Tamarisk Tops (Chengliu)
| Pharmaceutical Name: | Cacumen Tamaricis |
| Botanical Name: | Tamarix chinensis Lour. |
| Common Name: | Tamarisk Tops |
| Source of Earliest Record: | Kaibao Bencao |
| Part Used & Method for Pharmaceutical Preparations: | The leaves are gathered in May and June when the plant flowers, dried in the sun and cut into pieces. |
| Properties and Taste: | Pungent and neutral |
| Meridian: | Lung, stomach and heart |
| Functions: | To promote sweating and bring the rash to the surface |
| Indications and Combinations: | Early stage of measles due to attack of wind and cold manifested as measles without a rash. *Use with Arctium fruit (Niubangzi) and Cicaca slough (Chantui) in the formula Zhuye Liu Bang Tang. |
| Dosage: | 3-10 g |
| Cautions: | This herb is contraindicated in measles with a rash. A large dosage can cause restlessness. |