He Zi

Property
Bitter, cooling, sour, astringent, neutral; lung and large intestine meridians entered.

Actions:
Has an astringing affect on the intestines with diarrhea and astringing affect on the lungs in case of coughing and relieves sore throat.

Indications
A. Chronic diarrhea and dysentery

He Zi (Fructus Chebulae) is a common herb which is used for chronic diarrhea and dysentery, due to its astringent and cooling quality. It enters the large intestine meridian.

For chronic diarrhea and dysentery due to deficiency cold, it is combined with middle-warming and astringing herbs such as Gan Jiang, Ying Su Qiao, and Chen Pi.

For chronic diarrhea and dysentery it is often used in conjunction with herbs which activate yang and tonify Qi such as Ren Shen, Huang Qi and Sheng Ma.

B. Chronic cough and Aphonia

It has an astringent and cooling action on the lung used to relieve sore throat, so it is an appropriate herb for Aphonia.

For chronic cough and aphonia, it is combined with lung-ventilating and sore-throat-relieving herbs such as Jie Geng and Gan Cao.

For Qi and yin deficiency, chronic cough and Aphonia, He Zi is often combined with Qi tonics and lung astringents such as Ren Shen and Wu Wei Zi.

For chronic cough, Aphonia and sore throat it is combined with heat and toxin-clearing, and sore-throat-relieving herbs such as Peng Sha, Qing Dai and Bing Pian.