Carrier herbs; Getting herbs to the systems that need them

[Guest guest]

TCM is very sophisticated when it comes to herbal formulas.

 

In an earlier post you saw how it's possible to change the thermal energy of a

mixture by adding herbs. The case was of the 4 women who all had nausea. The

antinausea herb, ginger, is great by itself for the 2 women who are too Cold. It

not only relieves their nausea, it warms them up because it's a warming herb.

But ginger by itself is contraindicated for the two women who are too Hot

already because the last thing they need is more Heat.

 

But, you learned there is a way to give ginger to someone who is too hot. You

mix it with herbs that have cooling energy so the overall thermal energy of the

mixture is on the cool side. That way they get the antinausea property of ginger

without getting more heat added to their already too Hot conditions. The cooling

mixture will actually cool them down some so you're taking care of two problems

at the same time.

 

TCM actually gets more sophisticated than this. No doubt some of you have run

into the problem of an herb having certain properties you need, but it doesn't

have an affinity for a meridian/ organ that you need to get it into. TCM uses

carrier herbs to direct the properties of other herbs into specific meridians

and organs.

 

One of the most used of these carrier herbs are Radix Bupleuri. Remember Wicke's

statement, " Its actions are analogous to opening the door of the Liver to let

the other herbs inside for housecleaning purposes " ? (vol. 2, p. 35) This is what

he was referring to.

 

Bupleurum frequently is used to carry the properties of another herb into the

Liver, especially when the other herb either has no affinity for that meridian/

organ or too weak of an infinity. Just combine the herb with Bupleurum, and the

Bupleurum will carry the properties to the Liver.

 

Bupleurum also will carry other herbs to the Gallbladder and the Triple Heater.

 

When mixing herbs, including carrier herbs, always check to make sure it's not a

contraindicated combination. Some herbs should never be used together.

 

Another term for carrier herbs is guide herbs or channeling herbs. Other carrier

herbs are used to guide herbs into other meridians/ organs.

 

Suppose for a moment that someone has a longstanding parasitic infection of the

liver. Parasitic infections which have migrated to other organs besides the

digestive tract are very difficult to get rid of. In the introduction to the

chapter on Herbs for Expelling Parasites, Wicke says, " For example, if the

anatomical liver is suspected of parasitic infestation based on palpation and

symptom-sign patterns, herbs may be added which circulate the Liver Qi and

channel the formul into the Liver. " He goes on to say, " Parasitic infestations

of recent onset are much easier to resolve because the organisms are usually

confined to the intestines. In chronic cases, the organisms may spread to other

parts of the body, including the lungs, liver, and muscles; these cases are much

more difficult to resolve and may require the skilled use of channeling herbs to

achieve permanent results. " (vol. 2, p. 150).

 

In cases of liver infestation, consider combining an antiparisitic herb like

garlic with a carrier herb like bupleurum, Pc Citri Reticulatae Viride (Qing

Pi), Fr Evodiae (Wu Zhu Yu), or Rx Ligusitic Wallichi (Chuan Xiong) in order to

get the garlic's properties into the liver. Check to make sure none of the herbs

used are contraindicated to each other.

 

Victoria

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Victoria,

 

What does Pc mean in Pc Citri Reticulatae Viride (Qing Pi)?

 

Lynn

 

 

victoria_dragon <victoria_dragon

Chinese Traditional Medicine <Chinese Traditional Medicine >

Thursday, March 09, 2000 4:55 PM

[Chinese Traditional Medicine] Carrier herbs; Getting herbs to the systems that

need them

 

 

> " victoria_dragon " <victoria_dragon

>

>TCM is very sophisticated when it comes to herbal formulas.

>

>In an earlier post you saw how it's possible to change the thermal energy

of a mixture by adding herbs. The case was of the 4 women who all had

nausea. The antinausea herb, ginger, is great by itself for the 2 women who

are too Cold. It not only relieves their nausea, it warms them up because

it's a warming herb. But ginger by itself is contraindicated for the two

women who are too Hot already because the last thing they need is more Heat.

[Guest guest]

>What does Pc mean in Pc Citri Reticulatae Viride (Qing Pi)?

 

Pericarpium - the pericarp or " skin " .

 

I believe " Viride " means green.

 

Pc Citri Reticulatae Viride (Qing Pi) is green tangerine peel.

 

On the other hand, Pc Citri Reticulatae (Chen Pi) is fully grown tangerine peel.

 

They're both herbs that Regulate Qi, but there are some differences between

them. The green targets the Liver, Gallbladder, and Stomach meridians; the

mature targets the Spleen and Lung meridians. The green variety is better at

breaking up Qi Stagnation (especially when it's associated with Congealed

Blood), and the mature variety is better to use when there's Deficiency of Qi.

 

According to Wicke, " Among the herbs which regulate Qi, Pc Citri Reticulatae

(Chen Pi) also transforms Dampness and Phlegm, and is the primary choice when Qi

Stagnation, Dampness and Spleen Qi Deficiency are all present. " (vol. 2, p. 92)

 

The mature tangerine peel also can be used with hard to digest herbs in order to

prevent stagnation.

 

There are some cautions on using Herbs for Regulating Qi which I will give in

another post.

 

Victoria

 

 

 

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