Amber

Naming

Hu Po (Succinum)——Ming Yi Bie Lu (Miscellaneous Records of Famous physicians)

The Processing of Amber

Origin

The resin of Pinus plants, buried under the earth for long years and concreted and transformed to sulfhydryl compound.

Location

Yunnan, Guangxi and Liaoning provinces and so on in China.

Harvest

Dug in any time.

The actual smell and taste

Without bad smell, slight taste.

Best quality

Red, bright and neat, fragile texture and crisp.

Processing

Ground into fine powder.

The Effect of Amber

Property

Sweet, neutral; heart, liver and bladder meridians entered.

Actions

Induce sedation and tranquilization, activate blood and resolve stasis, induce diuresis and relieve stranguria.

Indications

A. Unsteadiness of heart-mind, convulsions, epilepsy

It has action of inducing sedation and tranquilization. For unsteadiness of heart-mind, fearful throbbing, insomnia, amnesia and dream-disturbed sleep due to injury of heart-mind and mind failure to keep its abode, it is often combined with tranquilizing herbs. For instance, it is combined with Yuan Zhi and Shi Chang Pu and so on in Hu Po Ding Zhi Wan from Za Bing Yuan Liu Xi Zhu. For palpitation, fearful throbbing, and restlessness sleep due to deficiency of heart-blood, it is often combined with blood-nourishing tranquilizers. For instance, it is combined with Dang Gui, Ren Shen and Suan Zao Ren and so on. For infantile convulsions, high fever, coma, convulsions and epileptic attack with convulsions, it is often combined with phlegm-eliminating and sedation-inducing herbs and heat-clearing and wind-extinguishing herbs. For instance, it is combined with Tian Nan Xing and Tian Zhu Huang and so on.

B. Stagnant blood syndrome

With heart and liver blood system entered property, it has actions of activating blood, smoothing menstruation, resolving stasis and eliminating mass. It can be indicated for kinds of stasis diseases including stasis, swelling and pain, amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, srabing pain in heart and abdomen, abdominal mass. It is often combined with blood-activating and stasis resolving herbs. For amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea due to qi stagnation and blood stasis, it is often combined with blood-activating and menstruation-smoothing herbs. For instance, it is combined with Dang Gui and Hong Hua and so on in Hu Po San. For mass, it is often combined with San, Da Huang and Bie Jia, etc. to reinforce actions of resolving stasis and eliminating mass and softening hardness and dissipating nodulation. For angina pectoris due to heart vessel obstruclion, it is often combined with Dang Shen, Chuan Xiong and San Qi to obtain the actions of activating blood, resolving stasis and alleviating pain.

C. Stranguria, ischuria

It can induce diuresis and relieve stranguria and with combing actions of resolving stasis and stopping bleeding, so it can be indicated for kinds of stranguria, frequent micturition, and pain in urination and ischuria dysuria. It is fit for blood stranguria and can be used singly in powder with Deng Xin Tang or combined with stranguria-relieving diuretics, For instance, it is combined with Qian Cao, Hai Jin Sha and Chuan Mu Tong and so on to treat heat stranguria or urolithic stranguria.

Dosage and Administrations

Take powder or pills l.5~3 g. It should not be decocted. Take proper dose for external application.