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Sweet, sour and slightly cold, Phaseoli Semen (chi xiao dou) directs downward, and enters both the qi and the blood levels. Entering the qi aspect, it benefits the Stomach, clears heat, and benefits the water pathways, making water and damp pathogens, or summerheat pathogens, move downward and out of the body through the urine. It reduces edema, resolves summerheat, and alleviates thirst, and is thus used in the treatment of many types of edema, summerheat, and insatiable thirst due to Stomach heat. Entering the blood aspect, it directs fire downward, promotes the movement of blood, and resolves heat toxin. It is therefore used in the treatment of swollen sores and boils due to blood heat with overabundant toxicity. For this purpose, Phaseoli Semen (chi xiao dou) can both be applied topically or taken internally. (Chinese Herbal Materia Medica)*
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