Bo He

English Name: Mint

Pharmaceutical Name: Herba Menthae

Medica Category: Wind-Heat Releasing Herbs

Properties: Bo He enters the Lung and Liver channels; it is acrid in nature and cool in temperature.

What is Bo He?:

The Chinese Herb Bo He is the aerial parts of the common mint plant (Mentha haplocalyx Briq.)

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Therapeutic Actions of Bo He:

Bo He releases the exterior and clears heat and is used to vent pathogens out of the exterior (especially for complaints related to the head, eyes, and throat). Because of its ascending nature, it can be used with other herbs in formula to bring interior heat up and out of the body as well.

Bo He is also dispersing in nature and as such is used to vent rashes to promote a more rapid recovery from dermatological conditions in which wind-heat attacks the skin (to include measles, eczema, and other conditions presenting with red, itchy rashes).

Bo He enters the Liver channel and helps (1) to move qi stagnation in this channel (e.g. in Xiao Yao Wan) and (2) to treat red eyes, blurred vision, and headache from Liver Yang rising into the upper jiao (with Ju Hua (chrysanthemum flower) and Sang Ye (white mulberry leaf)).

–clinical notes:

Menthol – Bo He Chun is pungent and cool and goes to the Lung and the Liver channels. It is used for sore throat, diarrhea, and colds. When applied as a topical ointment, menthol stimulates hot and cold receptors on the skin without making the body cold.