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

Hey, I'm back and today's topic is very simple.   I'm going to analyse the reason why Xing Ren is the division 4 officer's herb in Ma Huang Tang.  This is how to analyse the therapeutic functions of the various decoctions. (part 9)





Division 4  Officer's Herb-Xing Ren


What is the job of this officer?  Primarily, it would coordinate and slow down the strong effect of monarch and minister herbs.   So for Xing Ren above, we'll have the following:

Association to the Specific Meridian Channel


Xing Ren is associated with the;
  • Lung  
  • Large Intestine - Meridian Channel respectively  

Since the TCM Lung and Large Intestine are the best-correlated match exterior-interiorly, their correlation is the best explanation for Xing Ren in the decoction as the division 4 officer's herb.  Let's do a quick revision on the Lung and Large Intestine fundamentals.
As I've mentioned previously, all 6 Yang Organs comply strictly with the:

Under normal conditions:  The unwanted residue being transferred over to the Large Intestine is no longer called digested food because all the CLEAR nutrient has been absorbed by the Small Intestine in feeding all parts of the body.  Moreover, the smooth sailing of the transfer characteristics at the large intestine is greatly dependent on :

  1. the clear passage and smooth sailing from the stomach and 
  2. closely associated with TCM spleen transportation***
  3. TCM Lung's Qi descending movement and
  4. sealed storage characteristics of the TCM Kidney

As the fundamental had stipulated the smooth sailing of the large intestine would descend the Lung's Qi which is necessary to achieve relief in the asthmatic condition.
Under pathological conditions, the lung and the large intestine also interact and influence each other.  For example, when the external pathogens invade the lungs, the result would be the failure to descend stagnation of lung's Qi and generated phlegm heat in the lungs causing large intestinal conduction disorders and constipation.
This would be the role of Xing Ren which travels to the Lung and Large Intestine to coordinate with the monarch's herb to eradicate the virus invasion.

Specific Taste


The type of Xing Ren that is suitable for TCM decoction would be those that grow in the northern part of mainland China so-called North Xing Ren and those in the south known as South Xing Ren.
The north Xing Ren is better known as Armeniacae Semen Amarum and the south Xing Ren is also known as Armeniacae Semen Dulce in Latin.

The north Xing Ren has a bitter specific taste.

First and foremost this bitterness also enters the heart and regulate the following:
  • To ease and alleviate deeper worry like something bothering the mind
  • Excrete heat from the heart and lower the lung's Qi.
This indicates that the north Xing Ren would also enter the Lung with this bitterness as well as to materialise the above scenario.
Therefore, this would be the effect of north Xing Ren's bitterness to excrete and lower the lung's Qi in reversing the effect of Ma Huang so that lung's Qi would not be exhausted so rapidly.  The overall effect is "Ma Huang expel the Qi with the setback from Xing Ren withdrawal of the Qi" to soothe the asthmatic condition from the TCM perspective.

The south Xing Ren has a sweet specific taste.

Besides having the sweet taste with the ability to enter the Spleen***, the south Xing Ren would use this sweetness to lubricate the Lung to ease and drop cough.
You would find that when the child has improved from the àsthmatic condition, however, there would be a sure sign of dry coughing experienced as there was an infection at the respiratory tract initially.  

As of here, you would realise which type of Xing Ren is more appropriate in the decoction preparation.  The answer is "decision-based on case to case basis."  Since the virus infection would cause a dry cough after asthmatic recovery, it is wise to use the quantity selected to be split into 50% north and 50% south Xing Ren. Another decision is 2/3 north and 1/3 south Xing Ren to relieve the asthmatic condition more effectively.  Both applications work very well.
This Specific Taste would complement each other with the association of the Meridian Channel in the determination of the best herb selection.

Specific Property


The specific property of Xing Ren is lukewarm.
Unlike the monarch and minister's herb, the lukewarm property of Xing Ren cannot induce perspiration as effective and as such it is selected as division 4 officer to fuel the perspiration lightly.
The lukewarm effect would add to the overall effect as a warm and perspiration inductive catalyst rather than choosing a cooling property herb which would hamper the warm effect.































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)


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


Hey, I'm back to continue on today's topic which is on the selection and reason why Gui Zhi is the minister's herb.  This is how to analyse the therapeutic functions of the various decoctions. (part 8)




Minister's Herb-Gui Zhi


As usual, we've to bear in mind the threshold created in the previous blog for the herb selection like what we had discussed on the Monarch's herb; Ma Huang.  So for Gui Zhi above, we'll have the following:

Association to the Specific Meridian Channel

Gui Zhi is better known as Ramulus Cinnamomi in Latin.  It is associated with the Lung, Heart and Bladder Meridian Channel.  Very clearly, it is exactly similar to Ma Huang with one more channel, the Heart.

Specific Taste

The specific taste of GUI  ZHI is spicy and sweet.  It also enters the lung but it can not induce perspiration so effectively as Ma Huang however it would aid Ma Huang to increase the perspiration power. 

Next, the effect of the pungent and spicy taste is to: 

  • soothe the Qi
  • disperse in the purpose of weakening the virus invasion
  • invigorate blood 
  • remove blood stasis 
All the above effects are similar to Ma Huang except that they are less powerful, as such they become complements to the Monarch herb, Ma Huang.  There is one other point that is necessary to bring out;  it warms and raises the Yang to Ying Wei level where the bodily ache are found at this muscle level.  Therefore Gui Zhi is especially important in relieving body ache and I'll discuss other formulas on relieving bodily ache to show how effective is Gui Zhi being able to relieve pain without which, the decoction would be just another secondary soft drink.

Sweet enters the Spleen

As opposed to Ma Huang which inclines toward a little bitterness, Gui Zhi has the sweet taste that enters the Spleen to inspire and uplift the Spleen's Yang so that ache (caused by the stagnation) can be relieved.  Stagnation always causes pain from the TCM perspective.  Now the answers are becoming clearer and straightforward.

The difference between the taste of Ma Huang and Gui Zhi is:

Ma Huang is spicy and a little bitter;

  • Little bitterness tied with spicy means excretion via perspiration

Gui Zhi is spicy and sweet;

  • Sweet tied with spicy causes warming effect that would heat the Qi stagnation at the Tai Yang meridian channel to resolve ache.

Specific Properties

Gui Zhi's specific property is warm.

This warming effect is capable of:

  •  inducing perspiration  
  •  dispelling cold
  •  warming lung directly
  •  relieving asthma
  •  to reduce swelling.
similar to Ma Huang but a lesser degree.

Once again, I've to refer back to our topic today as to why Gui Zhi is categorised as minister's herb in Ma Huang Tang because of its prime role to resolve the bodily ache and fueling the power of the monarch's herb to induce perspiration to excrete the cold wind virus via the perspiring channels.  The fact is the bodily ache is caused by the Qi stagnation in the Tai Yang meridian channel.  This Qi stagnation could not drive the blood to circulate smoothly at the Ying Wei level resulting in pain at this muscles layers in the TCM perspective.

Oh, yes (have I left out anything in the aforesaid paragraph)?  Yes, it is the Gui Zhi's association with Heart Meridian Channel.  There is a condition known as Palpitation.  They are feelings or sensations that the heart is pounding or racing. They can be felt in the chest, throat, or neck. You may: Have an unpleasant awareness of the heartbeat. Feel like the heart skipped or stopped beating.  Most of the time, heart palpitations are harmless and go away on their own. In some cases, however, there may be a medical reason behind them, called Arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm). Even though they are common, heart palpitations can make you feel anxious and scared.

More often than not, this would not be found in the Ma Huang Tang Scenario unless there is a patient's medical history of heart disease.

Nevertheless, this decoction contains Gui Zhi which can travel to the Heart with the messenger's herb, Zhi Gan Cao to warm it and regulate the heartbeat to the normal condition.  

I'll discuss this Palpitation and the related manifestation of coronary heart disease, asthma and emphysema in another blog and leave more time for you to digest and get ready for interesting division 4 officer (Xing Ren) and the fabulous messenger (Zhi Gan Cao).


















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)


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

 

Hey, I'm back to continue on treatment to break up the various formulas so that the learning would leap into the next stage where it is no longer superficial.  This is how to analyse the therapeutic functions of the various decoctions. (part 7)


There are some preparations to be done before analysing the individual herb of each formula.

Three Important Medicinal Functions 

I have to set up this foundation before penetrating the in-depth study of Chinese Medicine as a threshold to herb selection in relationship to all treatments in my previous blogs.  Although it may seem to be tedious and complicated, everything would be simplified by me to make digestion easy.  Remember our discussion on Spleen and Stomach fundamentals, easy digestion is prime and interestingly arranged by me.  Every herb has these 3 specific functions:

  • Association to a specific Meridian Channel
  • Specific Taste
  • Specific Properties
 




As I had promised you break up each formula in the earlier blog to discriminate the reason why we had chosen this formula over others.  Let's go back to the first formula under the heading:

Relief Wind and Resolve the Ache

Flu caused by Feng Han 
  • Ma Huang Tang     

Just to keep the memory afresh, the formula consisted of:

  • Ma Huang,
  • Gui Zhi
  • Xing Ren
  • Zhi Gan Cao
Ma Huang is also better known as Ephedra Sinica.  Let's discuss these 3 medicinal functions of Ma Huang from the TCM perspective.

Association to a specific Meridian Channel


Ma Huang is associated with the:
  • Lung 
  • Bladder - Meridian Channels respectively.   
This Channel's Association is the explanation of the effect of, in this case, Ma Huang in the specific location, here, is the Lung and Bladder.  In another word, this would be the effect of Ma Huang travelling to the Lung and Bladder to eradicate the virus invasion.

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 easier channel, the Lung in the TCM perspective.
Primarily, Ma Huang has the: 
  • perspiring and relieving properties*** 
inclusive of raising the Yang Qi.  The boiled decoction comprising of the above Ma Huang's healing properties which can warm the Lung causing induced perspiration to disperse the cold virus out from the body. 
Therefore Ma Huang is the best herb selection for relieving the asthmatic flu caused by a cold virus in this formula.
Emphasizing the point again, the knowledge of the Association to a Specific Meridian Channel is very important in the herb selection for treatment.


Specific Taste


I move on to the specific taste of Ma Huang.  Taste in its broad sense means the flavour. There are five "flavours" as stipulated in the Emperor's Interior Sutra; namely sour, sweet, bitter, pungent or spicy, and salty.  There is a definite correlation between the five flavours and the five Yin organs.
I quote from the Emperor's Interior Sutra***:
  • "Sour enters the Liver, 
  • Sweet enters the Spleen,
  • Pungent or Spicy enters the Lung, 
  • Bitter enters the Heart, 
  • Salty enters the Kidney"  Unquote
Ma Huang has a pungent and spicy taste inclined to a little bitterness.
This pungent or spicy taste is associated with gold in the 5 elements YinYang theory.  However, this pungent flavour is the Gold element derived from the Yang possessing the effect of rising and dispersing.  And the most unforgettable experience of the pungent smell would be its distinctive taste.

Next, the effect of the pungent and spicy taste is to: 
  • soothe the Qi
  • disperse in the purpose of weakening the virus invasion
  • invigorate blood 
  • remove blood stasis 
Altogether the total effect would promote the circulation of Qi and Blood, in other words, it regulates the body's metabolism. 
 
As dictated from the Emperor's Interior Sutra, the pungent and spicy taste of Ma Huang enters the lung and can soothe the Lung's Qi.  The dispersing effect would weaken the cold virus invasion.
This Specific Taste would complement each other with the association of the Meridian Channel in the determination of the best herb selection.

Specific Properties


Next, I'll touch on the specific property of Ma Huang which is warm.  As I said, digestion is prime and must be easy to comprehend.  This warming effect is capable of:
  •  inducing perspiration  
  •  dispelling cold
  •  warming lung directly
  •  relieving asthma
  •  to reduce swelling.
Therefore Ma Huang can treat illnesses like:
  •     cold
  •     chest tightness
  •     cough
  •     wind swelling 
  •     bronchial asthma
In addition to the three important medicinal functions above, there are another 4 hurdles to cross, follow by the various TCM terminologies that I had introduced in the previous blogs.
These 4 hurdles are namely;
  • Monarch
  • Minister
  • Division 4 officer
  • Messenger




These terms are used to indicate the importance and commands expected in the monarchy kingdom.  They are now used in the same manner in terms of the individual herbs selected to form the formula.

Monarch's herb

For example, Ma Huang in our formula, Ma Huang Tang, is the monarch herb meaning it has the power to cure the illness but still needs the other 3 herbs together to complete the eradication of the virus.  However, if I would remove Ma Huang from the formula, the whole decoction would not be able to relieve wind and resolve ache through induced perspiration.  Therefore, the monarch herb plays a major role in the treatment and is indispensable in the whole decoction.

Minister's Herb

Minister's herb primarily assists the monarch's herb to achieve the therapeutic role and increase the healing effect.

Division 4 Officer

The division 4 Officer's herb coordinates with the monarch and minister herbs to enhance the therapeutic effect of the decoction as well as directly treat minor complications.   It would also slow down the strong effect of monarch and minister herbs.  

Messenger 

The messenger's herb is, as the word messenger depict, the marshal directing the various medicinal power of individual herb to the infected organs to start the healing process.  
Another function is to reconcile the effects of various drugs to a moderate digestive level.

Last and not least, the decision to think and select Ma Huang Tang as the formula suitable to relieve the wind and resolve the body ache, must ensure the following observations have been revealed during the consultation:
  • Feeling cold
  • Having a feverish temperature
  • No perspiration
  • Headache
  • Whole-body ache
  • Asthmatic 
  • Tongue coating thin and white
  • Pulse palpation is float and tight 
It seems that only Ma Huang in the above decoction outshines the rest possessing the ability to induce perspiration and relieve the ache becomes the determining factor.  Just jot down the (tight) pulse palpation in which I will discuss them after all these formulas breakup being done.  The tongue coating and the complaint from the patient having a feverish temperature yet feeling cold would complete and decide the correct decoction for this condition is MA HUANG TANG.

I would end this blog on Ma Huang here and start with GUI ZHI in the coming blog so that you have more time to digest all the above.



















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)


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