The medicinal dosage of Zhi Mu is 6-12g (one day’s supply for an adult); the medicinal dosage of Huang Lian is 2-5g (one day’s supply for an adult).
1. Zhi Mu (知母)：It is effective in clearing away heat, nourishing yin and moistening dryness (nourishing yin essence and clearing away heat), generating fluids and quenching thirst, and it can be used in treating conditions such as high fever and thirst, tidal fever with bone evaporation (a bout of fever, feeling that the heat is penetrating from inside the bones to the outside), coughing with heat in the lungs and constipation with dryness of the intestines. The adverse effects and contraindications of this drug are still unclear; spleen deficiency and diarrhea should be used with caution.
2. Rhizoma Coptidis: It has the efficacy of clearing away heat and fire, clearing away heat and toxins, clearing away heat and drying dampness, and can treat vomiting, diarrhea, dysentery, vomiting of blood, heartburn, toothache, wet sores and other diseases. Adverse reactions such as nausea may occur after taking this medicine; it is contraindicated for those with deficiency of spleen yang; and used with caution for those with deficiency of yin and fluid.
If Zhi Mu and Huang Lian are needed, please standardize their use under the guidance of a Chinese medicine practitioner’s diagnosis, and do not use them on your own to avoid causing damage to the organism.