CAc CAc Herbal Medicine and Integrative Therapies 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which herb is considered the premier Qi tonic and is most often used as the Jun (Emperor/King) herb in tonifying formulas?
- Dang Gui (Angelica sinensis)
- Ren Shen (Ginseng) (Correct answer)
- Huang Qi (Astragalus)
- Bai Zhu (White Atractylodes)
Correct answer: Ren Shen (Ginseng)
Ren Shen (Ginseng) is the most powerful Qi tonic in Chinese herbal medicine and frequently serves as the Jun herb in formulas for profound Qi deficiency.
Question 2: Huang Qi (Astragalus) primarily tonifies which aspect of the body's Qi?
- Kidney Yin and Essence
- Wei Qi (Defensive Qi) and Lung Qi (Correct answer)
- Heart Blood and Yin
- Liver Qi and Blood
Correct answer: Wei Qi (Defensive Qi) and Lung Qi
Huang Qi strengthens Wei Qi (defensive Qi) and Lung Qi, tonifies the exterior, and is widely used for immune deficiency and spontaneous sweating.
Question 3: Si Jun Zi Tang (Four Gentlemen Decoction) is the foundational formula for which pattern?
- Kidney Yang deficiency with cold
- Spleen and Stomach Qi deficiency (Correct answer)
- Heart Blood deficiency with anxiety
- Lung Yin deficiency with dry cough
Correct answer: Spleen and Stomach Qi deficiency
Si Jun Zi Tang is the base formula for Spleen and Stomach Qi deficiency, containing Ren Shen, Bai Zhu, Fu Ling, and Zhi Gan Cao.
Question 4: Dan Shen (Salvia miltiorrhiza) primarily performs which function in Chinese herbal medicine?
- Tonifies and nourishes Blood
- Invigorates Blood and removes Blood stasis (Correct answer)
- Clears Heat and dries Dampness
- Tonifies Kidney Yang and warms the interior
Correct answer: Invigorates Blood and removes Blood stasis
Dan Shen primarily invigorates Blood and removes stasis, making it a key herb for cardiovascular conditions, chest pain, and dysmenorrhea.
Question 5: What is the primary role of Gan Cao (Licorice root) as an envoy herb in Chinese herbal formulas?
- It directly treats the main pattern as the Jun herb
- It harmonizes the other herbs and moderates toxic or harsh effects (Correct answer)
- It acts as a strong purgative to clear the bowels
- It guides the formula to the Kidney channel specifically
Correct answer: It harmonizes the other herbs and moderates toxic or harsh effects
Gan Cao serves as a harmonizing Shi (envoy) herb that moderates harsh or toxic herb actions, tonifies Spleen Qi, and helps integrate the other herbs.
Question 6: Which Chinese herb is classified as highly toxic due to aconitine alkaloids and must be pre-cooked before adding other herbs?
- Mai Men Dong (Ophiopogon japonicus)
- Fu Zi (Processed Aconite) (Correct answer)
- He Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum)
- Chai Hu (Bupleurum chinense)
Correct answer: Fu Zi (Processed Aconite)
Fu Zi contains toxic aconitine alkaloids and must be pre-cooked for 30–60 minutes to hydrolyze the alkaloids before other herbs are added to the decoction.
CAc CAc Herbal Medicine and Integrative Therapies 1
Which herb is considered the premier Qi tonic and is most often used as the Jun (Emperor/King) herb in tonifying formulas?