Herbs That Open Orifices

Herbs That Open Orifices:

  • Opens up sensory orifices and awakens the spirit - delirium, coma, locked jaw, clenched fists, rigid limbs, seizures.
  • There herbs are scattering by nature and can drain yuan qi; treats symptoms, not the root.

Section Herbal Summary:

  • She Xiang, Su He Xiang, Bing Pian - open orifices, treat loss of consciousness.
    • She Xiang - most intensely aromatic and penetrating in materia medica, trauma, sores.
    • Bing Pian - similar but much weaker.
    • Su He Xiang - wind-stroke with collapse due to phlegm.
  • Niu Huang - not as potent as She Xiang in opening orifices, but effective in clearing heat and relieving toxicity, often used together with She Xiang to treat coma due to heat disorder.
  • Shi Cang Pu - opens orifices is secondary to its general aromatic action in vaporizing phlegm.

Chinese Herbsort icon Functions and Usage
Bing Pian (Borneol)
  • Aromatically opens orifices, revives the spirit - fainting, convulsion.
  • Clears heat, alleviates pain, dissipates nodules, alleviates itching - topically for pain, swelling of the throat, skin disease, eye disease (photophobia, excessive tearing), regenerates flesh.
Niu Huang (Cattle Gallstone)
  • Clears the heart, opens the orifices, awakens the spirit, vaporizes phlegm - delirium or coma due to wind-heat or hot diseases with hot phlegm obstructing the pericardium.
  • Clears the liver, relieves toxicity, extinguishes wind, stops tremors - spasms, tremors, convulsions with high fever due to heat entering the liver.
  • Drains heat and relieves fire toxicity - red, painful, swollen, or ulcerated throat as well as for sores, carbuncles, boils, and a wide variety of hot swellings.
She Xiang (Navel Gland Secretions of Musk Deer)
  • Opens the orifices, revives the spirit, unblocks closed disorders (a wide variety of problems that impair consciousness) - heat entering the pericardium, convulsions, delirium, stupor fainting, closed disorders, tetanic collapse, phlegm collapse, seizures.
  • Invigorates the blood, dissipates clumps, reduces swelling, alleviates pain - toxic sores, carbuncles, fixed masses, channel obstructions due to trauma.
Shi Chang Pu (Sweetflag Rhizome)
  • Opens the orifices, vaporizes phlegm, quiets the spirit - sensory orifice disorders due to phlegm, deafness, dizziness, poor memory, dulled sensation, seizures.
  • Harmonize the middle warmer, transform turbid damp, abdominal pain.
  • Wind-cold damp - painful obstruction, trauma and sores.
Su He Xiang (Resin of Rose Maloes, Styrax)
  • Opens the orifices, penetrates through turbidity - for closed disorders, phlegm blockages, epidemic toxic disease, especially cold disorders.
  • Pain in the chest and abdomen.