Herb Encyclopedia
Your comprehensive guide to 106+ medicinal herbs. Discover traditional uses, modern research, dosage guidelines, and safety information.
Showing 4 of 106 herbs
Chinese Goldthread (Huang Lian)
Coptis chinensis
Pinyin: Huáng Lián
Huang Lian (Coptis chinensis) is one of the most important and bitter herbs in Chinese medicine. The bright yellow rhizome gets its color from berberine, the primary active alkaloid. Huang Lian is used to clear damp-heat from the body, especially from the digestive system and heart. It is one of the most antimicrobial herbs in the Chinese pharmacopeia.
Chrysanthemum Flower
Chrysanthemum morifolium
Pinyin: Jú Huā
Chrysanthemum is one of the most beloved flowers in Chinese culture and medicine. The white and yellow varieties are both used medicinally, with white chrysanthemum (Bai Ju Hua) being more cooling and better for the eyes. Hangzhou White Chrysanthemum (Hang Bai Ju) and Tribute Chrysanthemum (Gong Ju) from Huangshan are the most famous varieties.
Honeysuckle Flower
Lonicera japonica
Pinyin: Jīn Yín Huā
Honeysuckle is a climbing vine with fragrant white flowers that turn yellow as they age - hence the name "gold and silver flower" (Jin Yin Hua). The flower buds are one of the most important heat-clearing and detoxifying herbs in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Honeysuckle was widely studied and used during the SARS outbreak in China for its antiviral properties.
Peppermint
Mentha piperita
Pinyin: Bò Hé
Peppermint is a hybrid mint (cross between watermint and spearmint) that grows wild in moist areas. It has square stems, opposite leaves, and purple flower spikes. Peppermint is one of the oldest and most widely used medicinal herbs, valued for its cooling, refreshing, and digestive properties. Both Western herbalism and Traditional Chinese Medicine use mint extensively.