Clear heat
Zhi Mu
知母
Anemarrhena rhizome
Anemarrhena asphodeloides
Clears heat and also moistens, unlike the drying bitters.
Not for self-dosing. This page is not a formula, not a strength, and not a substitute for a licensed herbalist or physician.
Category
Cold · Bitter, Sweet
Meridians entered
Traditional uses
Used for lung and stomach heat with dryness, and for deficiency heat — afternoon warmth, nights, thirst — in yin-deficient teaching cases. One of the few clear-heat herbs that is also said to nourish.
Common pairings
- Shi Gao 石膏
Big heat with thirst.
- Huang Bai 黄柏
Lower-burner yin heat, a standard pair.
Cautions
Not for self-dosing. Cold. Loose stool is the usual caution if the spleen is weak.