English

Wulingzhi is derived from the dried feces of animals such as Trogopterus xanthipes and is used as medicine after standardized processing. This article introduces the key identification points of lump and granular forms, its traditional blood-activating and pain-relieving actions, differences from Puhuang and Cansha, as well as common formulas such as Shixiao San and Shaofu Zhuyu Tang, and explains contraindications and safety precautions.

Yan Hu Suo, also known as Yuan Hu, is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb commonly used to invigorate blood and move qi. This article covers its appearance, tuber medicinal part, differences from Yu Jin and Chuan Xiong, and several common formulas containing Yan Hu Suo to help build a basic understanding.

Ezhu comes from the dried rhizome of plants in the ginger family and is often used in Chinese medicine to regulate qi and blood stasis and food accumulation. This article provides a clear guide for overseas readers, covering plant morphology, medicinal parts, traditional understanding, differences from Yujin and Sanleng, common formulas, and precautions.

Gou Ji (Cibotium rhizome) is a Chinese medicinal derived from the dried rhizome of Cibotium barometz. It is commonly used in directions for strengthening the lower back and knees and dispelling wind-dampness. This article introduces its appearance and identification, medicinal part, differences from Drynaria rhizome and Dipsacus root, common formulas, and precautions, helping readers build a basic understanding.

Sang Ji Sheng is often mistaken for an ordinary mulberry branch or mistletoe, but it is actually the dried leafy stems and branches of Taxillus chinensis, a plant in the Loranthaceae family. This article focuses on what Sang Ji Sheng is, covering its stem and leaf identification features, the leafy stem medicinal part, common formula directions, and precautions such as source misidentification.

Bu Gu Zhi is the ripe fruit of Psoralea corylifolia, usually kidney-shaped and flattened. In traditional Chinese medicine it is often used to warm the kidney, assist yang, and stop diarrhea. This article briefly explains identification, medicinal part, common formulas, and risks of photosensitivity and liver injury.

Xianmao is the dried rhizome of Curculigo orchioides, a medicinal herb with strong warming properties. This article introduces its appearance, the rhizome used as the medicinal part, differences from Epimedium and Morinda officinalis, common formulas, and precautions for use, helping readers build a basic understanding.

Shayuanzi is a traditional Chinese medicinal made from the mature seeds of flat-stem milkvetch (Astragalus complanatus). This article introduces its appearance, medicinal parts, differences from dodder seed and chive seed, common formulas for securing essence and improving vision, and precautions for use, to help readers understand this seed-based medicinal systematically.

Tu Bie Chong is an animal-based medicinal prepared from the dried female body of Eupolyphaga sinensis or Steleophaga plancyi, not the common household cockroach. This article introduces its identification, medicinal parts, common formulas, and precautions to help readers build a basic understanding.

Leech is a common animal-derived Chinese medicine made from the dried whole bodies of leeches such as Whitmania pigra, Hirudo nipponica, or Whitmania acranulata. This article briefly covers its appearance, medicinal part, traditional understanding, modern risks, and common formula directions for overseas readers.

Gadfly (Meng Chong) is a Chinese medicinal material derived from the dried body of female Tabanidae flies. It has a short, stout body, a pair of prominent compound eyes, and membranous wings. This article covers identification, medicinal parts, differences from ground beetle and leech, classic formulas containing gadfly, and precautions.

What is a pangolin? Its scales were once used in traditional Chinese medicine and appeared in multiple historical formulas. Today, pangolins are strictly protected and are no longer used as ordinary medicinal materials. This article introduces its traditional concept, medicinal parts, formula background, and current legal status from a historical and educational perspective.

Xue Yu Tan is a Chinese medicinal material made from human hair through standardized cleaning and carbonization. It is porous, black, light, and brittle. This article introduces its identification, traditional uses, common formula directions, and precautions.

Palm fiber carbon is made from the fibrous leaf sheath remaining on the palm petiole through standardized carbonization. It is dark brown in appearance, light and brittle in texture, with obvious fibrous striations. This article introduces its medicinal source, identification methods, differences from charred human hair and charred Platycladus leaf, as well as common formulas containing palm fiber carbon and precautions for use.

Huarui stone is a mineral-based Chinese medicinal material. It appears as irregular grayish-white to grayish-green lumps, often with mottled markings. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is mainly understood from the perspective of resolving stasis and stopping bleeding, and it is used in some hemostatic and stasis-resolving formulas. This article summarizes its identification points, medicinal source, differences from pyrite and halloysite, and precautions for use.