Commonly used Chinese medicinal herbs to tonify qi include ginseng, Codonopsis pilosulae, astragalus, Chinese yam, licorice and so on.
1. Ginseng is sweet, slightly bitter and slightly warm in nature. It belongs to the spleen, lung, heart and kidney meridians. It has the effects of tonifying vital energy (replenishing the body’s root qi), restoring the pulse and stabilizing detachment (restoring the normal pulse and preventing the detachment of substances), tonifying the spleen and the lungs (tonifying the spleen and the lungs), and tranquillizing the spirit and benefiting the intellect (stabilizing the spirit and mind and promoting intellectual development). It is not suitable to be used together with quatu and wulin.
2. Codonopsis pilosula is sweet in flavor and flat in nature. It belongs to the spleen and lung meridians. It is effective in strengthening the spleen and lungs (strengthening the functions of the spleen and lungs), nourishing blood and promoting the production of body fluid. It should not be used together with quassia.
3. Astragalus is sweet in flavor and slightly warm in nature. It belongs to the spleen and lung meridians. It has the effects of tonifying qi and elevating yang (tonifying qi so as to elevate yang qi), fixing the surface and stopping sweating (stopping sweating by consolidating the surface of the muscle), inducing diuresis and eliminating edema (relieving urination and eliminating oedema), and generating body fluid and nourishing blood.
4. Yam is sweet in flavor and flat in nature. It belongs to the spleen, lung and kidney meridians. It is effective in tonifying the spleen and nourishing the stomach, promoting the production of body fluid, tonifying the kidney and astringing the essence.
5. Licorice is sweet in taste and flat in nature. It belongs to the heart, lung, spleen and stomach meridians. It can tonify the spleen and benefit the qi, clear away heat and detoxification (removing heat and toxicity from the body), dispel phlegm and relieve cough, relieve pain (relieving urgent pain symptoms), and harmonize all medicines (harmonizing the medicinal properties of different Chinese medicines). It should not be used in conjunction with seaweed, Kyoho, Hongdaji, Gansui and Coriander.
The adverse reactions of Astragalus and Yam are not known. Those who are allergic to the above tablets are forbidden to take them, and pregnant women should use them with caution. When using the above tablets to treat diseases, they should be taken under the guidance of a doctor and should not be taken on their own to avoid adverse effects.