Chinese Medicinal Herbs for Calming the Liver to Stop Endogenous Wind
Any medicinal herb that has the actions of calming the liver and suppressing the hyperactive yang or calming the liver-wind, and is indicated for syndrome of liver-yang rising or liver-wind stirring is called Chinese medicinal herbs for calming the liver to stop endogenous wind.

They are mainly attributive to the liver meridian and mostly include animal and mineral medicines such as shell and insect types. They are mainly used for dizziness due to liver-yang rising, and convulsion and epilepsy due to liver-wind stirring inside.

When they are used, one should differently combine them with other medicinal herbs according to the different causes and symptoms. For syndrome of liver-wind stirring inside, which is usually caused by excessive fire-heat and hyperactive liver-yang accompanied by liver-heat, medicinal herbs for clearing away heat, reducing fire and purging liver-heat must be combined. For yin-deficiency with insufficiency of the blood and failure of the liver to nourish resulting in liver-wind stirring inside and liver-yang rising, those for nourishing the kidney and yin or replenishing the blood should be combined. Domination of liver-fire is usually accompanied by restlessness, therefore they should be combined with tranquilizers.

They should be applied distinctively since most of them are a bit on cold or cool side while some of them are a bit on warm and dry side. For chronic convulsion due to spleen-deficiency, cold or cool medicinal herbs are not suitable, but for yin-deficiency with insufficiency of the blood, the warm-dry medicinal herbs should be used with caution.