Excerpted from Bensky: Chinese Herbal Medicine Materia Medica, 3rd ed.

• Clears heat, resolves toxicity, and improves the condition of the throat:  for swelling and pain of the throat due to fire excess, fire toxin, or phlegm-heat obstruction.  Sometimes used alone for sore throat.*
• Transforms phlegm and clears the Lungs:  for cough and wheezing with phlegm obstruction.  Its effect on phlegm is so strong that it is combined with warming herbs in treating obstruction and clogging due to cold-phlegm.*