Properties: Bitter in flavour, slightly cold in nature, it acts on the liver channel. This herb is mainly acting on the liver channel and effective in blood. Its cold property clears away pathogenic heat from the blood, purges fire from the liver and the bitter flavour relieves stasis and promotes blood circulation. So the herb has the functions of removing heat from the blood, promoting blood circulation and purging fire from the liver. It is indicated for blood-heat, blood stasis and the syndromes caused by liver-fire.

Effects: Removing pathogenic fire from the blood, dissipating blood stasis and relieving pain.

Indication:

1. For the syndromes caused by excessive heat in the blood division manifested as high fever, deep red tongue, maculs and bleeding due to heat invasion of the blood, it is often used in combination  with the drugs for clearing heat to cool the blood, such as rhinoceros horn and rehmannia root.

2. For the syndromes caused by stagnation in the blood division manifested in women as irregular menstruation or blood stasis and swelling due to trauma, it is used in combination with the drugs for promoting blood circulation and relieving blood stasis, such as chuanxiong rhizome and Chinese angelica root.

3. For superficial suppurative infections caused by noxious heat, it is used in combination with heat-clearing and detoxicating drugs, such as capejasmine fruit, dandelion herb, forsythia fruit, etc.

In addition, it can also be used to treat conjunctival congestion due to liver-fire, because it has the effect of purging fire from the liver.