Ren shen      ginseng rt             lu, sp        fatigue, poor appetite, poor digestion,      
                                                   heart palpitations, low sex drive,           
                                                   impotence, infertility                       
Dang shen*    codonopsis rt          lu, sp        painful digestion, weakness, fatigue, low    
                                                   semen production, low appetite               
Bellflower*   Campanula sp.          lu, sp        American species with large, sweet roots     
                                                   may be a substitute for codonopsis           
Tai zhi shen  Pseudostellaria rt     sp, lu        improves digestion, low appetite, mental     
                                                   fatigue, neurasthenia                        
Huang qi*     Astragalus rt          sp, lu        cancer, cysts, weakness, diarrhea, poor      
                                                   appetite with fatigue                        
Shan yao      Dioscorea rt           sp, lu        poor appetite, digestion, diarrhea with      
                                                   weakness, cough with weakness, seminal       
                                                   emission, frequent urination with weakness   
Bai shu       Atractylodis alba rt   sp, st        diarrhea, poor digestion, fatigue, low       
                                                   appetite, mental fatigue, water retention,   
                                                   nausea, fetal restlessness                   
Da zao*       Zizypus fr             sp            harmonizes other herbs, poor appetite,       
                                                   digestion, anxiety, sleeplessness **red      
                                                   Chinese dates can be grown                   
Gan cao*      licorice rt            all 12        pathogenic heat, ulcers, controls cough,     
                                                   swellings, boils, palpitations, toxicity     
                                                   during pregnancy **Glycyrrhiza lepidota is   
                                                   wild American sp.                            
Huang jing    Polygonatum rz         sp, lu        strengthens sperm, debility, weakness, dry   
                                                   cough, thirst**P. pubescens common           
                                                   East-coast sp.                               
Maltose*      Saccharum granorum     sp, lu, st    pain, coughs, poor digestion with weakness   
                                                   **substitute barley malt, brown rice syrup   
Yams*
baked,  Ipoema batatas         sp            poor appetite, fatigue, spontaneous          
dried                                              sweating, anorexia, mental lassitude         
Eryngo, sea   Eryngium sp.           sp, st, lu    baked, honeyed roots make an excellent Qi    
holly*                                             tonic for the lungs and digestion; species   
                                                   available locally; western substitute for    
                                                   atractylodes