A Clinical Guide to Identifying Chinese Medicinal Herbs

As Chinese medicine grows in popularity in the West, more and more practitioners are choosing to expand their treatment efficacy by prescribing raw herbs. Thus, the need to correctly identify herbs is of growing concern among Western practitioners of Chinese medicine. This book is an extremely useful, hands on guide to the sometimes bewildering variety of raw herbs. Practitioners and students alike will find it a useful aid in the pharmacy; and all herbal dispensaries will find it indispensable for their business. Here can be found detailed information for identifying 417 herbs, accompanied by color photographs of the ready for use herbs and including descriptions of commonly used alternate species. Each herb is identified by it's Pinyin name, Hanzi name, Latin name and Common English name, as well as a photograph. Source, Property and Flavor, and Channels Entered, Actions, and Identification are given for each herb. The book covers categories of herbs that release the exterior; clear heat; purge; dispel wind & dampness; transform dampness; promote water flow & leach out dampness; regulate qi; relieve food stagnation; expel worms; stop bleeding; invigorate the blood & transform stasis; stop cough & calm dyspnea by transforming phlegm; quiet the mind; calm the liver & extinguish wind; open the orifices; tonify deficiency; astringe; induce vomiting; relieve itching; resolve putrefaction and engender flesh.