Seaweed (Haizao)
| Pharmaceutical Name: | Sargassum |
| Botanical Name: | Sargassum pallidum (Turn.) G. Ag. Sargassum fusiforme (Harv.) Setch. |
| Common Name: | Sargassum Seaweed |
| Source of Earliest Record: | Shennong Bencao Jing |
| Part Used & Method for Pharmaceutical Preparations: | Entire plant is collected in summer, cleaned, cut into pieces and dried in the shade. |
| Properties and Taste: | Salty and cold |
| Meridian: | Liver, stomach and kidney |
| Functions: | To resolve phlegm and soften hardness To promote water metabolism |
| Indications and Combinations: | 1. Goiter. *Use with Laminaria (Kunbu) in the formula Haizao Yuhu Tang. 2. Scrofula. *Use with Prunella spike (Xiakucao), Scrophularia (Xuanshen) and Tendrilled fritillary bulb (Chuanbeimu) in the formula Neixiao Lei Li Wan. 3. Edema of the foot or general edema. *Use with Poria (Fuling) and Alismatis rhizome (Zexie). |
| Dosage: | 10-15 g |
| Cautions: | This herb should not be combined with Licorice root (Gancao), as they counteract each other. |