The excess pathogens in TCM mostly refer to diseases caused by human body feeling exogenous pathogens, such as cold symptoms caused by wind-cold pathogens and heatstroke symptoms caused by summer pathogens.
Those with severe syndrome of collapse should avoid taking Codonopsis pilosula, which is suitable for lazy speech and shortness of breath, weakness of limbs, poor appetite, qi deficiency, deficiency of both qi and body fluid, deficiency of both qi and blood, and blood deficiency and sallow. However, if the exterior syndrome is not solved and the excess syndrome is full of evil, it should not be used, because the tonic of Codonopsis pilosula is weak and can only treat the general deficiency syndrome. It is advisable to use ginseng for the excess syndrome, so as not to delay the illness and affect the physical recovery.
3 Codonopsis pilosula should not be taken with strong tea. Strong tea contains a lot of tannic acid, which has the effect of adsorption and convergence. Codonopsis pilosula contains more alkaloids and heavy metal salts, which are easy to chemically react with tannic acid to form insoluble precipitates, which will affect the absorption of medicinal effects and also have a certain impact on the gastrointestinal tract. Codonopsis pilosula has sedative, hypnotic and anticonvulsant effects, while caffeine contained in strong tea has excitatory effects, and their medicinal properties conflict. To sum up, codonopsis pilosula should not be taken with strong tea.
There are eighteen opposites and nineteen fears for Dangshen to avoid taking veratrum. Among them, the eighteen opposites mentioned that "all ginseng, peony root, red peony root and all kinds of ginseng are not suitable to take veratrum, because veratrum will react with the effective components contained in these herbs, which is easy to produce toxic and side effects.