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Alternate English names: red bean

Alternate Chinese names: 红小豆 hóng xiǎo dòu; 小红绿豆 xiǎo hóng lǜ dòu; 金红小豆 jīn hóng xiǎo dòu; 朱小豆 zhū xiǎo dòu; 朱赤豆 zhū chì dòu; 赤豆 chì dòu; 红豆² hóng dòu

Kingdom: Plant

Origin in PRC Pharmacopoeia: Vigna umbellata Ohwi et Ohashi [= Phaseolus calcaratus Roxb.]; Vigna angularis Ohwi et Ohashi [= Phaseolus angularis Wight] (PRC Pharmacopoeia)

Origin in unofficial sources: Vigna umbellata Ohwi et Ohashi [= Phaseolus calcaratus Roxb.]; Vigna angularis Ohwi et Ohashi [= Phaseolus angularis Wight]

Use: Medicinal and alimentary

Category: Water-disinhibiting dampness-percolating agents / Water-disinhibiting swelling-dispersing agents

Properties: Sweet and sour; balanced; nontoxic*.

Channel entry: Heart and small intestine channels.

Actions and indications:

• Disinhibits water and disperses swelling: Water swelling; leg qì (jiǎo qì) swelling.
• Abates jaundice: Jaundice with reddish urine.
• Resolves toxin and expels pus: Swollen welling-abscesses (yōng zhǒng); cinnabar toxin (dān dú). Also treats bloody stool due to heat toxin.

Dosage and method: Oral: Decoct (15–30g) or use in powders or pills. Topical: Grind and apply mixed.

Quality: Plump beans with deep red seed coats are best.

Production area: Phaseolus calcaratus (rice bean): Guǎngdōng, Guǎngxī, Jiāngxī, Shanghai – wild and cultivated. Phaseolus angularis (adzuki bean): Cultivated in most parts of China.

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