Xia Ku Cao
Prunellae Spica
acrid, bitter, cold
PRIMARY FUNCTION:
Clear Heat and Drain Fire
CLASSICAL MANIFESTATIONS:
- Red eyes
- Painful eyes
- Swollen eyes
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Lumps on neck
- Swollen glands
- Goiter
- Scrofula
- Lipoma
- Hypertension
Xia Ku Cao is acrid, bitter, and cold. It enters the gallbladder and liver systems to treat patterns of heat. It can treat eye related disorders involving heat or eye disorders due to liver patterns that are worse at night.
Channels: liver, gallbladder
COMMON APPLICATIONS AND CLINICAL POSSIBILITIES:
- Lipoma
- High blood pressure
- Antitumor
- Goiter
- Thyroid dysfunction
- Disorders of the eye
- Breast abscess
- Diuresis
Formulas:
- Long Dan Bi Yuan Fang
Contraindications: prescribe Xia Ku Cao cautiously to patients that present with poor digestive function
Zoo Image: a walrus with a goiter wearing a liver fire bike helmet and sunglasses is inflating a tire with a bulge