Herbs for Regulating Qi

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Qi (energy) is supposed to be moving. Health problems result when it's not

moving, when it Stagnates. Herbs for Regulating Qi get the Qi moving.

 

Wicke says that the primary types of Stagnant Qi occur in the Liver and Stomach.

Stagnant Qi also occurs in the Lung, but this is usually a branch of some other

root disharmony like Stagnant Liver Qi. (The primary Stagnant Liver Qi is

causing the Stagnation in the Lung, so treatment is directed not at the

Stagnation in the Lung but the Liver Qi Stagnation. This is an example of TCM

treating roots instead of merely treating symptoms.)

 

Wicke says that the Liver is responsible for the overall flow of Qi in the body,

so most of the herbs in this class act on the Liver. Most of them are spicy and

bitter in taste, and spicy and bitter both have dispersing qualities. When an

herb has a dispersing quality, it tends to use up energy very quickly. For this

reason Herbs for Regulating Qi need to be used cautiously in cases where there's

Deficiency of Qi, of Blood, or of Yin.

 

Henry C. Lu in Chinese Herbal Cures cautions " herbs in this class travel very

fast in the body, so they can use up a great deal fo energy, not unlike a care

that runs fast using up a great deal of gas and oil. For this reason, this class

of herbs should not be used for a prolonged period of time. " (p. 26)

 

Wicke says that because Stagnation of Stomach Qi manifests with digestive

problems, these herbs often are thought of as digestive aids. Strictly speaking,

this is a separate category called Herbs that Relieve Food Stagnation. (The

mature tangerine peel does have this property in addition to its primary

property of Regulating Qi, but most of the herbs in the Regulating Qi class are

not strictly speaking Herbs that Relieve Food Stagnation, just Qi Stagnation.

 

Examples of Herbs for Regulating Qi are Pc Citri Reticulatae (tangerine peel -

Chen Pi), Frutus Citri seu Ponciri (Zhi Qiao), Rhizoma Cyperi (Xiang Fu -

nutgrass rhizome), Fr Meliae Toosendan (Chuan Lian Zi - chinaberry), Rx

Saussureae seu Vladimirae (Mu Xiang - costus root), Pc Arecae (Da Fu Pi - areca

peel, betel husk), Pc Citri Reticulatae Viride (Qing Pi - green tangerine peel),

Lignum Aquilariae (Chen Xiang - aloe wood), Rx Linderae (Wu Yao), Lignum Santali

(Tan Xiang - sandalwood), and Fr Citri seu Ponciri Immaturus.

 

There's free online information on these herbs and others on the Rocky Mountain

Herbal Institute website.

 

Victoria

 

 

 

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