Chinese herb directory
The following directory provides individual profiles for 89 of the most important and widely prescribed herbs in Chinese herbal medicine. Each page covers the herb’s TCM properties (nature, flavour and channels), principal actions and indications, the key classical formulas in which it appears, modern pharmacological research, and clinical cautions.
Chinese herbs are never prescribed individually — they are always combined into precisely balanced formulas tailored to each patient’s individual TCM pattern. To see the classical formulas that combine these herbs into complete prescriptions, visit the Chinese herbal medicine formula directory.
I am Dr (TCM) Attilio D’Alberto, a member of the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine (RCHM) with over 25 years of clinical experience. I prescribe pharmaceutical-grade herbal granules from Sun Ten in Taiwan. Online consultations are available for patients throughout the UK and internationally.
Bai Bu — Stemona Root (Stemona sessilifolia)
Bai Jiang Cao — Patrinia Herb (Patrinia scabiosaefolia)
Bai Mao Gen — Woolly Grass Rhizome (Imperata cylindrica)
Ba Ji Tian — Morinda Root (Morinda officinalis)
Bai He — Lily Bulb (Lilium brownii)
Bai Zhu — White Atractylodes (Atractylodes macrocephala)
Ban Lan Gen — Isatis Root (Isatis tinctoria)
Ban Xia — Pinellia Rhizome (Pinellia ternata)
Bo He — Chinese Peppermint (Mentha haplocalyx)
Che Qian Zi — Plantain Seed (Plantago asiatica)
Chuan Bei Mu — Fritillary Bulb (Fritillaria cirrhosa)
Chai Hu — Bupleurum Root (Bupleurum chinense)
Chen Pi — Aged Tangerine Peel (Citrus reticulata)
Chi Shao — Red Peony Root (Paeonia lactiflora)
Chuan Xiong — Sichuan Lovage Root (Ligusticum chuanxiong)
Dan Shen — Red Sage Root (Salvia miltiorrhiza)
Dang Shen — Codonopsis Root (Codonopsis pilosula)
Dang Gui — Chinese Angelica Root / Dong Quai (Angelica sinensis)
Di Yu — Garden Burnet Root (Sanguisorba officinalis)
Du Huo — Pubescent Angelica Root (Angelica pubescens)
Du Zhong — Eucommia Bark (Eucommia ulmoides)
He Shou Wu — Fo-Ti Root (Polygonum multiflorum)
Hong Hua — Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius)
Hu Zhang — Japanese Knotweed Root (Reynoutria japonica)
Huang Bai — Phellodendron Bark (Phellodendron chinense)
Huang Jing — Solomon’s Seal Rhizome (Polygonatum sibiricum)
Huang Qin — Skullcap Root (Scutellaria baicalensis)
Huang Lian — Coptis Rhizome / Goldthread (Coptis chinensis)
Huang Qi — Astragalus Root (Astragalus membranaceus)
San Qi — Notoginseng Root (Panax notoginseng)
Sang Ji Sheng — Mulberry Mistletoe (Taxillus chinensis)
Shen Qu — Medicated Leaven (Massa fermentata medicinalis)
Shan Yao — Chinese Yam (Dioscorea opposita)
Shan Zha — Hawthorn Berry (Crataegus pinnatifida)
Sheng Di Huang — Raw Rehmannia Root (Rehmannia glutinosa)
Shu Di Huang — Prepared Rehmannia Root (Rehmannia glutinosa)
Suan Zao Ren — Sour Jujube Seed (Ziziphus jujuba var. spinosa)
Ze Lan — Bugleweed (Lycopus lucidus)
Ze Xie — Water Plantain Rhizome / Alisma (Alisma plantago-aquatica)
Zhi Ke — Bitter Orange Fruit (Citrus aurantium)
Zi Su Ye — Perilla Leaf (Perilla frutescens)
Zhi Mu — Anemarrhena Rhizome (Anemarrhena asphodeloides)
