What are some examples of plant-based traditional Chinese medicines?

　　Herbal medicines derived from plants are widely sourced and diverse. The following introduces common plant-based herbal medicines based on their different medicinal parts:

　　Roots and Rhizomes

　　Ginseng: The dried roots and rhizomes of Panax ginseng C.A.Mey. It has the effects of greatly replenishing vital energy, restoring the pulse and preventing collapse, invigorating the spleen and benefiting the lungs, generating fluids and nourishing blood, calming the mind and benefiting intelligence. It is often used to treat conditions such as physical weakness and impending collapse, cold limbs and weak pulse, spleen deficiency and poor appetite, lung deficiency and wheezing cough.

　　Licorice: The dried roots and rhizomes of Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch., Glycyrrhiza inflata Bat., or Glycyrrhiza glabra L. It can invigorate the spleen and qi, clear heat and detoxify, expectorate and relieve cough, soothe pain and stop pain, and harmonize various medicines. It is used as a harmonizing agent in many traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions, reducing drug toxicity or potency.

　　Coptis: The dried rhizomes of Coptis chinensis Franch., Coptis deltoidea C.Y.Wu ex S.C.Huang, or Coptis teeta Wall. It has the effects of clearing heat and drying dampness, purging fire and detoxifying. It is significantly effective against symptoms such as damp-heat fullness, vomiting and acid regurgitation, diarrhea, and jaundice.

　　Rhubarb: The dried roots and rhizomes of Rheum palmatum L., Rheum tanguticum Maxim. ex Balf., or Rheum officinale Baill. It has the effects of purging the bowels and eliminating accumulations, clearing heat and purging fire, cooling blood and detoxifying, promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, and eliminating dampness and reducing jaundice. It is often used to treat constipation due to excess heat and accumulation, blood heat spitting blood, and nosebleeds.

　　Notopterygium incisum: The dried roots and rhizomes of Notopterygium incisum Ting ex H.T.Chang. It has the effects of dissipating blood stasis and stopping bleeding, and reducing swelling and relieving pain. It is an important medicine for trauma and can be used to treat hemoptysis, hematemesis, epistaxis, hematochezia, metrorrhagia, and external bleeding.

　　Stems and Wood

　　Agarwood: The resinous wood of Aquilaria sinensis (Lour.) Gilg. It has the effects of promoting qi and relieving pain, warming the middle energizer and stopping vomiting, and regulating qi and relieving asthma. It is often used for chest and abdominal distension and pain, cold stomach vomiting and hiccups, kidney deficiency and qi counterflow dyspnea.

　　Sappanwood: The dried heartwood of Caesalpinia sappan L. It can activate blood and remove blood stasis, reduce swelling and relieve pain, and is used to treat injuries from falls, fractures, and bruises and swelling.

　　Uncaria: The dried hooked stems and branches of Uncaria rhynchophylla (Miq.) Miq., Uncaria macrophylla Wall., Uncaria hirsuta Havil., Uncaria tomentosa (Willd.) DC., or Uncaria sessilifructus Roxb. It has the effects of calming the wind and relieving convulsions, clearing heat and calming the liver. It is often used for internal liver wind, convulsions, high fever convulsions, colds with convulsions, and infant crying.

　　Barks

　　Eucommia: The dried bark of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. It has the effects of tonifying the liver and kidneys, strengthening the muscles and bones, and securing the fetus. It can be used to treat liver and kidney deficiency, lumbago and knee pain, weakness of muscles and bones, dizziness, pregnancy bleeding, and fetal movement restlessness.

　　Phellodendron: The dried bark of Phellodendron amurense Rupr. It has the effects of clearing heat and drying dampness, purging fire and eliminating heat, and detoxifying and treating sores. It is often used for damp-heat diarrhea, jaundice, urinary urgency, vaginal discharge, and urinary tract infection.

　　Magnolia: The dried bark, root bark, and branch bark of Magnolia officinalis Rehd. et Wils. or Magnolia obovata Thunb. It can dry dampness and resolve phlegm, descend qi and eliminate fullness, and is used to treat dampness obstructing the middle energizer, fullness and vomiting and diarrhea, food stagnation and qi stagnation, and abdominal distension and constipation.

　　Leaves

　　Mulberry Leaf: The dried leaves of Morus alba L. It has the effects of dispersing wind and clearing heat, clearing the lungs and moistening dryness, and clearing the liver and brightening the eyes. It is often used for wind-heat colds, lung heat dry cough, headache, dizziness, and red and swollen eyes.

　　Lotus Leaf: The dried leaves of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. It has the effects of clearing summer heat and transforming dampness, lifting and clearing yang qi, and cooling blood and stopping bleeding. It can be used for summer heat thirst, summer dampness diarrhea, spleen deficiency diarrhea, and blood heat spitting blood.

　　Mugwort: The dried leaves of Artemisia argyi H. Lév. & Vaniot. It can warm the meridians and stop bleeding, dispel cold and relieve pain, and remove dampness and stop itching. It is often used to treat hemoptysis, epistaxis, metrorrhagia, excessive menstruation, and fetal bleeding. It is also the main raw material for moxibustion.

　　Flowers

　　Honeysuckle: The dried flower buds or early-blooming flowers of Lonicera japonica Thunb. It has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, and dispersing wind and clearing heat. It is a commonly used medicine for treating abscesses, sore throat, erysipelas, and dysentery.

　　Chrysanthemum: The dried flower heads of Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat. It has the effects of dispersing wind and clearing heat, calming the liver and brightening the eyes, and clearing heat and detoxifying. It is often used for wind-heat colds, headache and dizziness, red and swollen eyes, and blurred vision.

　　Safflower: The dried flowers of Carthamus tinctorius L. It can activate blood and regulate menstruation, disperse blood stasis and relieve pain, and is used to treat amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, postpartum lochia obstruction, abdominal masses, chest pain, and abdominal pain due to blood stasis.

　　Fruits and Seeds

　　Schisandra: The dried ripe fruits of Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. or Schisandra sphenanthera Rehd. et Wils. It has the effects of astringency and hemostasis, invigorating qi and generating fluids, and tonifying the kidneys and calming the heart. It is often used for chronic cough and shortness of breath, nocturnal emission, enuresis, and persistent diarrhea.

　　Goji Berry: The dried ripe fruits of Lycium barbarum L. It can nourish the liver and kidneys, benefit essence and brighten the eyes, and is used for physical weakness and essence deficiency, lumbago and knee pain, dizziness and tinnitus, impotence and premature ejaculation, internal heat and excessive thirst, blood deficiency and chlorosis, and blurred vision.

　　Hawthorn: The dried ripe fruits of Crataegus pinnatifida Bge. or Crataegus cuneata Sieb. et Zucc. It has the effects of promoting digestion and strengthening the stomach, promoting qi and dispersing blood stasis, and reducing turbidity and lowering lipids. It is often used for meat food stagnation, fullness in the stomach, and diarrhea and abdominal pain.

　　Apricot Kernel (Bitter Apricot Kernel): The dried ripe seeds of Prunus armeniaca L., Prunus sibirica L., Prunus mandshurica (Maxim.) Koehne, or Prunus armeniaca L. It can descend qi, stop cough and relieve asthma, and lubricate the intestines and promote bowel movements. It is used to treat cough, asthma, chest fullness and phlegm, and intestinal dryness and constipation.

　　Whole Herbs

　　Ephedra: The dried herbaceous stems of Ephedra sinica, Ephedra intermedia, or Ephedra equisetina, belonging to the Ephedraceae family. It has the effects of diaphoresis, dispelling cold, promoting lung qi, relieving asthma, and eliminating water and reducing swelling. It is often used for wind-cold colds, chest tightness and wheezing cough, and edema.

　　Peppermint: The dried aboveground parts of Mentha haplocalyx, belonging to the Lamiaceae family. It can dispel wind-heat, clear the head and eyes, benefit the throat, promote eruption of rashes, and regulate the liver and Qi. It is often used for wind-heat colds, early stages of wind-warmth, headache, red eyes, and throat obstruction.

　　Dandelion: The dried whole herb of Taraxacum mongolicum, Taraxacum officinale, or several other plants of the same genus, belonging to the Asteraceae family. It has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, reducing swelling and dispersing masses, and promoting urination and relieving urinary tract infections. It is often used for carbuncles, abscesses, breast abscesses, scrofula, red eyes, and sore throat.

　　Motherwort: The fresh or dried aboveground parts of Leonurus japonicus, belonging to the Lamiaceae family. It can invigorate blood circulation and regulate menstruation, promote urination and reduce swelling, and clear heat and detoxify. It is often used for menstrual irregularities, dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, and postpartum lochia.

　　Algae, Fungi, and Lichens

　　Poria: The dried sclerotium of Wolfiporia extensa, a fungus belonging to the Polyporaceae family. It has the effects of promoting urination and diuresis, strengthening the spleen, and calming the mind. It is often used for edema, oliguria, phlegm drinking, dizziness, palpitations, spleen deficiency, poor appetite, and loose stools.

　　Ganoderma: The dried fruiting body of Ganoderma lucidum or Ganoderma sinense, fungi belonging to the Polyporaceae family. It has the effects of replenishing Qi and calming the nerves, and relieving cough and asthma. It can be used for restlessness, insomnia, palpitations, lung deficiency cough and asthma, and physical weakness and shortness of breath.

　　Cordyceps sinensis: The dried complex of the fruiting body and larval corpse of Cordyceps sinensis, a fungus belonging to the Clavicipitaceae family, parasitizing on the larvae of insects of the Hepialidae family. It can tonify the kidneys and lungs, stop bleeding, and resolve phlegm. It is often used for kidney deficiency, impotence, seminal emission, and lumbago.

　　Resins

　　Frankincense: The resin exuded from the bark of Boswellia carterii and other plants of the same genus, belonging to the Burseraceae family. It has the effects of activating blood circulation and relieving pain, and reducing swelling and promoting muscle regeneration. It is often used to treat chest pain, epigastric pain, and dysmenorrhea.

　　Myrrh: The dried resin of Commiphora myrrha or Commiphora abyssinica, belonging to the Burseraceae family. It can dispel blood stasis and relieve pain, and reduce swelling and promote muscle regeneration. It is often used with frankincense to enhance the effects of activating blood circulation, relieving pain, and reducing swelling and promoting muscle regeneration.

　　Dragon's Blood: A resin exuded from the fruit of Daemonorops draco, belonging to the Arecaceae family, processed into a finished product. It has the effects of activating blood circulation and relieving pain, resolving blood stasis and stopping bleeding, and promoting muscle regeneration and wound healing. It is often used for injuries from falls and blows, and abdominal pain caused by blood stasis.