bai guo

Name: bai guo
Creator: Bencao Index

白果·Semen Ginkgo

Ginkgo Nut

Slightly toxic

Toxicity graded by American Dragon.

About bai guo

Bai Guo (白果) is the ginkgo seed, recorded as Semen Ginkgo. It is sweet, bitter and astringent in flavour and neutral in temperature, entering the Lung and Kidney channels.

Names

Pinyin	bai guo
Chinese	白果
Latin Name	Semen Ginkgo
English Name	Ginkgo Nut·Ginkgo Seed
Japanese	ginkyo
Korean	baekgwa

Classification

Channels: Lung, Kidney
Flavour: Sweet, Bitter, Astringent
Temperature: Neutral
Part used: Nut
Family: Ginkgoaceae
Species: Ginkgo Bilboa
Tags: Chinese Herbs, Common

Actions and indications

Astringes the Lungs, expels Phlegm and calms wheezing

Wheezing and cough from Phlegm in the Lungs, especially long-standing cough or cough with copious sputum
Asthma from Lung Heat
Wheezing, breathlessness and chronic cough with plentiful sputum, from Heat, Phlegm or Lung deficiency; in Excess patterns it is paired with herbs that clear Heat and transform Phlegm, because it astringes rather than disperses
Loss of voice from deficient Lung Qi

Stabilises the Lower Jiao, eliminates Damp, stops discharge and restrains urination

Clear or yellow vaginal discharge and cloudy urine, from Lower Jiao deficiency or from Damp-Heat
Spermatorrhea
Frequent urination or urinary incontinence

Combinations

ma huang + xing ren + sang bai pi
Lung Deficiency with Hot Phlegm, causing cough and wheezing with copious yellow sputum
sha shen + e jiao
Lung Deficiency with a chronic cough
qian shi + shan yao
Spleen Deficiency with Damp, causing vaginal discharge
huang bai + che qian zi
Foul-smelling yellow vaginal discharge from Damp-Heat
lian zi + hu jiao
Lower Jiao Deficiency with thin, watery vaginal discharge
sang piao xiao + yi zhi ren
Urinary frequency and incontinence.
ma huang
Calms wheezing.
ma huang + zi su zi + kuan dong hua + zhi ban xia + sang bai pi + xing ren
Asthma, dyspnea or coughing.
sang bai pi + chan tui + mai men dong
Loss of voice with a chronic cough
ge jie
Kidney and Lung Qi Deficiency with chronic wheezing
huang qin + sang bai pi
Rapid breathing with yellow Phlegm
sha shen + e jiao + dang shen
Feeble, dry cough.
sang bai pi + chan tui + mai men dong + xuan shen
Dryness with long-standing loss of voice
shan yao
Spermatorrhea.
ji guan hua
Kidney Deficiency with white vaginal discharge
bi xie + yi zhi ren
Cloudy urine. Frequent urination
wu yao + yi zhi ren + fu pen zi + shan yao + shan zhu yu
Frequent urination. Enuresis

Dosage

Age	Raw	Granule	Tincture	Concentrate	Frequency
Any 3-10g; Tincture: 2-4ml	3-10 g	—	2-4 ml	—	—

Cautions

caution Slightly toxic: poisoning (from ginkgotoxin) has occurred when the seeds are eaten in large amounts or over long periods, so keep courses short and under a qualified practitioner; not a self-care herb
paediatric Young children are the most at risk; most published poisoning cases involve them
contraindication Exterior or Excess patterns: astringing before the pathogen has cleared may lock it in
contraindication The first stage of a cough, with an exterior pattern still present
contraindication Lung Yin deficiency giving a cough with thick, sticky or yellow phlegm
contraindication Cold and Damp
caution Thick, sticky sputum that is hard to cough up
pregnancy Use with caution in pregnancy: its safety is not established, so avoid it without a practitioner's supervision
caution The fleshy outer coat of the fresh fruit holds ginkgolic acids that irritate the skin and can cause contact allergy; a handling hazard separate from the kernel used as medicine

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