constitution
Also Known As: Wolfberry, Lycium Barbarum
Chinese Name: 枸杞子
Thermal Nature: Neutral
Flavor: Sweet
Organ Meridian: Liver, kidney
Properties: Nourish the liver and kidney, relieves eye problems
Best Use For: People with liver/kidney Yin deficiency who are likely to have knee, waist issues, ear ringing, dizziness or cloudy vision in the eyes
Serving Per Day For One Person: 6 to 12g
Dietary Caution: People with weak spleen or flu symptoms should avoid consuming goji alone
Suitable For: Yin deficiency body constitution
Chinese Name: 熟地黄
Thermal Nature: Warm (Slight)
Flavor: Sweet
Organ Meridian: Liver, kidney
Properties: Nourish blood, boost Yin
Best Use For: Yin deficiency in kidney and liver (people with these deficiencies will experience weakness in the knees and waist, dizziness and temporal ringing sound in the ears)
Serving Per Day For One Person: 9 to 15g
Dietary Caution: People with loose stools should avoid consuming shu di huang alone
Suitable For: Blood stasis body constitution
Also Known As: Angelica Sinensis
Chinese Name: 当归
Thermal Nature: Warm
Flavor: Sweet
Organ Meridian: Heart, liver, spleen
Properties: Nourish the blood, harmonize menstruation and relieve pain
Best Use For: People with blood deficiency and experiencing dizziness, relieving menstruation pain, relieving constipation due to dryness in the intestine
Serving Per Day For One Person: 6 to 12g
Dietary Caution: People with loose stools should avoid consuming dang gui
Suitable For: Blood stasis body constitution
