Author: Unknown, attributed to Sun Si Miao, 孫思邈
Year: Maybe composed in the Song - Ming Dynasty, published ~1579
Source: Essential Subtleties on the Silver Sea (Yin Hai Jing Wei, 銀海精微)
Category: Formulas that are Applied Externally
Pattern: Epidemic Red Eye (天行赤眼 Tian Xing Chi Yan) due to Wind-Heat Toxins affecting the eyes
Key Symptoms: Eye swelling, pain, sandy roughness, and difficulty opening that is spread easily and quickly.
Ingredients
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Huang Lian
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Pinyin: Huang Lian
Chinese: 黄连
Pharmaceutical: Rhizoma Coptidis
Taxonomy: Coptidis chinensis
English: Coptis Rhizome / Goldthread Rhizome |
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Tastes: Bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Heart, Stomach, Large Intestine and Liver |
Actions & Indications:
- Clears Heat and drains Dampness
Damp-Heat in the Stomach or Intestines with diarrhoea or dysenteric disorder
Stomach Heat with vomiting and/or acid regurgitation
- Drains Fire and resolves Fire toxicity
Heat with Blazing Fire (Toxic Heat) with high fever. irritability, disorientation, delirium, a red tongue and a rapid, full pulse
Heat from Excess with toxicity: painful, red eyes and a sore throat
Boils, carbuncles and abscesses (Chuang Yung)
- Clears Heat and stops bleeding
Blood Heat with epistaxis, hematuria, hemafecia and hemoptysis
- Clears Heat topically
Infected wounds, red and painful eyes, ulcerations of the tongue and mouth (topical)
- Clears Heart Fire (sedative)
Heart Fire
Lack of communication between the Heart and Kidneys
- Drains Stomach Fire
Stomach Fire
- Aids fasting
Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as part of the superior class of herbs which can, with protracted taking, improve memory. 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: 2-10g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated for deficiency-cold syndrome. Because its taste is extremly bitter and dryness, overdosage and long-time taking will impair spleen and stomach, yin and fluids. |
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Tong Bian
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Pinyin: Tong Bian
Chinese: 童便
Pharmaceutical: Infantalis Urina
Taxonomy: Homo sapiens
English: Child's Urine |
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Tastes: Salty, cold
Meridians Entered: Heart, Lung, Bladder and Kidney |
Actions & Indications:
- Nourishes Yin and lowers Fire
Steaming bone fever
Hemoptysis due to consumptive disease
- stop bleeding and dissipates Blood Stasis
Nose bleed
Hematemesis
Traumatic injury
Pain due to blood stasis
Postpartum anemic fainting
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Standard Dosage: Approx 150ml drunk fresh or in decoction.
Cautions: It has been suggested that this was used as a possible clean source of water in the past but today is rarely used, except amongst some yoga practitioners who drink their own. It could be easily substituted with Han Lian Cao or Sheng Di Huang that also nourish the Yin and stop bleeding. |
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Preparation: Boil Huang Lian in Tong Bian and let
it stand overnight, then rinse the eyes with the warmed liquid five times a day.
Actions: Clears Heat and resolves Toxicity
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.
