Drain fire (xie huo)

Herbs that drain fire are among the coldest herbs used for treating severe heat with symptoms like a high fever accompanied by copious sweating, strong thirst, a forceful pulse and aversion to warmth; or other strong heat signs such as red eyes and face, restlessness, irritability, mania and even delirium. They differ from those that cool the blood in that they generally clear heat from the qi level, yangming division, or Lung, Stomach and Liver organs.

They include zhi mu (anemarrhena, Anemerrhena aspheloides), zhi zi (gardenia fruit, Gardenia jasminoides), dan zhu ye (bamboo leaf, Lophaterum gracile) and xia ku cao (Prunella vulgaris).