Kidney damp-cold syndrome

Fu Ling is neutral and bland, and enters the Heart, Spleen and Kidney meridians. It can gently tonify the Qi of these organs, and can be used in either heat or cold syndromes of deficiency. It is often used as assistant to eliminate dampness in the Middle-Jiao. The dampness can be generated by deficiency of Spleen-Qi or from the cloying nature of the sweet tonifying herbs. Fu Ling can also tonify the Heart-Qi and calm the mind. 

Du Zhong and Gou Ji strengthen the back and benefit the joints. They can be used in chronic Bi syndrome due to wind, cold and dampness with Kidney-Yang deficiency, especially in elderly people. 

These two herbs are warm and pungent, and enter the Kidney meridian. They do not tonify the Yang or stimulate the Yang of the Kidney, but they can expel wind, cold and dampness in the Kidney meridian. Therefore they can assist the Yang growing and spreading in the Lower-Jiao. They are particularly useful in formulas that treat chronic Bi syndrome and where the Kidney is weakened with time. In such cases, patients suffer from pain particularly in the lower part of the body, such as arthritis of the back and legs in elderly people and after the menopause. 

Fu Zi enters the Heart, Spleen and Kidney meridians. It is swift and violent in its action of spreading warmth, scattering cold, drying dampness and warming the meridians. Because of its strength, it is considered a herb that enters the 12 regular meridians. It is used as chief to treat Bi syndrome, especially when cold is predominant with symptoms of severe cramping pain. 

Xi Xian Cao is pungent, bitter and cold, and enters the liver and Kidney meridians. It enters the deep regions of the body, the tendons and the bones. It searches out and expels wind, dampness and heat. It is selected when a Bi syndrome is at the active stage and the joints are swollen and painful with a burning sensation. Moreover, it can eliminate wind-dampness and treat heaviness and numbness of the limbs. Because it enters the Liver and Kidney meridians, Xi Xian Cao is especially effective in treating weakness and stiffness of the knees and back, pain of the bones, numbness and a tingling sensation of the limbs. 

This formula has the function of expelling wind, dampness and cold, stopping pain, tonifying the Qi and blood, and strengthening the liver and Kidney. It is used to treat chronic Bi syndrome due to wind and damp with a chronic condition of blood and Qi deficiency. 

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