Digestant Herbs
Lai Fu (莱菔)
Name
Lai Fu (Radish)
The Effect of 莱菔
Property
Pungent, sweet, cool; spleen, lung, stomach and large intestine meridians entered.
Actions
Promote digestion, direct qi downward, resolve phlegm, stop bleeding, relieve thrist and induce diuresis.
Indications
Indigestion, abdominal distention, diarrhea, sore throat, hematemesis, hemoptysis, nose bleeding, hematochezia, diabetes, cough due to phlegm-heat, acid regurgitation, stranguria with turbid discharge for oral administration; sores and boils, bruising, scalds and chiblain for external application.
Dosage and Administrations
Eat it directly or take the juice, 30~100 g, or decoct in water, or cook it for eating. Proper dosage is for external application, pounded for applying or decocted for washing.
Cautions
Avoid taking Di Huang and He Shou Wu when using the drug. It is contraindicated in case of deficiency cold in spleen and stomach.
Sources and further reading
We cite classical materia medica and modern reference works. This article is health education, not medical advice.
- Shennong Bencao Jing (The Divine Farmer's Materia Medica), Han dynasty.
- Bencao Gangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica), Li Shizhen, 1578.
- Chinese Pharmacopoeia, current edition — identity, quality and safety monographs.
- NCCIH and WHO reference material on traditional medicine safety.
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