Georgia mountains of the southern
Appalachian are changing their garments from green to yellow
and even red. You are saying "Good by" to the summer
and "Hello" to the fall this week. Most creatures
in our planet are now accumulating energy (Qi) and nutrition
(Blood*) in their body for struggling the survival against
the coming cold winter. As a human being, or so called "Homo
sapiens sapiens", having just spent a hot and exciting
summer, you might be exhausted due to your overtime hard working
(or loving) during the long summer nights and feel energy
("Qi" ) deficiency ( the "Yin" syndrome
); Or, you might absorb too much radiation of sun light (ultraviolet)
and summer heat (infrared), and have toxin in your "Blood"
to feel hyper-stress on your body ( the "Yang" syndrome).
In either case you really need to be tonified, and keep the
"Yin - Yang" balance, as well as the "Qi -
Blood" harmony in your body. For starting a such kind
of tonifying business, summer was too early, and winter will
be too late; therefore, fall is the only right season of tonifing.
(*In this article, "Blood" with the capital "B",
refer to the TCM concept; although "blood" all in
lower case means the fluid containing hemoglobin.)
According to the Traditional
Chinese Medicine theory, deficiency syndromes should be
treated by tonification, which can be classify into tonify
Yang, tonifi Yin; tonify Qi, tonify Blood, tonify both Qi
and Blood. "Yang" and "Yin" are mostly
related to kidney; and associated to Reproduction and Excretory
Systems. "Qi" is mostly linked to spleen, stomach
and lung; and affected to Digestion and Respiratory Systems.
"Blood" is mostly reflect to heart, liver and
spleen; and influened to Circulation and Immune Systems.
However, "Blood" is the bride of "Qi",
and "Qi" is the groom of "Blood"; so
the "Yin" and "Yang". "Blood"
and "Qi" share the common source; while "Yin"
and "Yang" have the joint roots. No matter how
would one carry on the tonification to each different organ
or system, only someone considering comprehensively can
bring out the best treatment to each other.
1. Herbal Formulation Tonifying
Yang
Formulations in this category are mainly indicated for syndrome
of weakness of kidney-Yang, which is the root of Yang-Qi
of the human body, and possesses the effect of energizing
the viscera, and is the promotion power for functional and
sexual activities of the body. Weakness of kidney-Yang occurs
mostly in cases such as over-fatigue chronic illness, aging
and infirm of deficient Yang constitution. When deficient
Yang fails to "Warm" the body, there appears endogenous
"Cold" syndrome marked by pallor, cold limbs,
and lassitude. The lumbs is residence of the kidneys, insufficiency
of kidney-Yang may lead to weakness and soreness in the
waist and knees, aversion to cold in the back and waist.
The kidney dominates water metabolism and transformative
function of Qi, if Yang-Qi is deficient, all transformative
functions of Qi may be abnormal, resulting in difficulty
in urination, and edema. Failure of the bladder in control
of opening or closing may lead to frequent urination. Since
kidney stores essence and dominates reproduction, weakness
of kidney-Yang may result in impotence, sterility due to
cold uterus. Deficient Yang brings about a cold syndrome
with symptoms of pale tongue with a white-thick coating,
a deep, silky and powerless pulse. The following herbal
formula is a typical classic Chinese therapy bolus of energizing
(warming) kidney-Yang:
Dogwood Kidney-Yang Bolus:
Atlantian Dogwood fruit 250g
Dried Rehmannia root 250g
Dioscorea batata 120g
Oriental water plantain 100g
Poria cocos 100g
Moutan bark 100g
Cinnamon twig 30g
Prepared aconite root (stir-baked) 30g
DIRECTIONS: Grind all herbs into fine powder and mix them
with honey to make into boluses weighing 10g each. After
consult with your herbal specialists or TCMD, take one bolus
with warm boiled water, twice a day. You may also decoct
the herbs in to water, but each dosage should be correspondingly
reduced into only 10%.
2. Herbal Formulation Tonifying
Yin
Formulations in this category are generally applied for
syndrome of Yin deficiency of liver and kidney. The liver
generates the Blood and controls the tendon, while the kidney
stores the Essence and dominates the bones. Deficiency of
the liver and kidney is usually focused on two aspects:
The first is insufficiency of the Essence and the Blood
due to impairment of Genuine-Yin caused by chronic diseases
and overstrain with symptoms of emaciation, vertigo, tinnitus,
amnesia, insomnia, weakness and soreness in the waist and
knees areas, red-thin tongue coating, and weak silky pulse.
The therapy of nourishing the liver and kidney is needed.
The second is internal disturbance of deficiency-Fire caused
by failure of Yin to match Yang. The liver and the kidney
manifested by tidal fever, night sweat, red lips, hectic
cheek, dry mouth and throat, sputum with bloody, insomnia
due to vexation, weakness and soreness in waist and knees,
emission, yellow urine, dry stool, red-thin tongue, and
rapid silky pulse.
Dogwood Kidney-Yin Pills:
Atlantian Dogwood fruit 120g
Prepared rhizome of rehmannia 250g
Dioscorea batata 120g
Oriental water plantain 100g
Poria cocos 120g
Moutan bark 90g
Wolfberry fruit 90g
Chrysanthemum 90g
DIRECTIONS: Grind all herbs into fine powder and mix them
with honey to make into boluses weighing 10g each. After
consult with your herbal specialists or TCMD, take one bolus
with warm boiled water, three times a day, You may also
decoct the herbs in to water, but each dosage should be
correspondingly reduced into only 10%.
3. Herbal Formulation Tonifying
Qi
Formulations in this category are usually suitable for syndrome
of spleen and lung. Qi is an energy flow to empower a living
body with many functional activities. It is mainly from
external Qi inhaled by the lung from the nature of fresh
air, as well as the Essence of food and drink transformed
by the spleen. The spleen dominates both the transportation
and the transformation, and is considered to be the foundation
of acquired constitution and the source for growth and chemical
reactions of Qi and Blood. The lung masters Qi respiration
and all vessel meet in the lung. Deficiency of spleen-Qi
may damage the energy and nutrition transporting function,
and there may appear poor appetite, loose stools, lassitude.
Sinking of the Central-Qi may cause chronic diarrhea, prolapse
of rectum, and visceroptosis. Deficiency of lung-Qi may
create shortness of breath, feeble speech, low voice, asthma
on exertion, spontaneous sweating, and weak pulse. Therapy
of tonifying Qi is indicated particularly tonifying the
spleen and the lung.
Four Gentlemen Decoction:
Ginseng (Panax quinqueflium) 12g
Atractylodes rhizome 9g
Poria cocos 30g
Glycyrrhiza glabra 6g
DIRECTIONS: Decoct all herbs in to water for oral administration,
after consult with your herbal specialists or TCMD.
4. Herbal Formulation Tonifying
Blood
Formulations in this category are often used for syndrome
of Blood deficiency. Blood parents moisture and nourishment.
It is one of the basic substances to maintain a life. Insufficiency
of Blood leads to deficiency syndrome, which is caused mainly
by loss of blood, slow down blood generation, or blood stasis.
The theories of Traditional Chinese Medicine believe that
Blood dominated by heart, stored by liver, and controlled
by spleen. Insufficiency of vascular blood may results in
malnourished spirit, flat blood vessels, manifesting as
palpitation, insomnia, pale complexion, pale lips and nails,
silky and asthenic pulse. Deficiency of liver-blood brings
malnourishing of the upper part of the body marked by dizziness,
vertigo.
Four Mesdames Decoction
Tang-kuei (Angellica sinensis) 12g
Chuanxiong rhizome 9g
White peony root 12g
Prepared Rehmannia rhizome 12g
DIRECTIONS: Decoct all herbs in to water for oral administration,
after consult with your herbal specialists or TCMD.
5. Herbal Formulation Tonifying Both Qi & Blood
In general speaking, Qi is more vital for men as long as
Blood is more essential for women. However, formulations
in this category are unisex and good for men and women with
syndrome of both Qi and Blood manifested by dizziness, palpitation,
short breath, fatigue, pallor, pale tongue with white-thin
coating, silky and feeble with forceless pulse.
Ten Treasures Decoction:
Tang-kuei (Angellica sinensis) 12g
Chuanxiong rhizome 9g
White peony root 12g
Prepared Rehmannia rhizome 12g
Ginseng (Panax quinqueflium) 12g
Atractylodes rhizome 9g
Poria cocos 30g
Glycyrrhiza glabra 6g
Astragalus root 12g
Cinnamon bark 6g
DIRECTIONS: Decoct all herbs in to water for oral administration,
after consult with your herbal specialists or TCMD.
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