Heat-Clearing and toxicity-Removing Herbs
Lv Dou (绿豆)
Name
Lv Dou (Mung Bean)
The Effect of 绿豆
Property
Sweet, cold; heart and stomach meridians entered.
Actions
Clear heat and remove toxicity, relieve summer-heat and promote diuresis.
Indications
Edema, diarrhea, erysipelas, carbuncle and swelling, polydipsia due to summer-heat, toxicity of some drugs, such as Fu Zi, Pi Shi.
Dosage and Administrations
Decoct 15~30 g, large dosage can be 120 g; or pounded into juice or made into powder. Proper dosage is for external application, pounded into powder for applying.
Cautions
It is contraindicated for deficiency-cold of 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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