Bo He (Herba Menthae) in TCM

Name

Bo He (Herba Menthae)——Xin Xiu Ben Cao (Newly Revised Materia Medica)

The Processing of 薄荷

Origin

Aerial parts of perennial herbaceous Mentha haplocalyx Briq of family Labiatae.

Location

Mainly in the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhenjiang, Hunan in China.

Harvest

When the stem and leaves are flourishing or the flower has bloomed for the third time in summer and autumn, it can be harvested in sunny day.

The real smell and taste

Special refreshing smell with flavor of pungent and cool after malaxating.

Best quality

More leaves with deep green color, refreshing taste and strong smell.

Processing

Cut into segments, unprocessed.

The Effect of 薄荷

Property

Pungent, cool; lung and liver meridians entered.

Actions

Disperse wind-heat, clear the head, improve eyesight, relieve sore throat, promote eruption, expel wind and relieve itching.

Indications

A. Wind-heat exterior syndrome or warm diseases at the defense system

Bo He has the action of dispersing exterior pathogen and has certain extent action of including sweating because of strong pungent taste having dispersing effect. So it is usually used for treating common cold caused by wind-heat and warm diseases at the defense system. It is often combined with other wind-heat dispersing herbs or heat-clearing and toxicity-relieving herbs to reinforce the function of expelling exterior pathogen and toxic heat, such as Yin Qiao San in Wen Bing Tiao Bian. It can also be combined with wind-cold-dispersing herbs to treat the wind-cold exterior syndrome.

B. Dizziness and headache, blood-shot eyes with more tears, sore and itching throat, pruritus

Bo He also has the good action of clearing head and throat, expelling wind to stop itching. For treating the headache and vertigo due to wind and heat attacking upwards, it is suitable to combine with the wind-expelling and pain-stopping herbs, such as Man Jing Zi, Chuan Xiong, Bai Zhi, etc. For treating blood-shot eyes with more tears due to liver heat, it is suitable to combine with the liver-clearing and eyesight-improving herbs, such as Ju Hua, Mu Zei, Shi Jue Ming, etc. For treating the swollen and painful throat, it is suitable to combine with throat-clearing herbs, such as the Jie Geng, Niu Bang Zi, Jiang Can, etc. For treating the rubella with itching, it is suitable to combine with the wind-expelling and itching-relieving herbs, such as Jing Jie, Fang Feng, Jiang Can, etc.

C. Unsmooth eruption of measles at the early stage

It can treat unsmooth eruption of measles due to exterior wind-heat and dominance of heat in the interior. For letting out skin eruption and expelling pathogenic wind-heat to promote eruption of measles, it is usually used together with wind-heat-dispering and toxic-heat-relieving herbs, such as Chan Tui, Niu Bang Zi, etc.

In addition, it also has the function of soothing liver and moving qi, resolving dampness and harmonizing the middle. It can be used to treat symptoms of stagnation of liver qi, hypochondriac distending pain and distension of stomach and abdomen, vomiting and diarrhea due to receiving summer-damp qi.

Dosage and Administrations

Decoct 3~10 g. But it should be decocted later than other herbs. Bo He Ye is good at inducing sweat and releasing exterior, Bo He Geng is skilled in moving qi and harmonizing the middle.