Uses:

1. Nourishes Yin, Benefits Qi (TCM):

-regarded as a health food by the Chinese; good for chronic disease, the young and old
-weakness, fatigue, Blood deficiency
-waist, lower back or leg pain
-postpartum weakness
-dysentery, piles, and enteritis
-“It reinforces the qi and makes the patient no longer feel hungry. It also makes one feel happy and enhances willpower.” (Shen Nong Ben Cao)

2. Nourishes Lung Yin, Clears Heat, Stops Cough (TCM, West):

-dry Cough, chronic Cough
-Hemoptysis
-Sore Throat (boiled in milk or infused in vinegar)

3. Clears Heat, Stops Bleeding:

-Menorrhagia, Uterine Bleeding
-Hemoptysis
-Diarrhea with Blood, Bleeding Hemorrhoids
-Postpartum Bleeding
-clears Toxin, and is used for toxic reaction from taking Mineral drugs.
-“The black Mu Er is good for treating such female disease as metrostaxis with bloody and whitish discharge, hard mass in the abdomen due to blood disorder, [and] accumulation”. (Shen Nong Ben Cao)

4. Nourishes the Yin, Stops Wind, Settles Spasms:

-Hypertension
-Cramps, Numbness, Tetany

5. Moves the Blood:

-Trauma, pains from bruising, obstruction in arteries and veins
-Hemorrhoids
-“good for treating hard mass in the abdomen” (Zhen Quan)
-“good for regulating the disordered Menstruation”. (Ming Yi Bie Lu)

6. Cholesterol and Hyperglycemia

-recently used for High Cholesterol and Hyperglycemia

7. Externally:

-‘cures the Eyes, steeped in proper Water’. (Schroder)

Main Combinations:

1. To nourish the Skin and prevent premature aging, and for Blood deficiency Auricula with Lycium Gou Qi (Goji).
2. Chronic Cough:
i. Auricula with White Lily bulb
ii. Auricula, Figs, Licorice
3. Hypertension, decoct Auricula and add Rock Sugar
4. Sore Throat:
i. ‘Take Jews-Ears which grow out of an old Elder and seeth them and Collumbine leaves in milk with honey of Roses, or a few dryed Rose-leaves with a little Sugar, drink of this milk as hot as you can often times in the day and night, and lay of the said Jews-Eares in the Beer or Ale which you use to drink.’ (Natura exenterata, Philiatros, 1655)
ii. ‘Take of running water and white Wine ana one pint, put to a dozen Figs and half as many Jews Ears, boile it to near the Consumption of half, strain it, and put to it one half ounce of Mel Rosarum, gargle it three spoonfulls one after another as hot as may be suffered, then apply the Figs and Jewes Eares outwardly in a fine cloath to the throat.’ (Natura exenterata, Philiatros, 1655)
5. Fever from taking mineral drugs, make a gruel from Mu Er, Spring Onion, and fermented Soybean. (Meng Xian)
6. Hemorrhoids: “It is recorded that one person was suffering from incurable Hemorrhoids. He was told to stew Mu Er and make gruel. He did so and his illness disappeared. It works very effectively”. (Wang Ying)

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