What it is:
This herb is theroot of Glehnia littoralis Fr. Schmidtex Miq.(family Um-belliferae) which is produced chiefly Shandong, Hebei,Liao-ning and Jiangsu provinces. It is dugin summer or autumn,washed clean, rid of the outlets, skinned after scalding in boiling water, sliced or cut to segments, dried in the sun, and used unprepared.

Property:
Sweet in flavour, slightly cold in property, acting on the lung and stomachchannels.

Effects:
Clearingaway heat from the lung, nourishing yin,reinforcing the sto-mach and promoting the production of body fluid.

Used for:
1. Dry cough dueto heat in the lungor phthisical coughand hemoptysis. Forthe former, it is often used together with ophiopogon root,fragrant solomonsealrhizome and mulberryleaf, as in Decoctionof Glehnia and Ophio-pogon(Shashen MaidongTang); for the latter,it is often used along with anemarrhenarhizome, fritillary bulb, ophiopogon root,turtle shell, etc.

2. For consump-tion of body fluid by febrile diseases with manifestations of dry mouth, thirstyfeeling and poor appetite, it is oftenused with dried rehmannia root and ophiopogon root, as in Stomach-nourishingDecoction (YiweiTang); for severe consumptionof body fluid mani-fested as deep red tongue with lackof saliva, it can be used with fresh rehmannia root and fresh dendrobium.

Dosage and admi-nistration: 10-15g, decocted in water for an oral dose.

Precautions:
This herb should notbe used in cases ofdeficiency syndromewith cold manifes-tations. It is incompatible with black hellebore root (Radix Veratri).