https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/A4PeQB2Vq1CW8xtc-5KQOA
Welcome everyone to share your own experiences with the medicinal herbs in the replies, to facilitate other students’ searching and learning.
19. Burdock Seed
Bitter, unpleasant to drink, comparable to “goose doesn’t eat grass,” and causes discomfort and a rough feeling in the throat after drinking.
Confirmed effects: Bitter and cold, clears heat/fire. Secondary effects: reduces swelling and benefits the throat, stops phlegm, clears stomach fire, reduces real fire sores and ulcers.
20. Cicada Molt (same as before)
The water brewed has a tea fragrance. Directly chewing on the chitin shell has a taste and effect somewhat similar to powdered rhinoceros horn and can serve as a very low-level substitute for rhinoceros horn (rhino horn is stored at home; protecting wild animals is everyone’s responsibility).
Because it’s hard to clean, chewing directly contains a lot of sand and dirt, and the chitin shell cannot be chewed up; just chew a little, then spit it out and rinse your mouth, no need to persist stubbornly.
Confirmed effects: clears heat and cools the blood (which is actually a type of anti-inflammation, although anti-inflammation in traditional Chinese medicine can sometimes be mystical; powdered rhino horn starts working as soon as it’s in the mouth, seemingly without absorption into the blood or increase in blood drug concentration). Derived effects: dispels wind-heat, clears and benefits the throat, vents rashes and reduces sores, clears the liver and brightens the eyes.
21. Mulberry Leaf
The taste is somewhat like unsweetened black spruce soda, similar to bamboo leaf but more pleasant and somewhat moistening, it probably replenishes something.
Confirmed effects: moistens lungs and increases fluids. Secondary effects: stops cough, moistens and softens lung nodules, calms the liver and subdues yang (metal overcomes wood), brightens the eyes, moistens intestines, and controls sweating.
22. Chrysanthemum Flower
6 grams brewed in 150 ml water, a bit concentrated; diluting by about half makes it better to drink, with a very noticeable throat-moistening effect.
Confirmed effects: clears and benefits the head and eyes, moistens lungs and benefits the stomach, directs qi downward. Secondary effects: treats red eyes, dry nose, sore throat, and headache caused by wind-heat invading upward (translation: mainly inflammatory reactions, headaches without obvious vascular symptoms), treats cough caused by insufficient lung fluids, and stomach rumbling and decreased appetite caused by insufficient stomach fluids (not referring to stomach acid), calms the liver and subdues yang (metal overcomes wood + directs qi downward).
This time the chrysanthemum provided is Boju variety, with less obvious heat-clearing and detoxifying effects.