Author: Various
Source: Chinese Medicinal Wines and Elixirs (2008)
Category: Formulas that Tonify Blood
Pattern: Heart Blood deficiency
Key Symptoms: Excessive worry and anxiety, heart palpitations, insomnia
Secondary Symptoms: This wine is also used as a beautifying tonic for women to nourish the Blood in the face making the skin lustrous.
Ingredients
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Long Yan Rou
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Pinyin: Long Yan Rou
Chinese: 龙眼肉
Pharmaceutical: Arillus Longan
Taxonomy: Dimocarpus longan
English: Longan Fruit |
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Tastes: Sweet, warm
Meridians Entered: Heart and Spleen |
Actions & Indications:
- Tonifies and augments the Heart and Spleen, nourishes the Blood and calms the Spirit
Insomnia, palpitations, forgetfulness and dizziness due to Heart and Spleen Deficiency
It is commonly used for problems associated with over thinking or overwork (can be taken alone as a tea)
- Aids fasting
Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as part of the middle class of herbs which can, with protracted taking, strengthen the Hun
sharpen senses, make the body light, prevent forgetfulness and enable one to communicate with the Spirit Light (Shen Ming 神明). 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: 10-15g in decoction.
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Bai Jiu
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Pinyin: Jiu
Chinese: 酒
Pharmaceutical: Alcohol
English: Rice Wine |
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Tastes: Hot, pungent, sweet, bitter, toxic
Meridians Entered: Stomach, Heart, Lung and Liver, but reaches every part of the body |
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 distilled rice wine but can be substituted with any clear 40% spirit.
Preparation: Place some Long Yan Rou in a large jar with alcohol and soak for 100 days. No dosages are specified. Take one small teacup per day.
Actions: Nourishes Heat Blood, calms the Shen
Contraindications: Damp-Heat conditions and long term use due to the harmful effects on continuous alcohol consumption.
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.
