Class 9: Herbs and Formulas That Expel Parasites

Xianhui Li

• Fructus Quisqualis (Shi jun zi)

• Cortex Meliae radicis (Ku lian gen pi)

• Semen Arecae (Bing lang)

• Rhizoma Dryopteris (Guan zhong)

• Semen Cucurbitae (Nan gua zi)

• Bulbus Alii sativi (Da suan)

Herbs that Expel Parasites

Fructus Quisqualis (Shi jun zi)

• Taste and Property: Sweet and warm• Meridian Tropism: Spleen, stomach• Actions: kills parasites, strengthens the spleen and

dissolves accumulations, treat childhood nutritional impairment

• Applications– Especially for killing roundworms and pinworms. Can be used by

itself for mild cases. Used with ku lian pi, bing lang together.– For childhood nutritional impairment and for abdominal

distention, pool appetite, or weak constitution. Its sweetness makes it useful for childrenm used with hu huang lian, rou dou kou, i.e. fei er wan

• Dosage: 9-12g

Cortex Meliae radicis (Ku lian gen pi)

• Taste and Property: bitter, cold, toxic• Meridian Tropism: Liver, spleen, stomach• Actions: kills parasites, clears damp-heat• Applications

– Primarily for infestation of roundworms, hookworms, and pinworms, but also for vaginal trichomonas infections, used with bing lang, he shi, i.e. hua shi wan

– Also used topically for tinea infections, can be used either as a wash or ground into a powder and made into a thick paste with vinegar

• Dosage: 4.5-9g• Attentions: should not taken long term

Semen Arecae (Bing lang)

• Taste and Property: acrid, bitter, warm• Meridian Tropism: LI, stomach• Actions: kills parasites, removes food stagnation,

promotes the movement of qi, promotes urination• Applications

– For a wide variety of intestinal parasites, best for tapeworms, used with he shi, ku lian pi, i.e. hua chong wan

– For food accumulation and stagnant qi with abdominal distention, constipation, or tenesmus, used with mu xiang, qing pi, i.e. mu xiang bing lang wan, used with bai shao, mu xiang, huang, i.e. shao yao tang

– For damp leg qi and edema due to excess, used with mu tong, ze xie

– Also used for malarial disorders, used with chang shan, cao guo, i.e. jie nue qi bao yin

• Dosage: 6-15g

Rhizoma Dryopteris (Guan zhong)

• Taste and Property: bitter, astringent, cold• Meridian Tropism: LI, LU, LV• Actions: clears heat and resolves toxicity, cools the

blood and dispels stasis, expels parasites• Applications

– For a wide variety of toxic problems including influenza, maculae due to heat, breast abscess, and dysenteric disorders, used with ye ju hua, da qing ye

– For vomiting blood, blood in the stools, dysfunctional uterine bleeding and hemorrhoidal bleeding

– For intestinal parasites• Dosage: 6-15g• Attentions: should not be taken during pregnancy, and

overdosage should be avoided

http://www.sacredlotus.com/herbs/gallery/guanzhong_lg.jpg

Semen Cucurbitae (Nan gua zi)

• Taste and Property: sweet, neutral

• Meridian Tropism: LI, ST

• Actions: kills parasites and alleviates pain

• Applications– For tapeworms and roundworms. Used as a

stand-alone herb for this purpose. Also used for schistosomiasis

• Dosage: 60-120g

Bulbus Alii sativi (Da suan)

• Taste and Property: acrid, warm• Meridian Tropism: LI, LU, SP, ST• Actions: kills parasites; disperse abscesses and

reduces swelling; resolves toxin; reduce food stagnation• Applications

– For hookworms and pinworms, and in combination with other herbs, for other types of intestinal parasites. Also used for tinea of the scalp, used with bing lang, ku lian pi, he shi

– For early stage sores and abscesses, used both internally and topically

– For diarrhea and dysenteric disorders due to epidemic toxins or food stagnation

• Dosage: 60-120g

Formulas that Expel Parasites

• Mume Pill (wu mei wan)

• Fat Baby Pill (fei er wan)

Mume Pill (wu mei wan)

Ingredients: wu mei, chuan jiao, xi xin, huang lian, huang bai, gan jiang, fu zi,

gui zhi, ren shen, dang gui

Actions and indications of the formula

• Actions– Warm the organs (intestines) and calm

roundworms.

• Indications– Intermittent attacks of abdominal pain, a stifling

sensation, irritability, and warmth in the chest and epigastrium accompanied by vomiting after eating, and cold hands and feet. There may also be vomiting of roundworms.

Analysis of Formula• Chief : wu mei

– A very sour substance which is quite effective in eliminating roundworms

• Deputies: – Chuan jiao, xi xin: are warm in nature and expel parasites and warm the

organs– Huang lian and huang bai: are cold and bitter in nature and attack the

worms. • Assistants:

– Gan jiang, fu zi, gui zhi: warm the interior and are very useful in dispersing internal cold

– Ren shen, dang gui: tonify qi and nourish the blood in order to prevent further injury to the normal qi

• Envoy: vinegar (in which the chief herb is soaked)– It is sour in nature and conducts the actions of other herbs into the liver

channel to treat the collapse

Modern application and attention

• Modern application: – Ascariasis, roundworms in the bile duct, chronic

gastrienteritis, post-gastrectomy syndrome, colitis, or chronic dysentery

• Modification:– For constipation, add bing lang, zhi shi– For severe vomiting, add wu zhu yu, ban xia– For roundworms in the bile duct, add shi jun zi, ku lian gen pi– For chronic dysentery, add mu xiang and bai shao

• Attention:– Contraindicated for explosive diarrhea or damp-heat dysenteric

disorders

Fat Baby Pill (fei er wan)

Ingredients: shen qu, huang lian, rou dou kou, shi jun zi, chao mai

ya, bing lang, mu xiang

Actions and indications of the formula

• Actions– Kills parasites, reduces accumulation,

strengthens the spleen, and clears heat.

• Indications– Parasitic infestation with intermittent attacks

of abdominal pain, indigestion, emaciation, loose stools, feverishness, foul-smelling breath, a sallow complexion, and a large, distended abdomen.

Analysis of Formula

• Chief : shi jun zi, bing lang – Have a strong antiparasitic effective

• Deputies: hang lian, rou dou kou– Huang lian: clears heat. – Rou dou kou: strengthens the spleen,

• Assistants: – Helps reduce the stagnation in the middle burner– Mu xiqng, promotes the qi in the middle burner– Mai ya, shen qu: reduce food stagnation serves as

• Envoy: pig gall– When combined with huang lian, it drains heat and accumulation

from the stomach, and conducts the actions of the other ingredients into stomach

Modern application and modification

• Modern application: – Any childhood nutritional impairment with

accumulation, even without parasitic infection. Ascariasis, malnutrition, and chronic indigestion in child

• Modification:– For severe qi deficiency, add dang shen bai zhu– For cases with little or no internal heat, omit huang

lian– For constipation, add da huang, zhi shi– For firm masses in the abdomen add san leng, e zhu