50 fundamental herbs

In Chinese herbology, there are 50 “fundamental herbs.”[1] These include:

1. Agastache rugosa – huòxiāng (藿香)
2. Alangium chinense – bā jiǎo fēng (八角枫)
3. Anemone or Pulsatilla chinensis – bái tóu weng (白头翁)
4. Anisodus tanguticus – shān làngdàng (山莨菪)
5. Ardisia japonica – zǐjīn niú (紫金牛)
6. Aster tataricus – zǐwǎn (紫菀)
7. Astragalus membranaceus – huángqí (黄芪) or běiqí (北芪)
8. Camellia sinensis – chá shù (茶树) or chá yè (茶叶)
9. Cannabis sativa – dà má (大麻)
10. Carthamus tinctorius – hóng huā (红花)
11. Cinnamomum cassia – ròu gùi (肉桂)
12. Cissampelos pareira – xí shēng téng (锡生藤) or (亞乎奴)
13. Coptis chinensis – duǎn è huánglián (短萼黄连)
14. Corydalis ambigua – yán hú suǒ (延胡索)
15. Croton tiglium – bā dòu (巴豆)
16. Daphne genkwa – yuánhuā (芫花)
17. Datura metel – yáng jīn huā (洋金花)
18. Datura tatula – zǐ huā màn tuó luó (紫花曼陀萝)
19. Dendrobium nobile – shí hú (石斛) or shí hú lán (石斛兰)
20. Dichroa febrifuga – chángshān (常山)
21. Ephedra sinica – cǎo má huáng (草麻黄)
22. Eucommia ulmoides – dùzhòng (杜仲)
23. Euphorbia pekinensis – dàjǐ (大戟)
24. Flueggea suffruticosa (formerly Securinega suffruticosa) – yī yè qiū (一叶秋)
25. Forsythia suspensa – liánqiào (连翘)
26. Gentiana loureiroi – dì dīng (地丁)
27. Gleditsia sinensis – zào jiá (皂荚)
28. Glycyrrhiza uralensis – gāncǎo (甘草)
29. Hydnocarpus anthelmintica (syn. H. anthelminthicus) – dà fēng zǐ (大风子)
30. Ilex purpurea – dōngqīng (冬青)
31. Leonurus japonicus – yìmǔcǎo (益母草)
32. Ligusticum wallichii – chuānxiōng (川芎)
33. Lobelia chinensis – bàn biān lián (半边莲)
34. Phellodendron amurense – huáng bǎi (黄柏)
35. Platycladus orientalis (formerly Thuja orientalis) – cèbǎi (侧柏)
36. Pseudolarix amabilis – jīn qián sōng (金钱松)
37. Psilopeganum sinense – shān má huáng (山麻黄)
38. Pueraria lobata – gé gēn (葛根)
39. Rauwolfia serpentina – (從蛇根木) or (印度蛇木)
40. Rehmannia glutinosa – dìhuáng (地黄) or gān dìhuáng (干地黄)
41. Rheum officinale – yào yòng dà huáng (药用大黄)
42. Rhododendron tsinghaiense – Qīnghǎi dùjuān (青海杜鹃)
43. Saussurea costus – yún mù xiāng (云木香)
44. Schisandra chinensis – wǔ wèi zi (五味子)
45. Scutellaria baicalensis – huángqín (黄芩)
46. Stemona tuberosa – bǎi bù (百部)
47. Stephania tetrandra – fáng jǐ (防己)
48. Styphnolobium japonicum (formerly Sophora japonica) – huái (槐), huái shù (槐树), or huái huā (槐花)
49. Trichosanthes kirilowii – guālóu (栝楼)
50. Wikstroemia indica – liǎo gē wáng (了哥王)