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Introduction to Chinese Herbs 1:
Herbs that tonify Qi
Sarah Price
Chinese Herbs tutor
1
Ren Shen
(man root - looks like a man)
Greatly Tonifies Yuan Qi - rescues and revitalises
Tonifies Spleen Qi - lack of energy to transform and transport food and fluids - poor appetite and
fatigue plus other signs and symptoms
Tonifies Lung Qi - where Lung and Kidney Qi fail to grasp the Qi leading to breathlessness or where wheezing or chronic cough due to Lung Qi Xu
Generates fluids - for Xiao Ke - wasting and thirsting disorder - poor functioning means that fluids are
not circulated or peculated around the body due to qi xu,
Ren Shen helps to generate fluids also by tonifying Qi
Calms the Shen - due to Heart and Spleen Qi and Blood Xu where anxiety and fearfulness and forgetfulness are experienced with insomnia
Tonifies Qi and Blood - especially in combination with blood tonics
Treats Impotence - tonifies Qi and Yang
Tonifies Wei Qi - where an individual may have concurrent Qi Xu plus frequently catches colds
Cautions - warm and sweet - what can go wrong?
2
Dang Shen
(Radix Codonopsis)
Tonifies Qi - and strengthens the middle Jiao - for Zhong Qi Xu
for all the usual signs and symptoms of Stomach and Spleen Qi Xu (name five right now!)
Tonifies Lung Qi - cough, wheeze, breathlessness
Nourishes Blood - and promotes the generation of fluids - where chronic illness with concurrent
Qi and Blood or Qi and Yin Xu - it does this via generating Qi which in turn generates Blood
Nourish Wei Qi - Qi and help body to expel EPFs.
Cautions - sweet and cloying - why might this be a problem?
Contrast with Ren Shen? Mild and gentle - this can be a very useful difference - Why?
3
Bai Zhu
(Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae)
Tonifies Qi and strengthens Spleen - enhancing the transforming and transporting functions and tonifies the
middle jiao. Useful for both qi and blood xu, plus qi xu with dampness for instance diarrhoea
Dries dampness and eliminates water accumulation - typically oedema - dampness has got one degree worse where
it's not just a fog or vapour but water! Also for where water accumulates and the transforming and transporting qualities are so poor
that this liquid becomes phlegm - but contrast this with phlegm where there is heat later one... for this case fluid, damp and phlegm
result in vertigo, dizziness and clear sputum
Wei Qi Xu with spontaneous sweating
Stabilizes pregnancy - an important herb for threatened miscarriage. Write yourself a list over
time of the herbs used for this.
Bai Zhu has a sister herb - Cang Zhu for treating accumulated damp
4
Huang Qi
(Radix Astragali)
Tonifies Qi and Raises the Yang! for Spleen Qi Xu - tiredness and other signs of Spleen Qi xu - this can include bleeding
as Spleen Qi controls the flow of blood. It can also include diarrhoea and loose stools due to Spleen Qi Xu and much more
Supports the Zhong Qi - when this collapses there is a risk of prolapse
Helps protect the Qi against the effects of chemotherapy
Tonifies Wei Qi and Consolidates the Exterior - where there are frequent contraction of EPFs
Promotes the discharge of pus and generates flesh - chronic non healing ulcers and sores
Regulates water circulation and reduces oedema
Relieves numbness and pain - this could be in the skin and muscles or in the extremities (think of neuropathy due to qi xu)
Treats Xiao Ke Syndrome - wasting and thirsting disorder- tonifies qi and promotes the generation of fluids where there are symptoms of thirst and fatigue.
Cautions - what kind of patient would you not give this herb to? Think: warm, powerful, raises the yang qi
(answer - an angry person with liver yang rising)
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