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:
- tubular configuration and
- TCM Fundamentals
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 :
- the clear passage and smooth sailing from the stomach and
- closely associated with TCM spleen transportation***
- TCM Lung's Qi descending movement and
- 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 à sthmatic 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.
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Best of all,
Xiong Sian
***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)
