How To Analyse The Therapeutic Functions Of The Various Decoctions Part Twelve

 

Hey, I'm back to adding the deliberated missout scientific name by me for the last blog on monarch's herb.   So the scientific name for Qiang Huo and Du Huo are as follow:

• Notopterygium incisum

• Radix Angelicae Biseryatae, respectively

This is how to analyse the therapeutic functions of the various decoctions. (part 12)

Incidentally, getting to know the scientific name or the Latin name would lead you to know the family product and the related functions.  It would come along nicely when I discuss more herbs in the later blogs.

Minister's Herbs in pair

The scientific name for the 2 minister's herb of this Bai Du Tang are as follow:

• Chuan Xiong - Ligusticum Striatum
• Chai Hu - Bupleuri Radix

Association to the Specific Meridian Channel

Chuan Xiong is, by nature, a blood circulating herb and there's one new terminology to be associated with this.

Apply (Xing Xue Qu Feng) means circulating blood and expelling wind.

Chuan Xiong is associated with these 3 Meridian Channels:

• Liver 
• Gall Bladder  
• Pericardium 

This means Chuan Xiong would travel to these 3 organs to circulate the blood in aid to remove any blood stasis if any.

It would fuel the warming effect caused by the monarch's herb relieving the cold flu infection.

Chai Hu 

is associated with these 4 Meridian Channels:

• Liver
• Gall Bladder
• Pericardium
• San Jiao

Apply (Xing San Jie Ji) means dispelling with a pungent smell and relieving muscle pain.

By nature, Chai Hu would:

• reconcile between exterior and interior.  In another word, Chai Hu would station in the midpoint between the exterior and interior of the inter-organ backup link to reconcile the cold and the warm intermittently
• soothe the Liver
• raise Yang Qi.

Let's do a quick revision on the link between:

• The Pericardium and the San Jiao Meridian Channels
• The Liver and Gall Bladder Meridian Channels

for a better understanding.

It's this Pericardium which links up with the San Jiao both in terms of the inter-organ backup exterior-interiorly and also by way of Meridian path links up between the 2 organs.  The former is real and positioned close to the Heart and the latter is the imaginary largest Yang organ making use of the 11 Yin Yang organs to complete the physiological functions from the facial organs to the abdominal orifices at the Urethra end and the Anus. 

Due to the scalability of the fibrous layer being very small,

so when the pericardial fluid is abnormally increased, it is not possible for the heart to expand exteriorly and as a result, 

• It would compress against the heart affecting it to diastole and restricting the backflow of the venous blood.

This would lead to symptoms like:

• Difficulty in breathing
• Anxiety
• Overall weakness
• Fever
• Acute chest pain
• Acute shoulder and back pain

Chai Hu would enter the: 

• Pericardium to relieve all the above symptoms and 
• San Jiao as well in the 

1. Upper
2. Mid
3. Lower stream, to combat the cold virus infection.

Since the TCM Gall Bladder backup the TCM Liver 

(1)exterior-interiorly, 

the proper secretion of the concentrated bile is closely associated with the Liver's secretion of diluted bile via the common hepatic and common bile duct into the duodenum.  In the case of Gall Bladder Stone..... 

(2)obstructing 

the concentrated bile to be secreted, the diluted bile still flow out from the Liver to emulsify the fats in the duodenum to a lesser degree causing 

(3)obvious indigestion.

However, if the Gallstone is causing prolong blockage of the Gall bile excretion, the concentrated bilirubin would cause a higher concentration in the Gall Bladder creating 

• acute jaundice and 
• yellowing of the eye white which need immediate medical attention.
• Anorexia
• Bloating
• Diarrhoea  

Specific Taste

Chuan Xiong possesses a Pungent fragrance and a bitter taste. 

Bitterness enters the heart.

It would enter the heart with this pungent flavour to disperse the cold virus.

On the other hand, Chai Hu possesses a bitter taste and is slightly cold.  It would reconcile with heat and cold caused by the cold virus infection.

Specific Property

Chuan Xiong and Chai Hu form a wonderful pair with:

• the former warming up the cold virus infection (=warm) and 
• the latter relieving the intermittent cold and hot symptoms invading the child. (=slightly cold)

In reviewing the focus on the decoction discrimination, the fine point to remember is:

• Induce Perspiration
• Resolve Ache
• Dispersing effect caused in the Lung Qi
• Relieving the asthmatic condition

So far, the selection for Chuan Xiong having the warming effect in fueling the Monarch's herb still can fulfil the desired perspiration induction. At the same time, Chuan Xiong can remove blood stasis by invigorating blood circulation.

The paired minister's herb - Chai Hu which can move to the midpoint, where hot and cold crisscross, to relieve this cold virus invasion

The real discrimination will be revealed when all herbs are explained and fully understood.

I'll move on to the 4th division officer's herb in the next blog and hope you have absorbed much in this easy layout.

.

Best of all,

Xiong

 ***Reference:

( Emperor's Interior Sutra is available on sales better known as the esoteric scripture of the yellow emperor in Amazon, it's just a different way of naming the book cover)

 

How To Analyse The Therapeutic Functions Of The Various Decoctions Part Eleven

Hey, I'm back to discuss today's new subject in the discrimination between Ma Huang Tang and Jing Fang Bai Du Tang.   I'm going to analyse Jing Jie and Fang Feng as a pair of monarchs' herbs in Jing Fang Bai Du Tang.  This is how to analyse the therapeutic functions of the various decoctions. (part 11)

Basic Pharmacology 

Over here, it is necessary to know how the Formula had evolved through years of TCM applications by the ancient physicians to current practices.

Jing Fang Bai Du Tang with the word 'Tang' refers to the decoction and it is also possible to ground and grind the individual herb into a pill or fill it into capsule form.  

Jing Jie and Fang Feng are then added into the stand-alone decoction - Bai Du Tang to form the above formula.  So there are other Bai Du Tang, like Ren Shen Bai Du Tang.

Therefore, it's necessary to find out how and why Bai Du Tang is created for?

Let me reveal the answer now before analysing the individual herb in Bai Du Tang, hence proving the answer is correct.  So Bai Du Tang is effective in treating flu infection due to Qi deficiency.

Let's do a quick revision on what's Qi deficiency.

Qi deficiency:

Qi deficiency is caused by the innate weak Yuan Qi that can lead to a series of pathological changes and symptoms.  At least 5 out of 7 usual observations were detected as shown below:

• body weakness
• pale complexion
• shortness of breath
• weakness of limbs
• dizziness 
• spontaneous sweating
• a low and weak voice

of a patient would be classified as Qi deficiency in the TCM perspective.

All these could lead to the decline of certain functional activities of the body and certainly would:

• reduce the resistance to combat disease and other debilitating phenomena.  

The reason being Qi deficiency could affect human life activities which are fundamentally the movement of energy either rising or declining.  And of course, Qi deficiency is a tell-tale sign of:

• congenital insufficiency
• malnutrition
• old age and weakness
• unhealed chronic illness
• after major surgery
• excessive fatigue.

Clinically, Qi deficiency can be found in all 5 Yin organs, namely:

• Lung Qi deficiency
• Heart Qi deficiency
• Spleen Qi deficiency
• Liver Qi deficiency
• Kidney Qi deficiency

From here, the flu infection due to Qi deficiency should have these observations during the consultation:

• Feeling cold
• Having a feverish temperature
• No perspiration****
• Headache
• Whole-body ache
• Cough with phlegm
• Stuffy nose
• Feel bloated

Our topic today is Jing Fang Bai Du Tang, so let's start with the analysis of Qiang Huo, Du Huo and then go on to the individual herb's analysis that formulates Bai Du Tang. 

Over here, I'll list out the components of Bai Du Tang by pair because there is a complementary therapeutic effect between them in basic pharmacology as I'll explain the effect in one short paragraph below. (See attached diagrams)

The subject of Compatibility

Therefore, when using two or more herbs in one decoction, it is necessary to have a choice, which raises the issue of herbs compatibility.  These are classified into 4 main types:

• Complementary
• Supplementary
• Oppositive
• Contradictory

As I've mentioned, the only herb compatibility issue is the complementary effect between the pair herbs found in Bai Du Tang which would become clearer as we move in-depth in the analysis.   The rest of the other issues will be discussed as and when necessary.

The monarch's herb pair in Bai Du Tang is Qiang Huo and Du Huo.

Monarch's herb(pair):-

• Qiang Huo
• Du Huo

Both herbs can disperse cold flu infection with wetness accumulated.  Moreover, they complement each other in strengthening the dispersion effect in all directions to relieve the cold flu. However, it was found that:

• Qiang Huo travel upwards to heal from the diaphragm and above
• Du Huo travels downwards to heal from the diaphragm and below.

Let's analyse them in detail with the thresholds established as:

Association to the Specific Meridian Channel

Both Qiang Huo and Du Huo are associated with them:

• Bladder Meridian Channel
• Kidneys Meridian Channel

Since the topic concerned was flu caused by (Feng Han meaning cold wind) and so the root cause is Cold virus had invaded via the channel would receive and commence its channel from here.  

The 12 Meridian channels are all linked up in the human body to pass on the 

• Jing Qi 

from one to another around the clock.  

Although the bladder was situated right at the lower abdomen, its specific Meridian Channel commence from the medial canthus of each eye and travels upwards along the forehead until reaching the top of the head where the popular acupuncture point called:

• Bai Hui 

is located and then penetrated the head passing the brain and straight down along the spine to liaise with the bladder.  The branch channel from the bladder would continue to move downwards, ending on the right upper edge of the small toenail.  The Jing Qi would then penetrate to the bottom and pass on to the Kidney Meridian Channel which commences from here.

And that's not all, there are 3 other branches from the bladder which I'll discuss as and when necessary.  

This would explain one of the reasons why the Kidney and Bladder are the best match exterior-interiorly.

I'll discuss these meridian channels in detail in my later blogs.

Specific Taste

Both herbs possess:

• Very pungent (spicy)

property with a slightly different taste; 

• Qiang Huo -  bitter 
• Du Huo -  slightly bitter

Together they perform similar functions like Ma Huang.  Besides, the overflowing pungent smell and strong spicy taste would remove the wetness accumulated especially in the abdomen.

Specific Property

The specific property of both Qiang Huo and Du Huo is 

• warm

Primarily, Qiang Huo and Du Huo have the perspiring and relieving properties***of raising the Yang Qi.  The boiled decoction with these healing properties can warm the Lung causing induced perspiration to disperse the cold virus out from the body resembling the Ma Huang Tang.

The next blog would be the paired minister's herbs and their function to fuel the monarch's herbs.

Best of all

Xiong

 ***Reference:

( Emperor's Interior Sutra is available on sales better known as the esoteric scripture of the yellow emperor in Amazon, it's just a different way of naming the book cover)