zi he che

Name: zi he che
Creator: Bencao Index

紫河车·Placenta Hominis

Human Placenta

About zi he che

Zi He Che (紫河车) is the human placenta, recorded as Placenta Hominis. It is sweet and salty in flavour and warm in temperature, entering the Lung, Liver and Kidney channels. The catalogue files it among the substances that tonify Yang.

Names

Pinyin	zi he che
Chinese	紫河车
Latin Name	Placenta Hominis
English Name	Human Placenta
Japanese	shikasha
Korean	jahageo

Classification

Category: Tonify Yang
Channels: Lung, Kidney, Liver
Flavour: Sweet, Salty
Temperature: Warm
Part used: Human By Product
Family: Hominidae
Species: Homo Sapiens
Tags: Chinese Herbs, Common

Actions and indications

Tonifies the Liver and Kidneys, warms Kidney Yang and strengthens Jing

Deficient Kidney Qi and Jing with Blood deficiency, causing infertility, impotence, spermatorrhea, low libido, low back pain, light-headedness and ringing in the ears
Kidney Yang deficiency with weak lower back and knees

Tonifies Qi and nourishes Blood

Depleted Qi and Blood with wasting, pallor or too little breast milk, particularly after a serious illness
Weakness after childbirth
Fatigue, poor appetite and slow recovery of weight and strength following severe or chronic illness
Seizure disorder that does not remit

Tonifies Lung Qi, augments Kidney Jing and helps the Lungs receive Qi

Wheezing from deficiency of the Lungs and Kidneys, used especially between acute attacks
Consumption with night sweats, wasting and debility
Long-standing cough and wheezing

Combinations

lu jiao jiao + dong chong xia cao
Infertility and impotence.
shu di huang
Chronic weakness and debility.
shu di huang + huang qi + dang shen
Qi Deficiency.
shu di huang + dang gui + bai shao
Blood Deficiency.
shu di huang + bai zhu + shan yao
Spleen Deficiency with poor appetite
wu wei zi + mai men dong
Lung Deficiency with cough and wheezing
gui ban + huang bai
Yin Deficiency with steaming bone, cough, night sweats and emaciation
shu di huang + lu jiao jiao + dong chong xia cao + yin yang huo
Jing Deficiency.
shu di huang + dang gui
Blood Deficiency with insufficient lactation. Anemia
huang qi + ren shen + dang gui + shu di huang
Qi and Blood Deficiency, including insufficient lactation arising from it
ge jie
Chronic respiratory disorders.
tian men dong + gui ban + huang bai
Yin Deficiency Heat with chronic cough

Dosage

Age	Raw	Granule	Tincture	Concentrate	Frequency
Any 1.5-5g; Tincture: 1-3ml	1.5-5 g	—	1-3 ml	—	—

Cautions

caution Heat signs from deficient Yin: never use it alone
caution Take care with prolonged use
contraindication Toothache from Stomach Fire
caution Not for anyone without genuine weakness
caution Not where no true pathological factor is present
caution Serious ethical and safety concerns: it was removed from the Chinese Pharmacopoeia in 2015, the trade in human placenta has been banned in China since 2005, and it is described here for reference only
caution An illicit trade has been reported that takes placentas without consent from hospitals, medical waste and funeral homes
caution Risk of bloodborne infection (hepatitis B, HIV, syphilis and others) when the tissue comes from unscreened donors; inadequate processing cannot be relied on to remove it
caution Selling human tissue, placenta included, is prohibited in the United States, and many other countries restrict or forbid the trade
caution Market samples have been found padded with starch fillers instead of real placenta

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