https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/A4PeQB2Vq1CW8xtc-5KQOA
You are welcome to share your experiences with the herbs in the replies to facilitate other students in searching and learning.
212. Xiang Fu (Cyperus)
Vinegar-treated Xiang Fu has a very pleasant scent, while raw Xiang Fu is slightly less so. After steeping in water, it tastes sweet at first, followed by a slight sourness and bitterness, with a cooling sensation similar to borneol in the aftertaste.
After drinking, the qi of the lung and spleen-stomach becomes more active, stomach qi descends, spleen qi rises, and lung qi disperses outward, accompanied by a cooling, moistening, and smooth sensation throughout the chest and thorax.
Functions: Disperses lung qi, generates spleen qi, descends stomach qi, treats mammary gland hyperplasia and other chest disorders.
213. Fo Shou (Fingered Citron)
It smells quite fragrant. After steeping, the taste is sweet, with a citrus aroma, followed by a rising bitterness. I have noticed that many herbs taste sweet at the tip of the tongue initially, but when held in the mouth, sour and bitter flavors emerge (contacting the root of the tongue). By adjusting the position of the herbal liquid on the tongue, different flavors can be perceived—there is indeed a “bitterness map.”
After drinking, liver qi and stomach qi are unblocked, the lower abdomen feels slightly numb, but overall the qi seems to sink downward. A considerable amount of qi from the heart and lungs is drawn away, so it is not recommended for use in patients with deficiency and damage-type heart-lung diseases.
Functions: Guides qi downward; unblocks liver qi and stomach qi.
214. Xiang Yuan (Aurantii Fructus)
It also smells quite fragrant and is considered one of the more pleasant tasting herbs among these days.
After drinking, there is a strong sensation of unblocking in the right liver area, but it quickly fades. Then a notable fullness in the lower abdomen occurs, suggesting a diuretic effect.
Functions: Unblocks liver qi (requires drinking a large bowl forcefully, imitating the action of “flushing the toilet” to clear stagnation in the liver), diuretic.
Diuretic action may be considered only a “side effect,” and whether it counts as a primary function remains questionable.