Author: Zhu Dan-Xi, 朱丹溪
Year: 1732
Source: Essential Teachings of Dan-Xi (Dan Xi Xin Fa, 丹溪心法)
Category: Formulas that Expel Dampness
Pattern: Damp-Heat lodged in the Lower Burner
Key Symptoms: Scanty, yellow urine and the presence of any of the four secondary symptoms:
- Burning pain in the lower back or extremities or red, hot, swollen and painful feet or knees
- Weakness or atrophy of the lower extremities
- Thick, yellow, foul-smelling vaginal discharge
- Sores or wet, papular rashes on the lower extremities
Tongue: Greasy, yellow coating
Pulse: Slippery, possibly rapid
Ingredients
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Huang Bai
| 9-12g | | (dry fried)
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Pinyin: Huang Bai
Chinese: 黄柏
Pharmaceutical: Cortex Phellodendri
Taxonomy: Phellodendron amurense seu chinense
English: Amur Corktree Bark |
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Tastes: Bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Liver, Gallbladder, Large Intestine, Kidney and Bladder |
Actions & Indications:
- Drains Damp-Heat especially from the Lower Jiao
Thick, yellow vaginal discharge, foul smelling diarrhoea or dysenteric disorder
Damp-Heat in the Lower Jiao
Hot Leg Qi with red, swollen, painful knees, legs or feet
Damp-Heat jaundice
- Drains Kidney Fire (False Heat, Deficiency Heat)
Kidney Yin Deficiency with Empty Fire Rising (steaming bone disorder, night sweats, afternoon fevers and sweating, occasionally with nocturnal emissions and spermatorrhea)
- Drains Fire and relieves Fire toxicity
Toxic sores and Damp-skin lesions (internally and topically)
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Standard Dosage: 6-10g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated for deficiency-cold syndrome. Overdosage and long-time taking will impair spleen and stomach. |
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Cang Zhu
| 6-9g | | |
Pinyin: Cang Zhu
Chinese: 蒼朮
Pharmaceutical: Rhizoma Atractylodes
Taxonomy: Atractylodes lancea seu chinensis seu japonica
English: Black Atractylodes / Gray Atractylodes / Sword-like Atractylodes root |
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Tastes: Pungent, bitter, warm
Meridians Entered: Spleen, Lung and Liver |
Actions & Indications:
- Strongly dries Dampness and tonifies the Spleen
Dampness Obstructing the Middle Jiao and blocking transformative and transportive functions of the Spleen with anorexia, diarrhoea, epigastric distention and pressure, fatigue, nausea and vomiting and a thick, greasy tongue coat
- Induces sweating and expels Wind-Dampness
Wind-Cold Dampness and Wind-Dampness with chills and fever, headache, body aches and nasal congestion
Painful extremities due to Wind-Damp Bi
- Clears Dampness from the Lower Jiao
Damp-Heat Pouring Downward with Leg Qi, some forms of atrophy disorders, vaginal discharge, swollen, sore joints
- Improves vision
Night blindness and diminished vision with a rough sensation in the eyes
- Repels Ghosts
"Strange diseases 奇病" that involve seeing ghosts
- Aids fasting
Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as part of the superior class of herbs which can, with protracted taking, make the body light, prolong life and make one free from hunger. This may suggest it was part of supplementing the diet when engaging in an "avoiding grain" (Bigu 辟穀) fasting regime to cultivate life (Yangsheng 養生).
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Standard Dosage: 5-10g in decoction.
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Preparation: Originally equal amounts of each herb are fried together and then ground into a powder and taken twice per day in 3-6g doses with ginger juice. Today it is normally prepared as a decoction with the dosages give.
Actions: Clears Heat, dries Dampness
Contraindications: Lung Heat, Liver and Kidney deficiency
Notes:
Can be modified to create two other formulas:
Add Niu Xi to create San Miao Wan (Four Marvel Pill) to focus on the muscles and sinews in the lower body.
Add Yi Yi Ren to create Si Miao Wan (Four Marvel Pill) to enhance its ability to dry Dampness
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.
