Author: Various
Source: Chinese Medicinal Wines and Elixirs (2008)
Category: Formulas that Clear Heat
Pattern: Retention of pathogenic water, Damp stagnation generating Heat
Key Symptoms: Oedema, difficult or painful urination, vexation and anxiety, scanty but frequent urination, breast milk not free flowing
Ingredients
Tong Cao
| 250g | |
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Pinyin: Tong Cao
Chinese: 通草
Pharmaceutical: Medulla Tetrapanax Papyriferus
English: Rice Paper Plant Pith
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Tastes: Sweet, bland and slightly cold
Meridians Entered: Stomach and Lung
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Actions & Indications:
- Promotes urination, resolves Dampness and clears Heat
Damp-Warm febrile disease Damp-Heat painful urinary dysfunction
It is usually used as an assistant
- Promotes lactation
Insufficient or absent lactation
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Standard Dosage: 6-12g in decoction.
Cautions: Used with caution for pregnant women. |
|
Deng Xin Cao
| 30g | |
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Pinyin: Deng Xin Cao
Chinese: 灯心草
Pharmaceutical: Medulla Junci
Taxonomy: Juncus effusus
English: Bulrush Pith / Rush Pith
| |
Tastes: Sweet, mild, slightly cold
Meridians Entered: Heart, Lung and Small Intestine
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Actions & Indications:
- Promotes urination, leaches out Dampness and unblocks painful urinary dysfunction
Heat Excess Hot painful urinary dysfunction with dark, scanty urination
- Clears Heat from the Heart channel by directing Fire downward and calms the Spirit
Pediatric sleep disorders with dark, scanty urine and irritability (especially at night) (can be used alone)
Lack of Communication between the Heart and Kidneys with insomnia and restless sleep
Heart Fire with Kidney Yin Deficiency
Heart and Kidney Yin Deficiency
Small Intestine Shi Heat
- Clears Lung Heat
Sore throat (charred internally and topically relieves pain)
- Cools the Blood and stops bleeding
Use charred to stop bleeding
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Standard Dosage: 1-3g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated in case of urinary incontinence or deficiency-cold in lower energizer. |
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Bai Jiu
| 1.3L | | |
Pinyin: Jiu
Chinese: 酒
Pharmaceutical: Alcohol
English: Rice Wine
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Tastes: Hot
Meridians Entered: Reaches every part of the body
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Actions & Indications:
- Nourishes and moves Blood and Qi, opens the Meridians
Taken internally or applied topically as the medium for liniments in Blood stasis, especially from trauma or Bi syndromes in the elderly
- Warms Yang and Expels Cold
All Cold syndromes including Cold Bi, Interior Cold and Yang deficiency
Often serves as the basis for longevity "elixirs" by soaking Yang tonifying herbs
- Strengthens the Shen, dispels sorrow and promotes happiness
Temporary low mood, celebration
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Standard Dosage: 10-60ml, two to three times per day. Often combined with other herbs to bring out their Blood moving or warming aspects by washing them, or adding to a decoction, or soaking herbs in alcohol to make medicinal wines.
Cautions: Caution with Damp-Heat syndromes or long term consumption in the young and middle aged.
The Materia Dietetica (Shiwu Bencao 食物本草) by Lu He 卢和 from the Ming Dynasty says that excess drinking can hurt the spirit and consume blood, damage the stomach and deplete the body fluid, produce phlegm and induce fire. |
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Subsitutions:
Bai Jiu (white alcohol) traditionally means rice wine but can be substituted with any other high strength spirit.
Preparation: Grind the herbs into a fine powder and place in a jar with 1.3L of alcohol. Seal the lid and soak for seven days. Open the lid, remove the dregs and decant take as much as is needed, slowly at no fixed schedule.
Actions: Disinhibits urination and drains Dampness, clears Heat and opens the channels
Contraindications: Pregnancy, long term use. Wine formulas that clear Damp-Heat should only be used for short periods due to the Damp-Heat producing nature of alcohol and preferably only the elderly with an underlying deficiency. Although this formula is indicated for breast milk not flowing caution should be taken as alcohol may affect the baby.
Research Links:
Reference Notes: (click to display)
Most formulas are found in Scheid, Bensky, Ellis & Barolet (2009): Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies and Chen & Chen (2015) Chinese Herbal Formulas and Applications. Others are from translations of primary sources. It is recommended that the original material is cross-referenced for mistakes and additional information.
Substitutions have been taken from Ken Lloyd & Prof. Leung (2004): Mayway UK Substitution List or the above publications and are intended as suggestions to help navigate the tight restrictions in the UK quickly. More applicable substitutions may be appropriate in specific situations.
Individual herb information has initially been sourced from TCM Wiki and American Dragon for basic data and then updated manually with my own notes.
These pages are intended to assist clinicians and are not intended for self-diagnosis or treatment for which a qualified professional should be consulted.