Medicine Traditions
  • Home
  • About
  • Materia Medica
    • Materia Medica of Herbal Medicine FREE
    • Materia Medica of Herbal Medicine PRO
    • Animal Materia Medica PRO
    • Animal Materia Medica FREE
    • Mineral Materia Medica PRO
    • Mineral Materia Medica FREE
  • Formulas
  • Treatment
    • Types of Treatment in Traditional Medicine
    • Treatment of Specific Conditions
    • Diseases and Formulas
  • Resources
    • Brief Overview of Traditional Medicine
    • Theory
    • Timeline
    • Authors and Sources
    • Glossaries
    • Articles on Traditional Medicine
    • Photos
    • Medicine Pictures
    • Substitute Medicines
  • Patient Resources
  • Links & Texts
  • Contact Us
  • Store
  • Blog

Sophora, Ku Shen 苦参

Ku Shen (TCM)
Picture
Sophora japonica
Duhamel du Monceau, H.L., Traité des arbres et arbustes, Nouvelle édition, vol. 3 (1806)

Picture
Sophora flavescens
(Photo by Dalgial) (Wikimedia)

Picture
Sophora Ku Shen from the Chengdu Medicine Market (Adam 2023)

Picture
Members CLICK HERE for the PRO VERSION

Botanical name:
Sophora flavescens (syn. S. alopecuroides, S. angustifoliola, S. chinensis, S. korolkowii)

Parts used:
Root

Temperature & Taste:
Cold, dry. Bitter

Classifications:
B. Clears Heat and Damp

ADVERTISEMENT:

Uses:
1. Clears Damp-Heat:

-acute Dysentery with blood in the stool
-purulent and blood-streaked Leukorrhea
-Vaginal itching and discharge; Genital Sores
-Alcoholism (Ming Yi Bie Lu)

2. Settles Wind, Clears Heat, Stops Itching:
-Eczema, Psoriasis, Leprosy
-Sores and Rashes with exudation, itchiness and bleeding
-itchy skin, Scabies

3. Clears Damp-Heat, Promotes Urine:
-painful, dribbling urine
-Edema from Damp-Heat
-'treats jaundice and urinary dripping' (Shen Nong Ben Cao)

4. Clears Damp, Resolves Masses:
-it has become an important herb for various Cancers
-available in injectable form in China

5. Clears Lung Heat, Stops Cough:
-occasionally used for Lung Heat Cough with yellow, sticky Phlegm

6. Kills Worms and Parasites:
-previously used for Worms and Parasites (Su Gong, Li Shi Zhen)

7. Externally:
-as a wash for itchy skin diseases and rashes
-douches and washes for Trichomonas vaginitis, Vaginal Itching, and Leukorrhea
-strong decoction is used as a wash for Lice


Dose:
Powder: 1–3 grams

Preparation:
... available in PRO version
Picture

Main Combinations:
1. Itchiness of the Skin, Rashes:
i. and weeping skin lesions, Sophora Ku Shen with ... available in PRO version
ii. Sophora Ku Shen with ... available in PRO version
iii. Damp-Heat sores and rashes, Sophora Ku Shen ... available in PRO version
iv. weeping skin lesions, Sophora Ku Shen ... available in PRO version
2. Eczema:
i. Sophora Ku Shen with ... available in PRO version
ii. Sophora Ku Shen with ... available in PRO version
3. Psoriasis, Sophora Ku Shen with ... available in PRO version
4. Scabies, Sophora Ku Shen with ... available in PRO version
5. Genital itching and or Genital rashes from Damp-Heat, Sophora Ku Shen with ... available in PRO version
6. Leukorrhea from Damp-Heat:
i. Sophora Ku Shen with ... available in PRO version
ii. Sophora Ku Shen with ... available in PRO version
7. Dysentery from Damp-Heat, Sophora Ku Shen with ... available in PRO version
8. Blood in the stool, Anal fistula, Sophora Ku Shen with ... available in PRO version
9. Bleeding from Heat, Sophora Ku Shen with ... available in PRO version
10. Lung Heat Cough, Sophora Ku Shen with ... available in PRO version
11. Cancer:
i. Sophora Ku Shen and ... available in PRO version
ii. Sophora Ku Shen, ... available in PRO version
12. As a wash for Lice, Sophora Ku Shen with ... available in PRO version

Major Formulas:
Xiao Feng San
Dang Gui Nian Tong Tang

ADVERTISEMENT:
Cautions:
1. Caution in cold and weakness of the Stomach.
2. Some people may experience dizziness, nausea, vomiting
3. Allergic reactions occasionally occur, primarily maculopapular rashes.

Drug Interactions:
1. Incompatible with Veratrum (Li Lu)
2. Ophiopogon Mai Men Dong counteracts Sophora Ku Shen
3. Sophora Ku Shen antagonizes Cuscuta Tu Si Zi (Dodder seed) and Fritillaria Bei Mu. (TCM)

Main Preparations used:


  • Extra Info
  • Research
<
>
Click the Tabs above for more information on this Medicine
GENERAL / REVIEW
–Sophora flavescens Ait.: Traditional usage, phytochemistry and pharmacology of an important traditional Chinese medicine.

Home
ABOUT
Brief Overview
RESOURCES
Timeline

materia medica – FREE
Materia Medica – PRO
Chinese Classification
Western Classification

Humoral Medicine

Diseases & Formulas
Resources
Theory
Links & Texts
Patient Resources

Shop
Texts for Sale
Contact us

TERMS OF USE
PRIVACY POLICY


© MedicineTradition 2015–2024
  • Home
  • About
  • Materia Medica
    • Materia Medica of Herbal Medicine FREE
    • Materia Medica of Herbal Medicine PRO
    • Animal Materia Medica PRO
    • Animal Materia Medica FREE
    • Mineral Materia Medica PRO
    • Mineral Materia Medica FREE
  • Formulas
  • Treatment
    • Types of Treatment in Traditional Medicine
    • Treatment of Specific Conditions
    • Diseases and Formulas
  • Resources
    • Brief Overview of Traditional Medicine
    • Theory
    • Timeline
    • Authors and Sources
    • Glossaries
    • Articles on Traditional Medicine
    • Photos
    • Medicine Pictures
    • Substitute Medicines
  • Patient Resources
  • Links & Texts
  • Contact Us
  • Store
  • Blog