Gan Cao (Licorice Root)
Submitted by yyh_staff on Fri, 2008-07-11 08:51.
Chinese Name:
Gan CaoEnglish Name:
Licorice RootFunctions and Usage:
- Tonifies the spleen and augments qi - spleen deficiency w/shortness of breath, fatigue, loose stools (si jun zi tong).
- Qi and/or blood deficiency w/irregular pluse or palpitations (Zhi Gan Cao Tang).
- Moistens the lungs and stops cough - heat/cold in the lungs (Ma Xing Shi Gan Tang).
- Clears heat and toxic fire (raw) - carbuncles, sores, sore throat due to fire toxin (internally or topically).
- Alleviates pain and stops spasms - abdomen or legs (Shao Yao Gan Cao Tang).
- Often used to harmonize and/or moderate characteristics of other herbs.
- Antidote for toxic substances (internally and topically).
Functional Groupings (Click for Summary/Study Notes):
Dosage and Preparation Notes:
- Dosage: 2-12g
Channels Influenced:
Temperature and Taste Properties:
Contraindications:
Notes:
- Affects all 12 meridians, but most used with the heart, lung, spleen, and stomach meridians.
- When raw it has more neutral properties, when dry-fried it is more warming.
Bookmark/Search this post with:
TCM Herbal Sources and More Information
The information on our site is drawn from our own lecture notes and clinical experience. The following lecture notes were used within this section:
- Jin, Yan Ping: New England School of Acupuncture, CHM Pharmacopoeia I and II, Formulas I and II Lecture Notes
For a complete list of valuable resources, see our Herbal Medicine Resources section. The most recommended texts are below:

Delicious
Digg
StumbleUpon
Google
Technorati


