Herb Library
Every herb has its own dedicated page. Use the library search, category filters, and alphabet filters to jump straight to goji berry, gou qi zi, gouqi berries, sheng jiang, chen pi, chrysanthemum, ginseng, other pinyin names, or food-friendly herbs without scrolling through an oversized list.
Search by English name, pinyin, Chinese name, tea context, soup context, digestive terms, or warming and cooling language, including searches like goji berry, gou qi zi, gouqi berries, sheng jiang, and chen pi.
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Gou Qi Zi | 枸杞子
A small, vibrant red fruit native to Asia — a quiet essential staple in East Asian kitchens for thousands of years. This guide explores its traditional roots, its role as a deeply nourishing ingredient, and what modern nutritional science reveals about its benefits.
Huang Qi | 黄芪
A foundational soup herb often used in traditional writing about qi and seasonal routines. This deeper guide explains its role in winter kitchens, alongside insights from modern nutritional science and authoritative health databases.
Sheng Jiang | 生姜
One of the most universally recognized ingredients in the world — a foundational culinary spice and highly respected traditional herb. This guide explores its gentle dispersing warmth, traditional context, kitchen uses, and what modern science says about its active compounds.
Da Zao | 大枣
A sweet, chewy fruit cultivated in Asia for thousands of years — botanically distinct from Middle Eastern dates. This guide explores Jujube's role as a foundational daily ingredient in soups, teas, and porridges, its rich antioxidant profile, and what modern science says about its potential to support restful sleep and digestive health.
Ju Hua | 菊花
Not just ornamental autumn blooms — Chrysanthemum is a staple of East Asian tea culture, traditionally consumed to cool the body and clear the head. This guide explores its rich flavonoid content, particularly luteolin, and its potential role in supporting cardiovascular and cellular wellness.
Lu Dou | 绿豆
A small, green legume widely cultivated across Asia — a staple food that holds a highly respected place in traditional Chinese wellness as a powerful cooling food. This guide explores its traditional context, kitchen uses, and what modern science says about its exceptional nutritional profile and high antioxidant capacity.
Shan Zha | 山楂
A bright red, tart berry that is a beloved snack across East Asia — often candied on sticks (tanghulu) or dried for tea. This guide explores its traditional role in supporting digestion and promoting healthy circulation, and what modern science says about its rich flavonoid content and well-documented role in supporting cardiovascular wellness.
陈皮 | Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium
Literally 'aged peel' — the sun-dried and carefully aged rind of mandarin oranges, prized in East Asian kitchens for its ability to cut through heaviness and grease. This guide explores its traditional role in digestive wellness and what modern science says about its flavonoid compounds.
Fu Ling | 茯苓
Poria (Fu Ling) is the dried sclerotium of the wood-decay fungus Wolfiporia extensa, used across East Asia in soups, congee, and pantry preparations. This guide clarifies its identity, traditional description, kitchen forms, research context, and safety boundaries in plain English.
Long Yan Rou | 龙眼肉
A tropical fruit closely related to the lychee — when shelled, the translucent flesh surrounds a black seed, resembling a 'dragon's eye.' This guide explores its rich antioxidant profile, its traditional role in nourishing Blood and calming the spirit, and what modern science says about its potential to support memory and nervous system health.
Bai He | 百合
Lily bulb (Bai He) is the dried inner scales of certain Lilium species, commonly sold in East Asian markets as a pale, layered ingredient for soups and dessert soups. This guide explains its botanical identity, traditional description, kitchen notes, research context, and safety boundaries in plain English.
Ren Shen | 人参
Arguably the most famous traditional herb in the world — a powerful, heavy-duty ingredient revered for millennia. This guide explores its traditional gravitas, the difference between White and Red Ginseng, and what modern science says about ginsenosides.
Xi Yang Shen | 西洋参
American ginseng, Panax quinquefolius, is a slow-growing perennial root native to northeastern North America, valued in tea, slices, and broth for its mild sweetness and gently cooling character. This guide explains its botanical identity, traditional description, kitchen notes, research context, and safety boundaries in plain English.
Dang Shen | 党参
Codonopsis pilosula, commonly called dang shen, is a mild, slightly sweet perennial root used in East Asian soups, broths, and pantry preparations. This guide clarifies its botanical identity, traditional description, kitchen forms, research context, and safety boundaries in plain English.
Gan Cao | 甘草
Licorice root (Gan Cao) is the dried root and rhizome of Glycyrrhiza uralensis, valued in tea and soup contexts for its pronounced sweetness and its capacity to round and soften stronger flavors. This guide clarifies its botanical identity, traditional description, kitchen notes, research context, and safety boundaries in plain English.
Wu Wei Zi | 五味子
A bright red berry with a unique place in traditional wellness — its Chinese name translates to 'Five-Flavor Berry' because it possesses all five traditional flavors. This guide explores its role as a powerful adaptogen, supporting the body's resilience to stress and promoting liver health.
Shan Yao | 山药
A long, starchy root vegetable with a unique, slightly mucilaginous (slippery) texture — a staple food across East Asia. This guide explores its role as one of the most balanced, gentle, and universally beneficial foods for daily nourishment, and what modern science says about its unique mucilage, complex carbohydrates, and compounds that support metabolic and digestive wellness.
Lian Zi | 莲子
The seed from the pod of the sacred lotus flower — a versatile ingredient used in everything from savory soups to sweet mooncake fillings. This guide explores its gentle, binding nature in traditional wellness and what modern science says about its high-quality plant protein, complex carbohydrates, and unique alkaloids that may support nervous system calm.
Yi Yi Ren | 薏苡仁
A plump, gluten-free grain native to Southeast Asia — often mistakenly called Chinese pearl barley. This guide explores its traditional role in clearing sluggish fluids from the body, and what modern science says about its unique polysaccharides and potential to support metabolic and immune wellness.
Sang Shen | 桑椹
Mulberry fruit (Sang Shen) is the dried fruit of Morus alba, a dark, shriveled berry used in tea, porridge, and grain bowls for its jammy sweetness. This guide clarifies its botanical identity, traditional description, kitchen notes, research context, and safety boundaries in plain English.
Hei Zhi Ma | 黑芝麻
Small, flat, oily seeds that are a cornerstone of Asian culinary and wellness traditions — the black variety is specifically prized in traditional Chinese frameworks for its deep, nourishing qualities. This guide explores what modern science says about its dense concentration of healthy fats, essential minerals, and unique lignans that support cellular aging and cardiovascular wellness.
Bo He | 薄荷
One of the most universally recognized herbs, prized for its refreshing aroma and cooling sensation. This guide explores Mint's traditional role as a cooling, dispersing herb, and what modern science says about its essential oils, particularly menthol, and their well-documented role in supporting digestive comfort.
Zi Su Ye | 紫苏叶
A globally recognized culinary leaf — from Japanese shiso garnishes to Korean pickles — with a powerful traditional role as a first-response herb for chills, congestion, and stomach discomfort. This guide explores its active compound rosmarinic acid, its traditional context for 'releasing the exterior,' and its broad culinary uses across East Asia.
Gui Zhi | 桂枝
The young, slender twig of the cinnamon tree — gentler and more surface-focused than the thick bark, with a unique role in warming the channels and promoting circulation to the limbs. This guide explores the crucial distinction between Cinnamon Twig and Cinnamon Bark, its traditional context in the famous Gui Zhi Tang formula, and what modern science says about cinnamaldehyde.
Chuan Xiong | 川芎
Sichuan lovage root (Chuan Xiong) is the dried rhizome of Ligusticum chuanxiong, an aromatic rhizome used in small quantities within broths and aromatic blends. This guide clarifies its botanical identity, traditional description, kitchen notes, research context, and safety boundaries.
Bai Shao | 白芍
A foundational herb in traditional blood-nourishing frameworks — prized for its ability to soften the Liver, ease muscle tension, and support women's wellness. This guide explores its traditional context, what modern science says about its active compound paeoniflorin, and its classic pairing with Licorice Root.
Shu Di Huang | 熟地黄
The undisputed king of nourishing Yin and building Blood in traditional frameworks — a deeply restorative root transformed through repeated steaming with wine. This guide explores its traditional context, what modern science says about its effects on blood production and neuroprotection, and why it is a staple in postpartum recovery soups.
Mai Men Dong | 麦门冬
A small, pearl-like tuber with a pleasantly sweet flavor — one of the premier herbs for nourishing Yin, moistening dryness, and calming an overheated, restless mind. This guide explores its traditional role in addressing dry coughs and parched throats, and what modern science says about its saponins and polysaccharides.
Gan Jiang | 干姜
Dried ginger (Gan Jiang) is the oven- or sun-dried rhizome of Zingiber officinale, used in teas and soups for its concentrated, woody warmth. This guide explains its botanical identity, traditional description, kitchen notes, fresh-ginger comparison, research context, and safety boundaries in plain English.
Ge Gen | 葛根
Famous for its ability to relieve the stiff, tense neck and shoulders that accompany the early stages of a cold — plus a prized thickening starch used across East Asian kitchens. This guide explores its traditional role in 'releasing the exterior' and generating fluids, and what modern science says about its active isoflavone puerarin.
Du Zhong | 杜仲
The single most important herb in the traditional pharmacopeia for strengthening the lower back, bones, and tendons — a warming Kidney tonic with a unique stringy, latex-like inner bark. This guide explores its traditional role in addressing lower back weakness, what modern science says about its connective tissue support, and its use in deeply nourishing broths.
Yin Er | 银耳
A beautiful, frilly, translucent mushroom that develops a gelatinous, slippery texture when soaked — a prized ingredient in traditional East Asian desserts and beauty soups. This guide explores its role as the ultimate 'moistening' food and what modern science says about its exceptional water-holding capacity and unique polysaccharides that support skin and immune health.
Hei Dou | 黑豆
A specific variety of black-seeded soybean — in traditional frameworks, the color black is strongly associated with the Kidney system, making this bean a staple for deep nourishment. This guide explores its traditional context, kitchen uses, and what modern science says about its exceptional anthocyanin content and role in supporting cardiovascular health.
He Tao Ren | 核桃仁
Globally recognized as a nutritious snack, but in traditional Chinese wellness viewed as a potent functional food — traditionally associated with brain health due to its resemblance to the human brain. This guide explores its traditional context, kitchen uses, and what modern science says about its exceptional omega-3 content and neuroprotective properties.
Li Zi | 栗子
A unique nut composed predominantly of complex carbohydrates — unlike oily tree nuts, it has a starchy, sweet, potato-like texture. This guide explores its traditional role as the 'fruit of the Kidneys,' and what modern science says about its high vitamin C content, dietary fiber, and sustained energy release.
Chi Xiao Dou | 赤小豆
A small, deep red bean beloved across East Asian kitchens — from Japanese sweet red bean paste to Chinese Damp-draining congees. This guide explores its traditional role in gently draining excess fluid and clearing Heat, and what modern science says about its fiber, polyphenols, and metabolic support.
Dang Gui | 当归
The most important herb in traditional frameworks for both building Blood and ensuring it circulates smoothly — a sweet, pungent, warming root with a distinctive celery-like aroma. This guide explores its traditional context as a women's wellness staple, what modern science says about its active compounds like ligustilide, and its essential role in slow-cooked soup traditions.
Dan Shen | 丹参
The premier herb for invigorating Blood and removing Blood stasis — a potent cardiovascular herb with extensive modern research backing. This guide explores its traditional role in addressing chest pain and calming the mind, what modern science says about salvianolic acids and tanshinones, and its crucial safety considerations.
Ling Zhi | 灵芝
A beautiful, woody mushroom with a distinctive lacquered, fan-shaped appearance and over two thousand years of traditional use. This guide explores its traditional context, kitchen use, and what modern science says about its active compounds.
Dong Chong Xia Cao | 冬虫夏草
One of the most precious tonics in traditional practice — simultaneously supporting both Kidney Yang and Lung Yin. This guide explores its unique dual-nourishing action, what modern science says about cordycepin and ATP energy support, and how cultivated varieties make this once-rare ingredient accessible for everyday kitchen use.
Luo Han Guo | 罗汉果
Monk fruit (Luo Han Guo) is the dried fruit of Siraitia grosvenorii, a tropical vine fruit used in tea and sweet infusions for its floral, caramel-like sweetness. This guide clarifies its botanical identity, traditional description, kitchen forms, sweetener context, research, and safety boundaries.
Bai Zhu | 白术
White Atractylodes root (Bai Zhu) is the dried rhizome of Atractylodes macrocephala, used in soups and traditional broths for its firm, aromatic, earthy character. This guide clarifies its botanical identity, traditional description, kitchen notes, research context, and safety boundaries.
Chuan Bei Mu | 川贝母
The most prized herb for a dry, persistent, unproductive cough — gentle yet profoundly moistening, and famous for the classic Snow Pear with Fritillary Bulb dessert. This guide explores its traditional role in resolving Phlegm and stopping coughs, and what modern science says about its alkaloids and bronchodilatory effects.
Jin Yin Hua | 金银花
The most important herb for clearing Heat and resolving toxicity — the star ingredient in the famous Yin Qiao San formula and one of the most popular herbal teas in China. This guide explores its traditional role as a first-line response to sore throats and fever, and what modern science says about chlorogenic acid and its antimicrobial properties.
Gui Hua | 桂花
One of the world's most beloved natural fragrances — with an extraordinary apricot-like aroma that defines countless Chinese desserts, wines, and teas. This guide explores its traditional role in warming the Stomach and dispersing Cold, and what modern science says about its volatile aromatic compounds.
Mo Li Hua | 茉莉花
The iconic flower behind one of the world's most popular scented teas — a gentle yet powerful herb for moving Qi, calming the mind, and soothing digestive tension. This guide explores its traditional role in harmonizing the Stomach and soothing the Liver, and what modern science says about linalool and its calming effects.
Mei Gui Hua | 玫瑰花
Cherished globally for their fragrance and beauty, rose buds also hold a significant place in traditional wellness practices. This guide explores how rose buds gently move energy and soothe the spirit, their rich antioxidant profile, and what modern science says about their potential to support digestive and menstrual comfort.
Sang Ye | 桑叶
Harvested from the white mulberry tree — the same tree whose leaves feed silkworms. Used for centuries as a cooling herb, Mulberry Leaf is now the subject of strong modern scientific interest for its unique active compounds and potential role in metabolic and blood sugar support.
He Ye | 荷叶
The classic summer herb for clearing heat, lifting energy, and resolving that heavy, sluggish feeling of hot, humid days — famous both as a natural food wrapper for sticky rice and as a widely consumed slimming tea. This guide explores its traditional role and what modern science says about its unique alkaloid nuciferine.
Niu Bang Gen | 牛蒡根
A beloved root vegetable in Japanese cuisine and one of the richest natural sources of prebiotic inulin — traditionally valued as a blood-purifying food for skin health. This guide explores its traditional role in clearing Heat and resolving toxicity, and what modern science says about its gut microbiome and skin-supporting properties.
Jue Ming Zi | 决明子
One of the most popular daily wellness teas across East Asia — lightly roasted to release a nutty, coffee-like aroma — traditionally used to clear Liver Heat, brighten tired eyes, and promote gentle bowel regularity. This guide explores its traditional context and what modern science says about its anthraquinones.
Yu Mi Xu | 玉米须
Corn silk (Yu Mi Xu) is the dried styles and stigmas of the maize plant Zea mays, used as a gentle, cereal-like tea and infusion ingredient. This guide clarifies its botanical identity, traditional description, kitchen notes, research context, and safety boundaries.
Zhi Zi | 栀子
Gardenia fruit (Zhi Zi) is the dried fruit of Gardenia jasminoides, valued for its warm golden-orange pigment and pronounced bitter profile. This guide clarifies its botanical identity, traditional description, kitchen context, research, and safety boundaries.
Rou Gui | 肉桂
Cinnamon bark (Rou Gui) is the inner bark of Cinnamomum cassia, a bold, woody-sweet warming spice used in tea, braises, and poaching liquids. This guide clarifies its botanical identity, traditional description, kitchen notes, cassia-vs-Ceylon context, research, and safety boundaries.
Bai Zhi | Angelicae Dahuricae Radix
A classic root that helps explain exterior and aromatic traditional language with more depth.
Jie Geng | 桔梗
Balloon flower root (Jie Geng / doraji) is the taproot of Platycodon grandiflorus, used in Korean banchan and simmered soups for its firm, crisp bite and faint bitterness. This guide clarifies its botanical identity, traditional description, kitchen notes, research context, and safety boundaries.
He Shou Wu | 何首乌
Fo-Ti root (He Shou Wu) is the prepared root tuber of Polygonum multiflorum, a specialty botanical with an unusually prominent safety boundary in modern literature. This guide clarifies its botanical identity, traditional description, kitchen context, research, and safety.
Mai Ya | 麦芽
Barley sprout (Mai Ya) is the germinated grain of Hordeum vulgare, a pantry grain used in tea and congee for its toasted, mildly sweet cereal flavor. This guide clarifies its botanical identity, traditional description, kitchen notes, research context, and safety boundaries.
Ju Pi | 橘皮
Tangerine peel (Ju Pi) is the dried outer rind of Citrus reticulata, a bright, bitter-orange aromatic used in tea, braises, and confections. This guide clarifies its botanical identity, traditional description, kitchen notes, peel comparison, research, and safety boundaries.
Chen Pi | 陈皮
Dried orange peel (Chen Pi) is the aged, dried peel of Citrus reticulata, prized for its rounded, mellowed citrus fragrance in tea, braises, and storage. This guide clarifies its botanical identity, traditional description, kitchen notes, research context, and safety boundaries.
Sha Ren | 砂仁
Amomum fruit (Sha Ren) is the dried pod of Amomum villosum, a ginger-family aromatic used in soups, rice, and spice blends for its camphor-citrus cardamom note. This guide clarifies its botanical identity, traditional description, kitchen notes, research context, and safety boundaries.
Hong Hua | 红花
One of the most important Blood-moving herbs in the traditional Chinese wellness pharmacopeia — a warm, pungent flower used to activate circulation and address Blood Stasis patterns, handled with significant caution.
Huang Qin | 黄芩
Skullcap root (Huang Qin) is the root of Scutellaria baicalensis, a bitter-tasting dried root with an important safety boundary in modern literature. This guide clarifies its botanical identity, traditional description, kitchen context, research, and safety.
Chai Hu | 柴胡
Bupleurum root (Chai Hu) is the dried root of Bupleurum chinense, a bitter-pungent aromatic root historically used in East Asian materia medica. This guide clarifies its botanical identity, traditional description, kitchen context, research, and safety boundaries.
Yin Xing Ye | 银杏叶
Ginkgo leaf (Yin Xing Ye) is the leaf of Ginkgo biloba, a tree-leaf botanical primarily encountered in extract products with important safety and label-reading considerations. This guide clarifies its botanical identity, traditional description, research context, and safety boundaries.
Jiang Huang | 姜黄
Turmeric root (Jiang Huang) is the rhizome of Curcuma longa, a golden kitchen spice and traditional botanical with distinct culinary and supplement forms. This guide clarifies its botanical identity, traditional description, cooking notes, research context, and safety boundaries.
Best first clicks
These herbs are especially helpful for new readers because they connect naturally to tea, soup, porridge, and practical kitchen learning.
Gou Qi Zi | 枸杞子
A small, vibrant red fruit native to Asia — a quiet essential staple in East Asian kitchens for thousands of years. This guide explores its traditional roots, its role as a deeply nourishing ingredient, and what modern nutritional science reveals about its benefits.
Huang Qi | 黄芪
A foundational soup herb often used in traditional writing about qi and seasonal routines. This deeper guide explains its role in winter kitchens, alongside insights from modern nutritional science and authoritative health databases.
Sheng Jiang | 生姜
One of the most universally recognized ingredients in the world — a foundational culinary spice and highly respected traditional herb. This guide explores its gentle dispersing warmth, traditional context, kitchen uses, and what modern science says about its active compounds.
Da Zao | 大枣
A sweet, chewy fruit cultivated in Asia for thousands of years — botanically distinct from Middle Eastern dates. This guide explores Jujube's role as a foundational daily ingredient in soups, teas, and porridges, its rich antioxidant profile, and what modern science says about its potential to support restful sleep and digestive health.
Ju Hua | 菊花
Not just ornamental autumn blooms — Chrysanthemum is a staple of East Asian tea culture, traditionally consumed to cool the body and clear the head. This guide explores its rich flavonoid content, particularly luteolin, and its potential role in supporting cardiovascular and cellular wellness.
Lu Dou | 绿豆
A small, green legume widely cultivated across Asia — a staple food that holds a highly respected place in traditional Chinese wellness as a powerful cooling food. This guide explores its traditional context, kitchen uses, and what modern science says about its exceptional nutritional profile and high antioxidant capacity.
How to use this library
This herb library is built for readers who want a beginner-friendly way to explore herbs without getting lost in untranslated terminology. Each herb page includes the English name, pinyin, Chinese characters, Latin name, traditional nature and flavor, channel entry, kitchen notes where appropriate, and a visible safety note.
The easiest way to use the library is to search by the word you already know. Some readers search by English name such as goji berry or ginseng. Others search by pinyin such as Sheng Jiang, Gou Qi Zi, Huang Qi, Dang Shen, or Bai He. Some also search by alternate spellings like gouqi berries. Many search by broad goals like digestive, tea, soup, warming, cooling, or food tradition.
What makes this different
Many herb sites either oversimplify traditional herbs into marketing slogans or bury readers under technical jargon. HerbGuide takes a middle path. We keep the traditional framework visible, but we explain the terms carefully and avoid overstated promises.
That makes this page useful for readers searching for herbs explained in English, ways to understand pinyin herb names, or where to start with food-friendly herb pages before moving into more advanced material.
If you are learning the vocabulary behind these pages, continue to the Glossary for direct term-by-term explanations.
Reader questions
Yes. The search box is designed to work with English names, pinyin, Chinese characters, tags, and common food uses, including searches like sheng jiang, gou qi zi, and chen pi.
Goji berry, fresh ginger, jujube, chrysanthemum, black sesame, and lotus seed are among the easiest herbs to understand because they sit close to everyday food use.
No. Some pages are food-friendly and beginner-oriented, while others are included for educational depth and should be read more cautiously.
Suggested paths
If you want kitchen-friendly herbs first, start with Goji Berry, Fresh Ginger, Jujube, and Chrysanthemum.
If you want to understand classic tonic herbs, compare Astragalus Root, Ginseng, and Codonopsis.
If you want softer pantry ingredients, a strong alternate route is Mulberry Fruit, Lotus Seed, and Tremella Mushroom.
Comparison guides
Some of the strongest educational pages on HerbGuide are simple side-by-side comparisons. They help readers understand how traditional herb writing separates ingredients that sound similar at first glance.
Learn by contrast
These guides teach readers that naming, preparation, nature, and kitchen role all matter in traditional herb education. That makes the full herb library easier to trust and easier to navigate.
After these side-by-side pages, the best next step is Basics for the broader vocabulary behind the comparisons.