Meridians syndrome

Cang Zhu can be selected as chief in the formula to treat a reasonably severe excess condition of wind-cold syndrome that includes the symptom of heaviness of the body. Because Cang Zhu is pungent and warm, and enters the Stomach and Spleen meridians, it can strongly dry dampness and disperse wind and cold. 

Chai Hu is pungent and neutral, and enters the Liver and Gall Bladder meridians. It is particularly effective in spreading Qi in the Shao Yang meridians, and in treating headache (especially on the lateral sides of the head) and a sensation of fullness in the hypochondriac region. When there is stagnation of Liver-Qi due to stress, which weakens the Defensive-Qi and leads to an exterior syndrome, Chai Hu can be selected. 

Xi Xin is a very pungent and hot herb with an aromatic smell. It does not enter the Bladder meridian, but does enter the Kidney meridian. It can be selected as deputy in the formula to enhance the action of the chief herbs in treating an excess condition of wind-cold syndrome and can release pain. 

Dang Shen is sweet and neutral. It primarily enters the Spleen meridian. It can be used as deputy in an exterior syndrome when the Qi is too weak to eliminate the exterior pathogenic factors. It can tonify the Spleen-Qi so as to strengthen the Lung-Qi and Defensive-Qi, and accelerate the speed of eliminating the exterior pathogenic factors. 

Zhi Ke is bitter and slightly cold, and enters the Spleen and Stomach meridians. It can regulate the Spleen-Qi and Stomach-Qi in a gentle and slow way. It moves horizontally in the Upper- and Middle-Jiao, opens the chest and reduces distension. In an exterior syndrome it is used to treat Qi stagnation in the chest, stomach and hypochondria, which causes distension in the upper abdomen, a stifling sensation in the chest, reduced appetite, irritability and depression. 

Sang Ye and Ju Hua are bitter, sweet and cold, and enter the Lung and Liver meridians. They are often selected as chief herbs in the formula to treat a mild wind-heat syndrome when the wind-heat mainly affects the Lung. 

Lian Qiao is bitter, cold and aromatic, and enters the Heart and Small Intestine meridians. Although it does not enter the Lung meridian, it is still often used in formulas to treat wind-heat syndrome as a chief herb. This is because its aromatic smell can disperse the Qi in the Upper-Jiao and gently release the exterior, and it leaches out heat from the Heart through the Small Intestine. It is especially effective in dispersing and clearing heat in the Heart and relieving restlessness and a warm sensation in the chest. 

Zhu Ye is sweet and cold, and enters the Heart and Lung meridians. It can expel wind-heat in the Upper-Jiao, increase urination and therefore leach out heat from the Heart. It is often used in a wind-heat syndrome when the heat disturbs not only the Lung but also the Heart, which is manifested as restlessness and irritability. 

Lu Gen is sweet and cold, and enters the Lung, Stomach and Kidney meridians. It is often used as assistant in a formula to treat a wind-heat syndrome because it not only clears heat but also generates body fluids, which have been injured by heat in a wind-heat syndrome. In addition, it is also used to treat nausea and belching when the heat from the Lung affects the Stomach. 

Bei Sha Shen is sweet and cold, and enters the Lung meridian. It can be used for the same purpose as Lu Gen. However, as it is sweeter and less cold than Lu Gen, it is only used at the recovery stage of a wind-heat syndrome where the exterior wind-heat barely exists but the Lung-Yin is still severely injured. 

Yu Li Ren is pungent, bitter, sweet and neutral, and enters the Spleen, Small Intestine and Large Intestine meridians. It is moist in nature and has a descending tendency of action. It is able to descend the Qi, promote bowel movement and urination and is usually used in excess syndromes. 

Ban Xia and Sheng Jiang are both pungent and warm, and enter the Stomach meridian. They can soothe the Stomach-Qi and eliminate the accumulation of water and phlegm in the Stomach. They relieve nausea and vomiting and improve appetite. All these symptoms are often seen in the syndrome of internal cold in the Middle-Jiao. 

Sheng Di Huang is sweet and cold. It primarily enters the Heart, Stomach and Kidney meridians. It can effectively clear heat, cool the blood and nourish the Yin. It matches the syndrome perfectly and is often used as chief in formulas that clear the heat at the Ying level. 

Da Qing Ye is salty and very cold, and enters the Heart and Stomach meridians. It can strongly reduce Heart-fire and relieve fire-toxin it can also cool the blood. It is used to treat severe cases of Heart-fire syndrome. It is also used to treat fire-toxin syndromes, such as infections. 

Huang Lian is bitter and cold, and primarily enters the Heart and Stomach meridians. It can strongly clear heat and reduce the intense fire from the Heart directly. At the same time, it can also relieve fire-toxin and dry damp-heat. It is suitable for use in cases of sores, boils and carbuncles. As Huang Lian is very bitter and cold, it is not suitable for long-term use, especially in an excess heat syndrome without dampness. As soon as the intense heat is reduced, some gentle, sweet and cold herbs should be used instead of Huang Lian. 

Huo Xiang is warm and can disperse and dissolve dampness in the Middle-Jiao. It also enters the Lung meridian and can treat exterior dampness as well. It is used in the syndrome where nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal cramp are accompanied by fever, chills and a heavy sensation in the body. 

Bai Zhu can directly dry dampness in the Middle-Jiao as it is pungent and warm, and enters the Spleen meridian directly. It has a relatively strong function in tonifying the Spleen-Qi compared with the other two herbs. It is often used in the syndrome where dampness accumulates in the Middle-Jiao when the Spleen-Qi is too weak to transform and transport it. 

Tian Hua Fen and Lu Gen are sweet and cold, and enter the Lung and Stomach meridians. They are often used in the syndrome of excess heat in the Lung when the heat has injured the fluid and causes dryness in the Lung. Both herbs can clear heat, generate the body fluids and relieve thirst, dry cough, chest pain and dryness in the mouth. 

This chapter introduces the principles, methods and strategies for the composition of formulas that expel cold, warm the meridians and internal organs, and rescue the Yang from collapse. They are used for treating internal cold syndrome. 

The exogenous pathogenic cold can directly cause internal cold syndrome. After exposure to cold, rain or snow, the exogenous pathogenic cold can invade the body through skin and subcutaneous tissue, and thereafter enter the meridians and internal organs. 

Gui Zhi and Xi Xin are able to warm meridians, promote Qi movement and blood circulation, and expel cold. They are selected in formulas to warm the meridians and treat Bi syndrome. 

Gui Zhi is sweet and warm, and primarily enters the Heart meridian. It has an aromatic smell that gives this herb a thin pungent property, which makes it move quickly and lightly. It can particularly warm the blood, stimulate the Heart and promote the blood circulation thus it can treat cold hands and feet, cramp of the muscles and pain due to cold obstruction of the blood circulation. In addition, Gui Zhi also enters the Lung and Bladder meridians, is able to expel wind and cold in the superficial region and can therefore treat exterior wind-cold syndrome. 

All of these herbs enter the Kidney meridian and are often used to treat internal cold syndrome by stimulating the Kidney-Yang. 

Fu Zi is a very pungent and hot herb. It enters the 12 regular meridians and moves quickly without any staying tendency. It can very quickly spread the Yang in the body. With these features, it treats internal cold syndrome. Since Fu Zi can spread the warmth quickly to the whole body through the 12 meridians, it can scatter cold and dampness in the body like the sun with the fog. This is the reason why Fu Zi is a very commonly used herb to treat Bi syndrome caused by cold, dampness and wind, as well as Yang deficiency of the body. Although Fu Zi... 

Damp-cold accumulation often coexists in Yang deficiency syndrome. Because cold obstructs the meridians, this leads to obstruction of Qi movement and water circulation, and cold-dampness is thus formed. Moreover, when the Yang is too weak to steam the fluid into Qi and Yin, the water metabolism becomes very slow and the water may accumulate in certain places in the body. In this condition, herbs that are warm in nature and have the function of transforming dampness should be used as assistants in formulas. 

This formula is able to warm the meridians and expel cold, tonify the blood and promote blood circulation. It is used to treat cold and painful joints and muscles due to Yang deficiency and blood deficiency with invasion of external cold. A pale tongue with a white coating and a very thready and deep pulse are the important signs of this syndrome. 

Shu Di Huang, as deputy, treats the coexisting syndromes. This herb is sweet and warm, and enters the Kidney meridian. It can tonify the blood and Kidney-essence, which are weakened in chronic conditions or in constitutional conditions of Lung-Qi deficiency. 

Ji Xue Teng is bitter, slightly sweet and warm, and enters the Kidney and Liver meridians. It is a special herb for tonifying the blood as it is also able to promote the blood circulation and relax the tendons. It is therefore selected in formulas to relieve stiffness, tingling, numbness, pain and an uneasy feeling in the body, such as in Bi syndrome and in restless leg disorder due to blood deficiency with Qi and blood stagnation. 

Bai Shao Yao is bitter, sour and slightly cold, and enters the Liver and Spleen meridians. It particularly tonifies the substantial part of the blood and increases the Yin. It is often used in the syndrome of blood and Yin deficiency that manifests as palpitations, restlessness, stiffness and cramping pain of the limbs, dry eyes, blurred vision and scanty menstruation due to deficiency of the blood and Yin of the Heart and Liver. 

Gui Zhi is sweet, pungent and warm, and enters the Heart meridian. Since the twigs enter the meridians according to the concepts of traditional Chinese medicine, this herb is able to stimulate the Yang and the Qi of the Heart. Together with herbs that tonify the blood, it can accelerate the speed of the bloodgenerating process. It is mainly used as assistant in the formula to tonify the blood so as to warm the blood, promote blood circulation and open up the obstruction. It is particularly selected in the syndrome where there is numbness and tingling of the limbs, cold and pain of the extremities. 

Shan Yao is sweet and neutral, and enters the Lung, Spleen and Kidney meridians. It can either tonify the Qi or nourish the Yin. Its astringent property enhances its tonifying and stabilizing function. This herb is particularly useful in chronic conditions of Qi and Yin deficiency, such as in Thirst and West syndrome (diabetes) to moisten the internal organs and stabilize the body essence. 

Shi Gao is sweet, pungent and very cold, and enters the Lung and Stomach meridians. It is an important substance to reduce excess heat in the Stomach and the Lung. Compared with herbs that reduce the heat of the Stomach, this substance is strong, effective and has no side effect of injuring the Yin of the Stomach as it is sweet and cold. In addition, it is often used in small dosage to reduce the excess heat that often coexists in the syndrome of Stomach-Yin deficiency. 

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