Shi Da Gong Lao Ye

Shi Da Gong Lao Ye, the leaf of Mahonia bealei (Folium Mahoniae), is a bitter, cold herb entering the lung channel that clears heat, nourishes yin, and resolves phlegm to relieve cough. It is used chiefly for yin-deficient and consumptive (lung tuberculosis-type) coughs, including cough with blood-streaked sputum, tidal fever and night sweats, as well as sore throat, red eyes, dizziness and tinnitus. Because it also supplements the kidney and cools deficiency heat, it is applied to soreness and weakness of the lower back and knees with underlying yin depletion. Rich in berberine and related alkaloids, it additionally treats damp-heat patterns such as dysentery and sores, and is used externally, pounded, for skin lesions. It is contraindicated in spleen-stomach deficiency cold.