Bái Huā Shé (白花蛇), known in English as Krait snake (Bungarus multicinctus), is a warm, sweet and salty Chinese herb from the Expel wind-damp category. It enters the Liver channel. Its main action: dispels Wind, unblocks collaterals.
| Pinyin | Bái Huā Shé (Bai Hua She) |
|---|---|
| Chinese | 白花蛇 |
| English | Krait snake |
| Botanical name | Bungarus multicinctus |
| Category | Expel wind-damp |
| Nature | Warm |
| Flavour | Sweet, Salty |
| Channels | Liver |
| Dosage | 2–5g (1–1.5g as powder) |
| Cautions | Toxic; Yin deficiency with Heat; Blood deficiency generating Wind |
Actions
- Dispels Wind, unblocks collaterals
- Stops spasms and convulsions
Indications
- Stubborn Wind-Damp Bi with numbness and cramping
- Facial paralysis and hemiplegia after Wind-stroke
- Convulsions and spasms
- Tetanus
- Leprosy
- Scabies and ringworm
How to remember Bái Huā Shé
Expel wind-damp herbs are mostly bitter, and most enter the Liver and Kidney channels.
- You can work these out
- Liver channel: like most Expel wind-damp herbs
- Learn by heart
- Warm: Expel wind-damp herbs vary in nature
- Sweet: unusual for Expel wind-damp herbs (most are bitter)
- Salty: unusual for Expel wind-damp herbs (most are bitter)
Other Expel wind-damp herbs
- Dú Huó
- Qiāng Huó
- Wēi Líng Xiān
- Fáng Jǐ
- Mù Guā
- Sāng Jì Shēng
- Wǔ Jiā Pí
- Luò Shí Téng
- Xī Xiān Cǎo
- Qín Jiāo
- Hǎi Tóng Pí
- Sāng Zhī
- Gǒu Jǐ
- Cǎo Wū
- Hǎi Fēng Téng
- Chuān Wū
Test yourself
What is the nature and flavour of Bái Huā Shé?
Bái Huā Shé is warm and sweet and salty.
Which channels does Bái Huā Shé enter?
Bái Huā Shé enters the Liver channel.
What are the actions of Bái Huā Shé?
Dispels Wind, unblocks collaterals; Stops spasms and convulsions.
What is Bái Huā Shé used for?
Stubborn Wind-Damp Bi with numbness and cramping; facial paralysis and hemiplegia after Wind-stroke; convulsions and spasms; tetanus; leprosy; scabies and ringworm.
Practise Bái Huā Shé and the other 290 herbs
Recognise each herb from its picture, recall its nature, flavour, channels and actions, and review it again just before you would forget it.
Try the 5-question herb quizShen Study is a study tool. Doses and cautions are as taught in standard Chinese materia medica texts; they are not prescribing advice.