Expel Wind Damp Flashcards
Dú Huó 独活
“Self Reliant Existence” 독활
Latin: Radix Angelicae Pubescentis
Common Name: angelica root
Channels: KI, BLv
Properties: Bitter, Acrid, Warm
Key: treats painful obstruction in the lower body, dispels ‘lurking wind’ in the Kidney channel
Actions and Indications:
a. Dispels wind–cold-dampness and alleviates pain: for such disorders as wind-cold-damp painful obstruction, especially in the lower back and legs. Can be used for both acute and chronic conditions.
**i. #1 for wind/cold/damp Bi (acute or chronic) LJ: especially in the lower legs and back. Excess or deficiency.
**
**ii. Lower back pain from LV/KD Xu with wind/cold/damp
**
b. Disperses wind-cold-damp and releases the exterior: for exterior wind-cold together with dampness. (qiang huo is stronger, use together)
c. Also used for lesser yin stage headache and toothache: chuang xiong, xin xin
shao yin headache (sinus to top of head)
*chinese lists this sometimes as interior warmer category.
Dosage: 3-9g
C/Ci: Yin Xu w heat, blood xu, some hx of toxicity: dizziness, headaches, numbness, worse with fresh root
防己 (Hàn) Fáng Jĭ “protect itself”
Latin: Radix Stephaniae Tetandrae
Common Name: stephania root
Channels: UB, SP, KD
Properties: Bitter, Acrid, Cold
Key: clears damp heat, facilitates the fluid pathways, treats painful obstruction
Actions and Indications:
a. Promotes urination and reduces edema: for edema (especially in the lower body), damp leg qi (damp accum. in the legs, swollen legs at night), gurgling sounds in the intestines, abdominal distention, or ascites due to dampness accumulating in the lower burner.
i. Edema with joint pain, often with fever or joints hot to the touch
ii. Used for swelling Leg Qi, edema, ascites with distension and fullness, damp heat lower body sores
b. Expels wind-dampness and alleviates pain: for wind-damp-heat collecting in the channels with such symptoms as fever and red, swollen, hot, and painful joints.
i. Specific for wind damp/heat Bi
C/Ci: Sp/St Xu, not for deficient patients it is very cold and draining. Yin Xu without damp heat. Overdosage can cause toxicity
Dosage: 6-12g
威灵仙 Wēi Líng Xiān
“Awesome Spiritual Immortal” 위령선
Latin: Radix Clematidis
Common Name: chinese clematis root
Channels: UB (mobilizes strongly all 12 channels)
Properties: Acrid, Salty / warm
Key: strongly mobilizes all twelve channels to unblock painful obstruction by dispelling wind, dampness, and phlegm, and to soften areas of hardness
Action and Indications:
a. Dispels wind-dampness, unblocks the channels, and alleviates pain: especially useful for treating wind painful obstruction, as it both releases the exterior and promotes the movement of qi in the channels. It can be taken alone as a powder with warm wine for pain in the lower back and legs.
i. Very helpful as it can disperse external wind, internally it transforms damp, unblocks the channels, and it extends its reach through the collaterals
ii. For pain all over the body #1 enters all 12 channels
1. Upper back pain wind damp- qiang huo
2. Lower back pain wind/damp- dang gui, du huo, niu xi
b. Fish bones stuck in throat
i. Single usage with vinegar, 30g brown sugar
c. Reduces phlegm and pathogenic water (salty soften hardnesses)
i. ‘Difficult swallow disorder- (cancers of throat, esophagus, phlegm masses w blood stasis etc.)
ii. Focal distension and mj phlegm and accumulation
1. Other gynecological pain including phlegm masses etc.
C/Ci: Qi/Bl Xu patients (acrid and long term use can injure qi) yang, mobilizing and drying tends to exhaust the qi
- Qín Jiāo 秦艽“curved from Qin Country” 진교 Latin: Gentianae Macrophyllae Radix
Common Name: large gentian root
Channels: Gallbladder, Liver, Stomach
Properties: bitter, acrid / sl cold
Key: dispels wind dampness, eliminates tidal fever and steaming bone disorder
Actions and Indications:
a. Dispels wind-dampness and soothes the sinews and collaterals: for wind-damp painful obstruction and cramping, especially in the extremities. **Can be used for acute or chronic, cold or hot disorders. **Because this substance is slightly cold and most other herbs for wind-dampness are warm, it is particularly suitable for hot painful obstruction.
i. Heat bi: zhi mu, fang ji
ii. Bi syndrome with some cold: du huo gui zhi, (fu zi)
iii. With Angelicae sinensis Radix (dang gui), Gastrodiae Rhizoma (tian ma), Chuanxiong
Rhizoma (chuan xiong), and Paeoniae Radix alba (bai shao) for hemiplegia, especially with hypertonicity of the upper extremities, presenting with symptoms of blood deficiency, as in Major Large Gentiana Decoction (da qin jiao tang)
b. Clears heat from deficiency: for yin deficiency patterns that manifest with fever, including steaming bone disorder
i. With Trionycis Carapax (bie jia), Artemisiae annuae Herba (qing hao), and Lycii Cortex (di gu pi) for fever of steaming bone disorder, afternoon fever, and other low-grade fevers due to yin deficiency associated with the aftermath of a long-term illness, as in Large Gentian and Soft-Shelled Turtle Shell Powder (qinghao bie jia tang).
ii. Ie HIV joint pain, clearing deficiency pain
c. Removes jaundice (mostly GB condition), for jaundice due to damp heat: with yin chen hao, zhi zi
i. More for yang jaundice
d. Moistens the Intestines and unblocks the bowels: for **dry constipation. **This herb
is commonly used to counteract the drying qualities of other herbs that dispel
wind-dampness (some sources disagree).
C/Ci: Spleen Qi Xu with diarrhea or loose stool, frequent urination (d/t yang xu)
Dosage: 4.5-12g
vs. Gentiana Long Dan Cao
- Xī Xiān Căo 希莶草 “Sparse Stick Herb” 희렴초 Latin: Herba Siegesbeckiae
Common Name: Siegesbeckia Herb
Channels: KD, LV
Properties: bitter, cold
Key: cools heat, dispels wind dampness, stops itching, calms the spirit
Actions and Indications:
a. Dispels wind-dampness and unblocks the channels and collaterals: for wind-damp painful obstruction with pain in the joints. Because it is good at unblocking the channels and invigorating the collaterals, it is also commonly used for spasms and cramps in the extremities, numbness in the extremities, and weak legs, including weakness as a sequelae of wind-stroke.
i. **Damp heat Bi: with Qin Jiao
ii. Damp cold Bi: with Du Huo
iii. With Clematidis Radix (wei ling xian) for pain and soreness in the bones and sinews and numbness in the extremities due to wind-dampness.
b. Clears heat and pacifies the Liver (clears Liver Heat): for patterns of ascendant
Liver yang such symptoms as headache and dizziness.
i. High blood pressure, headaches, dizziness: with Yu Mi Xu, Ze Xie
c. Clears and transforms damp-heat: for damp-heat sores and itching, wind-damp rash, or other forms of itching**. External or internal
i. Eczema, abscesses, itching
d. Specific for hypertension also
C/Ci: Yin/Bl Xu otherwise none noted
Dosage:9-15g
Note: If prepared by steaming with wine, its bitter and cold qualities become sweet and warm, after which it is traditionally believed to be capable of tonifying the Kidneys and Liver and strengthening the bones and tendons, while still clearing dampness and expelling wind [Bensky]
- Mù Guā 木瓜“wood melon” 목과
Latin: Fructus Chaenomelis Lagenariae
Common Name: Chinese Quince Fruit
Channels: LV, SP
Properties: sour / sl. warm
Key: transforms damp, harmonizes Spleen and Stomach, alleviates cramping
a. Relaxes sinews, unblocks channels, smoothes spasms- for damp painful obstruction in the extremities, especially with severe cramping and pain, and weakness in pain in lower extremities.
i. #1 important herb for spasms / relaxing the sinews
1. With ru xiang, mo yao, sheng di huang for spasming and specifics
to stiff sinews and neck that cannot rotate
2. With dang gui, bai shao for muscular spasms due to blood deficiency
b. Harmonizes the Stomach and transforms dampness: for abdominal pain, spasms, and cramping of the calves, and edema due to leg qi. Especially useful for disharmony between the Liver and Spleen leading to leg problems.
c. Reduces food stagnation for indigested food (uncommon use, similar to shan zha)
C/Ci: high gastric food, exterior conditions, excessive use can har the teeth and bones
also internal constrained heat and scanty, dark urine, as well as hyperchlorhydria
Dosage: 4.5-12g
- Sāng Zhī 桑枝 상지
Latin: Ramulus Mori Alba
Common Name: Mulberry Twigs
**Channels: LV
Properties: bitter, sweet / sl cold
Key: wind damp painful obstruction disorder with numbness and spasm, especially
upper limbs; pain and itching in limbs due to external contracted pathogenic wind
Actions and Indications:
a. Dispels Wind, Opens Channels, Benefits the Joints
Treats **hot joint pain and muscle spasms and pain. **Also for Bi Syndrome, muscle aches with heat in the upper extremities or hemiplegia or post stroke paralysis
i. Arm pain due to wind heat single usage ok
ii. Muscles spasms and blockage with mu gua
b. Promotes Diuresis, Reduces Swelling and Edema
For edema and dysuria with painful limbs or joint pain by regulating the water passages
i. Especially if accompanied by joint pain
Dosage: 10-30 even up to 30-60g if severe
[notes: compare with Mu Gua]
- Sāng Jì Shēng 桑寄生“mulberry parasite” 상기생Latin: hb taxilli
Common Name: Mistletoe stems, taxilla
Channels: KD, LV
Properties: bitter / neutral
Key: tonifies Liver and Kidney, nourishes yin and blood, expels wind damp, calms restless fetus * also considered a Yin Tonic herb
Actions and Indications:
a. Tonifies the Liver and Kidneys, strengthens the sinews and bones
b. Expels wind-dampness: for insufficiency of Liver and Kidney yin with soreness and pain in the lower back and legs, joint problems, numbness, and weakness and atrophy of the sinews and bones. Can be used for these problems whether or not wind-dampness is present.
i. —With Angelicae pubescentis Radix (du huo) and Achyranthis bidentatae
Radix (niu xi) for pain, stiffness, and sore ness of the lower back and lower extremities due to wind- dampness and Liver and Kidney deficiency, as in Pubescent Angelica and Taxillus Decoction (du huo ji sheng tang)
c. Calms fetus- also with possible back pain and bleeding
i. With Dipsaci Radix (xu duan), Cuscutae Semen (tu si zi), and Asini Corii Colla (e jiao) for restless fetus and threatened miscarriage due to Liver and Kidney deficiency, as in Fetus Longevity Pill (shou tai wan)
d. Lowers blood pressure (not in Bensky)
e. Nourishes blood and benefits the sking: dry scaly skin from blood xu
Dosage: 4.5-15g
C/ci: none notes
- Wŭ Jiā Pí 五加皮 “bark of five additions” 오가피 Latin: Eleutherococci Gracilistyli Cortex
Common Name: acanthopanax, eleutherococcus root
Channels: KD, LV
Properties: spicy (acrid), bitter / warm
Key: clears wind dampness, warms the Kidney and Liver, stops pain, strengthens sinews.
Actions and Indications:
a. Dispels wind dampness and strengthens the sinews and bones
i. for chronic wind-cold-damp painful obstruction when chronic deficiency of the Liver and Kidneys generates weak or soft sinews and bones
ii. Helpful when smoothe flow of qi is obstructed, suitable for children and elderly
1. With Taxilli Herba (sang ji sheng), Achyranthisbidenta tae Radix (niu xi), and Dipsaci Radix (xu duan) for painful obstruction due to long-term illness and subsequent Liver and Kidney deficiency. This combination can also be used in treating developmental delays in the motor functions of children, especially with mu gua.
b. Transforms dampness and reduces swelling for edema
i. Urinary difficulty, edema, cold damp Leg Qi
1. With Arecae Pericarpium (da fu pi) and Poriae Cutis (fu ling pi) for mild, superfical edema, as in Five-Peel Decoction (wu pi yin).
Dosage: 4.5-15g
C/Ci: Yin Xu with heat
Hăi Tóng Pí 海桐皮 “copper bark from the sea” 해동피 Latin: Cortex Erythriniae
Common Name: coral bean bark
Channels: KD, LV, SP
Properties: acrid (spicy), bitter / neutral
Key: wind damp; especially lower half of body, good for expelling pain
a. Dispels wind-dampness, unblocks the channels and collaterals: for** wind-damp painful obstruction, especially where there is soreness and pain in the lower back and knees, or spasms of the extremities
i. Wind damp Bi with heat OR cold
b. Promotes urination and reduces edema: for superficial edema due to dampness.
c. Treats itching skin lesions**: used topically for scabies and other skin lesions.
i. Topically in oil form- eczema, scabies, parasitic… (ancients on furniture to keep bugs from damaging the wood)
d. Used as a gargle or tooth wash for toothache from tooth decay
Dosage: 6-15g
C/Ci: none noted, however caution with blood xu and non wind damp causes
Cāng ĕr zĭ 苍耳子 “old ear seeds” 창이자
Latin: Fr. Xanthium
Common Name: cockleburr fruit, xanthium fruit
Channels: LU
Properties: sweet, bitter / warm, toxic
Key: disperses wind, unblocks the orifices, removes painful obstruction, eliminates damp qi from the skin, treats sores
Actions and Indications:
a. Disperses wind and dampness and opens the nasal passages: for any nasal or sinus problem with a thick, viscous discharge and related headache. One of the main herbs for deep-source nasal congestion with headache, thick nasal discharge, and a loss of smell
i. With xin yi hua, bai zhi for headaches and nasal congestion (cang er zi san)
b. Disperses wind and dispels dampness: for wind-damp painful obstruction or skin disorders with itching
c. Dispels exterior wind: as an auxiliary herb for exterior disorders with a splitting headache that radiates to the back of the neck.
dosage: 3-10g do not have with pork
C/Ci: Overdosage can lead to vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea
Note: often in the category warm, acrid herbs that release the exterior
Hŭ Gŭ 虎骨 “tiger bone”
Latin: Os Tigris
Common Name: tiger bone
Channels: LV, KD
Properties: acrid, sweet / warm
(((Obsolete Substance Category)))
Key: searches out wind, stops pain, strengthens the bones, settles spasms and convulsions
Action and Indications:
a. Dispels wind damp, stops pain, strengthens sinews and bones
i. For wind damp Bi syndromes, pain all over the body, stiff joints
ii. Often used when the pain of painful obstruction is not fixed in one place, and there are spasms of the legs and difficulty moving the joints - migratory/wind bi
Dosage: 3-6g pill, wine, or external plaster
C/ci: Blood Xu with Fire* –> acrid warm herb injures blood. salt also injures blood/yin
Hăi Fēng Téng 海风藤
“Sea Wind Vine”
Latin: Piperis Kadsurae Caulis
Common Name: kadsura pepper stem
Channels: LV
Properties: acrid, sweet / warm
Key: dipsels wind dampness, opens collaterals
Actions and Indications:
a. Dispels wind-dampness and unblocks the channels and collaterals: for wind-cold-damp painful obstruction with such symptoms as stiff joints, lower back pain, sore knees, and cramping of the muscles and sinews. Also for pain from trauma.
i. With Cinnamomi Ramulus (gui zhi) for pain, impaired movement of the joints, and spasms of the sinews due to wind-damp painful obstruction
ii. With Clematidis Radix (wei ling xian) and Gentianae macrophyllae Radix (qin jiao) for pain, spasms, and numbness of the extremities due to wind-damp painful obstruction.
Dosage: 6-12 g
C/Ci: none noted
Bái Huā Shé 白化蛇 “white flower snake”
Latin: Agkistrodon Seu Bungarus
Common Name: agkistrodon - snake
Family: viperidae
Channels: LV (SP* not in Bensky)
Properties: sweet, salty / warm toxic
*Bensky: Bai Hau She is likely to be Qi She, a very similar snake which is the one Bensky describes under Bai Hua She. Also known as Wu Bu She (five step snake)
Key: Tracks down and eliminates wind
Actions and Indications:
a. Powerfully unblocks the channels and extinguishes wind for chronic wind-dampness with numbness and weakness of the limbs and cramping of the sinews. Generally used for stubborn cases.
i. For very severe wind damp cold Bi Syndrome
1. With Notopterygii Rhizoma seu Radix (qiang huo), Saposhnikoviae Radix (fangfeng), and Gentianae macro phyllae Radix (qin jiao) for
joint pain, weakness, and stiffness due to wind-dampness.
b. Dispels wind from the skin: for dermatosis, numbness of the skin, or any kind of rash
i. With Angelicae sinensis Radix (dang gui), Polygoni multiflori Radix preparata (zhi hi shou wu), and Paeoniae Radix alba (bai shao) for chronic rashes.
c. Dispels wind from the sinews and settles jitteriness and convulsions: for any kind of spasms, tremors, or seizures. Can be used for facial paralysis or hemiplegia due to wind- stroke
i. With Scorpio (quan xie), Schizonepetae Herba (jing jie), and Angelicae sinensis Radix (dang gui) as a medicinal liquor for facial paralysis, aphasia, and hemiplegia due to wind-stroke.
ii. With Zaocys (wu shao shi) and Scolopendra (wu gong) for muscular tetany.
Dosage: 3-10g, powder 1-1.5g
6.Note: Wū Shāo Shé 乌梢蛇, (Zoacys Dhumnacles) sweet, salty/neutral : not toxic Similar function but weaker, more commonly used, weaker for pain, better for itching
Sī Guā Luò 丝瓜络
“silk melon, net of string melon”
Latin: Luffae Fructus Retinervus
Common Name: Loofah, Luffa, dried vegetable sponge
Channels: LU, ST, LV
Properties: sweet, neutral
Key: unblocks the collaterals, invigorates blood, transforms phlegm
*also in clear heat, resolve toxicity category (Bensky)
Actions and Indications:
a. Resolves toxicity and reduces swelling: for abscesses and other toxic sores.
Often used for breast abscess, breast distention and lumps, as well as insufficient lactation.
i. Breast pain, insufficient lactation: wan bu liu xin
ii. Breast cysts: xia ku cao
doctrine of signatures looks like breast tissue/ collaterals
b. Unblocks the channels and collaterals while dispelling wind: for wind-damp painful obstruction, soreness in the chest and flanks, pain and soreness in the muscles and sinews, and stiffness in the joints. **Particularly useful when phlegm is part of the pattern. **Also for traumatic injury
i. Bi Syndromes: mild, spasms with sang zhi, qin jiao
ii. Chest pain, due to qi stagnation: gua lou pi, zhe ke, jie geng
c. Expels phlegm: for cough due to heat in the Lungs with high fever, chest pain, and sputum that is difficult to expectorate. Used in both adults and children
Dosage: 6-15g, as much as 20-30g form breast issues “melon food” not so strong-summertime soup: clears summerheat and promotes urination with Yi Yi Ren
C/Ci: none noted
