Forsythia Fruit (lian qiao)

Fructus Forsythiae

Properties: Bitter in flavour, slightly cold in nature, it acts on the lung, heart and gallbladder channels. The cold property clears away heat and the bitter flavour dissolves lumps. So it is good at clearing away the excessive fire in the heart channel, detoxicating and subduing swelling. It is indicated for the syndromes of exopathogenic, invasion of the ying division and pericardium, especially the suppurative infections on body surface. Therefore, it got the name, ¡°the holy medicine for the doctors to cure sores¡±. In addition, owing to the quality of light and loose, it can cool and dispel the expathogenic wind-heat, or treat epidemic febrile diseases at the early stage when the pathogenic factors are still lingering in the wei division.

1. For treating suppurative infections on body surface caused by noxious heat, acute mastitis and furunculosis, it is often used in combination with heat-clearing and detoxicating drugs, such as honeysuckle flower, capejasmine fruit and coptis root. In cases of scrofula and subcutaneous nodule, it may be used in combination with prunella spike, oyster shell and scrophularia root, and other drugs for eliminating scrofula and dissolving lumps.

2. For the exopathogenic wind-heat affection, or the epidemic febrile diseases at the early stage, it is often used in combination with the diaphoretics which is pungent in flavour and cool in nature, such as pepper mint and arctium fruit. In cases of pathogenic heat invasion of ying division, high fever, delirium, deep red and dry tongue, it is often used in combination with rhinoceros horn, ophiopogon root and scrophularia root, or other heat-clearing and blood-cooling drugs.

Dosage and Administration: 6-15g.