Empty-heat

Level High level/overflow Low level/empty Heat Value High heat value Low heat value... 

This type of combination involves two herbs that have different functions. The first directly targets the pathological condition and the second increases the therapeutic effect of the first. For instance, Zhi Mu (Anemarrhenae rhizoma) nourishes the Yin of the Kidney and clears heat in the Lower-Jiao, while Huang Bai (Phellodendri cortex) reduces empty-heat in the Lower-Jiao and is therefore able to enhance Zhi Mu s function of nourishing the Yin. 

Heat due to Yin deficiency in the internal disorders is termed empty-heat external pathogenic heat at the Yin level is termed deficient heat. 

Di Gu Pi serves as deputy it can enter the Lung and Kidney meridians and can directly enter the Yin level. It can therefore effectively reduce smoldering heat of the Lung and empty-heat from the Kidney. 

The Kidney is an organ that stores the essence and is believed never to have had a real excess syndrome during pathogenic processes. However, sometimes the empty-heat in the Kidney can be very strong and may further consume the essence and Yin of the Kidney. 

Zhi Mu and Xuan Shen are bitter and cold. Both enter the Kidney meridian. They can reduce the heat and nourish the Yin of the Kidney. They can be used as chief herbs in a formula to reduce the empty-heat of the Kidney. Moreover, since Zhi Mu enters the Lung meridian and Xuan Shen can ascend the Kidney-water to reduce the fire of the Heart, Zhi Mu can be used in conditions where thirst and fever exist, and Xuan Shen can be used in cases of restlessness and insomnia. 

This formula nourishes the Yin and reduces heat of the Kidney, and is used particularly to stop sweating caused by Yin deficiency with severe empty-heat. The severe empty-heat manifests as night sweats, a red face, dry lips, irritability, constipation, dark and scanty urine, a red tongue with a yellow coating and a rapid pulse. 

Dang Gui, Sheng Di Huang and Shu Di Huang are used as chief herbs to tonify blood and Yin in order to treat the cause of the empty-heat. 

As soon as the heat is less strong, herbs that reduce the empty-heat and nourish the Yin should be used, such as Zhi Mu (Anemarrhenae rhizoma), and Han Lian Cao (Ecliptae herba). 

If the empty-heat is generated by the Yin deficiency, the heat may consume the Yin and injure the blood vessels, and scanty phlegm and coughing of blood may occur. 

As the cheeks correspond to the Lung, pinkish cheeks often indicate Lung-Yin deficiency. In a severe or chronic case, the empty-heat of the Lung may cause afternoon fever and warm palms and soles. 

Shi Hu is sweet and slightly cold, and enters the Stomach and Kidney meridians. It is able to nourish the Stomach-Yin and Kidney-Yin, generate the body fluids, and reduce the empty-heat from these two organs. As the Kidney-Yin is the root of the Yin of all the organs, Shi Hu is considered an important herb because it can tonify the Yin from pro-heaven and post-heaven sources. This herb treats chronic and difficult cases of Yin deficiency of the Stomach. 

Assistant Clear the empty-heat and calm the mind... 

This formula is devised for treating Heart-Yin and Kidney-Yin deficiency with empty-heat in these organs. The disorder is manifested as anxiousness, irritability, palpitations, difficulty in falling asleep, forgetfulness, nocturnal emissions and tiredness. The dryness due to Yin deficiency and fire consumption causes constipation, a dry mouth and ulcers on the tongue. The red tongue without coating and the rapid, restless and thready pulse indicate Yin deficiency with empty-heat. 

Bai Shao Yao is bitter, sour and slightly cold, and enters the Liver and Spleen meridians. It is able to nourish the Yin and therefore soften the liver. In addition, it can reduce the empty-heat from the Liver, which is often caused by Yin deficiency. Thus it is considered an effective herb to soften and pacify the liver, and is used to treat cramping pain due to Yin deficiency that fails to nourish the tendons and muscles. It is also selected in emotional disturbances such as stress, anger, frustration, resentment and irritability. 

Nu Zhen Zi is sweet, cold and bitter, and enters the Liver and Kidney meridians. The characteristic of this herb is that it can nourish the Yin and reduce the empty-heat without any cloying side effect, which arises in many of the herbs that nourish the Yin. It is particularly suitable for use in the formula for patients who suffer from Yin deficiency when the Stomach is too weak to bear the heavy herbs. It is often used for heavy menstruation in the menopause due to empty-heat in the Liver and Kidney meridians and organs. It is also selected in formulas to treat dry eyes, blurred vision and tinnitus. 

Mu Dan Pi is bitter, pungent and slightly cold, and enters the Heart, Liver and Kidney meridians. It is particularly selected in the formula to cool the blood, reduce the empty-heat, dissolve the congealed blood and invigorate the blood. It is used when there are symptoms such as low-grade fever, warm palms and soles, heavy menstruation due to the heat in the blood, or amenorrhea due to Liver-Yin deficiency with stagnation of the blood. 

Bie Jia is salty and cold, and enters the Liver meridians. It is able to nourish the Yin and reduce empty-heat, and is particularly selected in the formula to treat severe warm palms and soles, bone steaming and night sweats due to severe Yin deficiency with ascending of the Yang and heat of the Liver. As use of this substance is now forbidden, a substitute is recommended. 

This is a formula devised for treating Liver-Yin deficiency with empty-heat and stagnation of the Liver-Qi. The symptoms are dizziness, tinnitus, hot flushes, irritability, palpitations and irregular menstruation. The tongue is red without coating and the pulse is thready, wiry and rapid. These symptoms indicate that the Yin of the Liver is seriously consumed, and is no longer able to hold the Yang. Moreover, the Kidney-Yin is also injured at the time of Liver-Yin deficiency. 

The second pair is Shan Zhu Yu and Mu Dan Pi. Shan Zhu Yu nourishes and stabilizes the Liver-Yin, and Mu Dan Pi may reduce the empty-heat from the Liver, thus assisting the function of Shan Zhu Yu. 

Shu Di Huang, which is warm and mainly tonifies the essence, is replaced by Sheng Di Huang, which can reduce empty-heat, cool the blood and nourish the Kidney-Yin. Therefore the assistants Ze Xie and Mu Dan Pi are used in low dosage. 

Yin deficiency often causes empty-fire. In a severe condition, the fire may ascend and overstimulate the body fluids, essence and blood, resulting in bone steaming, hot flushes, warm palms and soles, insomnia, menorrhagia, polymenorrhea or spermatorrhea. The empty-heat may quickly consume the essence of the body and lead to loss of weight and emaciation. 

Assistant Reduce empty-heat, descend the Yang and regulate the Qi movement... 

There are many factors that can cause abnormal discharge of the body fluids and essence besides Qi deficiency. For example, diarrhea can be caused by damp-heat in the intestines excessive urination or spermatorrhea can be the result of damp-heat in the Lower-Jiao shortness of breath can be the consequence of phlegm accumulation excessive sweating is often caused by excess heat or empty-heat in the body. Thus a correct differentiation of the syndrome is required. 

Slight bleeding of gums with loose teeth is related to empty-heat in the Kidney. 

These three herbs are cold in nature. They can nourish Yin and reduce heat. They are often used as a part of chief substances together with minerals in a formula to sedate the Heart-shen and calm the mind in an acute and severe condition of anxiety caused by excess heat or empty-heat. They can also be used as chief herbs to treat moderate or chronic cases of anxiety and insomnia via the approach of reducing the excess fire or empty-fire of the Heart, Liver and Kidney. 

Sheng Di Huang is sweet, bitter and cold, and enters the Heart, Liver and Kidney meridians. As it can directly clear excess heat or empty-heat in the Heart, Liver and Kidney, it can calm the mind and relieve irritability and restlessness. It can cool the blood, thus the function of calming the mind is even stronger. It is frequently used as chief in the formula for treating excess or deficiency syndromes. 

Xuan Shen is bitter, cold and salty, and enters the Kidney meridian. It can clear heat and reduce fire. Unlike Sheng Di Huang, it is not sweet and has no function in generating Yin, but it can lift the Kidney-water (Yin) upwards to reduce the excess fire of the Heart. It is often used with Sheng Di Huang to treat excess heat and empty-heat in the Heart. It can relieve thirst, dry throat, warm sensations in the chest and irritability. However, if a patient has a Yin deficiency, especially Kidney-Yin deficiency, Xuan Shen should not be used for too long. 

These herbs are all cold in nature. The first three herbs enter the Heart meridian. They can nourish the Heart-Yin, reduce heat and thus calm the mind. They are often used as deputies in the formula to treat acute and chronic anxiety, restlessness and insomnia due to excess heat or empty-heat in the Heart. 

First of all, it has a very clear structure. The five herbs treat five aspects of the disorder that are commonly seen in the chronic case - blood, Qi and Yin deficiency with empty-heat and stagnation of blood. 

In chronic insomnia, disorders of blood deficiency of the Heart and Liver and stagnation of the Qi and blood, as well as empty-heat, often exist in one syndrome. This small formula matches the pathological condition and can therefore bring an effective result in clinical practice. 

Gou Teng is sweet and cold, and enters the Liver and Pericardium meridians. It has a strong function of clearing and reducing the Liver-heat, whether or not it is excess heat or empty-heat, and thus can calm the wind. It is particularly used to treat dizziness, headache, tinnitus, irritability, and red and irritated eyes. Because it enters the Pericardium meridian, it is also very effective for cooling the Heart, relaxing the tendons and calming the mind. 

These are two cold herbs. Zhi Mu is bitter and cold, but is moist in nature. It enters the Lung and Kidney meridians, can strongly reduce heat and protects the Yin. Sheng Di Huang enters the Heart, liver and Kidney meridians. It can nourish the Yin, clear heat and cool the blood. Since they are both strong in action and enter the Kidney meridian, they can be used in the syndrome of internal dryness when the Yin is severely injured with excess heat and empty-heat in the Lung and Kidney. 

Bai Shao Yao is sour, bitter and slightly cold. It can generate the blood and Yin. This function can be enhanced by sweet herbs. In addition, its bitter and cold properties can clear heat and reduce empty-heat in the blood caused by deficiency of blood and Yin. In this way, the blood can circulate in a moderate way. Bai Shao Yao is often used as deputy in the formula to tonify the substantial part of the blood and Yin and reduce heat. 

Mu Dan Pi is pungent and cold, and enters the Liver meridian. It is able to clear empty-heat in the blood and is often selected in the formula to treat a sub-acute condition of Yang-type Yong Yang syndrome when the excess heat has consumed the Yin, especially the Liver-Yin. 

Sheng Di Huang [Rehmanniae radix] Nourishes Kidney-Yin and reduces empty-heat ... 

Huang Bai (Phellodendri cortex) Reduces empty-heat in the Lower-Jiao. 

Mu Dan Pi (Moutan cortex) Reduces the empty-heat in the blood ... 

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