Tonify Yang: (Hu) Lu Lu Ba

hu lu ba ("foreign reed")

胡庐巴 semen trigonellae foeni-graeci

fenugreek seed

4.5 - 9 grams

Liver and Kidney

WARM
Bitter

For some reason, Fenugreek (or its zangy Chinese name Hu Lu Ba) is not included in the Mayway herb kit. I guess most people already know what it looks like, but it is not coming to my mind as something familiar. All my memory holds is an association with a bad tasting licorice thing. Whether that's true or not, I don't know.

Hu Lu Ba's indications:

A. Warms Kidneys / Disperses Damp Cold / Alleviates Pain:

1. Abdominal / Flank Distension and Pain (due to cold type bulging disorders)
   
2. Bulging Disorders (in abdomen and testicles)
   
3. Cold Damp Leg qi (soreness and swelling, heaviness, cold, pain)
   

This is the first herb of the tonify yang category that does not explicitly treat impotence and infertility. Bensky gives a tongue and pulse that go along with this herb:

T: white, greasy coating
P: deep and slow

If I knew what a "cold type bulging disorder" looked like, I would definitely post a picture. Here's a bulging Greek anyway. Oh, that sounds bad.