Tonifying Herbs

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People can suffer from Qi Deficiency, Blood Deficiency, Yang Deficiency,

and/or Yin Deficiency.

 

" Tonifying herbs are those that strengthen or supplement an area or process

of the body that is insufficient or weakened. They also strengthen the

body's defenses against disease. Clinically, they are used in combination

with herbs that expel external pathogenic influences for disorders in which

the pathogenic influence is strong and the normal qi is weak, a strategy

called 'supporting the normal and expelling the pathogenic' (fu zheng qu

xie). These herbs assist in the recovery of patients who have been ill with

chronic or degenerative disorders by strengthening the various physiologic

process of the body and supplementing the insufficient substances. " (Dan

Bensky & Andrew GAmble, Chinese Herbal Medicine Materia Medica, Revised Ed.,

p.313.)

 

Pernicious Evils can invade the body because Protective Qi and the body is

weak, or because the Pernicious Evil is unusually strong. Protective Qi is

the Qi that circulates at the surface of the body and protects it from

Exterior Evils. People who are Protective Qi Deficient tend to be very

weather-sensitive. They have problems adapting easily and quickly to

changes in the weather. Temperatures that aren't really very cold or hot,

that do not bother a person who has sufficient Protective Qi may bother the

person who Protective Qi Deficient very much. On the other hand, when

temperatures are extremely hot or extremely cold, or it's extremely dry or

extremely humid (for a long time), or the wind is so fierce for so long,

that even adequate Protective Qi gets overwhelmed. For example, the spring

of 1989 was unusually hot, unusually dry, and unusually windy where I live.

The winds went on without relief for weeks, and conditions were dry even by

desert standards. Local allergy clinics were overwhelmed by people with

allergy-like symptoms - many of whom had never had allergy symptoms in their

lives. Doctors also saw an increase in respiratory complaints that spring.

Local weather forecasters still refer to the spring of 89 sometimes because

weather conditions were so extreme.

 

Some text books will differenciate between Exterior Excess and Exterior

Deficiency patterns. What this means in plain English is that Exterior

Excess patterns are those in which the Exterior Evil is so strong it

overwhelms the Protective Qi - even very strong Protective Qi in some cases.

Exterior Deficiency patterns are those cases in which the Perncious Evil

is only able to invade because because of an Interior Deficiency - usually

long-standing Qi and/or Blood Deficiency. There are some slight differences

in symptoms and signs, thought these won't be of much importance to those

new to TCM. Don't worry about them.

 

However, for the students: You'll see a lot of cases where an Interior

Deficiency is paving the way for Pernicious Evils to invade. The problem

with using tonifying herbs is not only will they strengthen the body, they

also can strengthen any invading pathogen. The general rule is to take care

of the Excess first (the invading pathogen) and then tonify. But sometimes

this isn't the best thing to do. The person has been sick for so long and

is so weakened that you don't want to weaken Qi and the body still more by

just expeling the pathogen. So what you do is to combine the tonic herbs

with herbs that expel the pathogen. This will take care of both problems at

once. You'll see this strategy referred to as " supporting the normal "

(supplementing Deficient Qi, Blood, Yang, and/or Yin, strengthening the

body) " and expelling the Evil. "

 

" There are a few cautionary points that should be made with regard to

tonifying herbs. It is important to remember that herbs are only a part of

the healing process. There is a tendency to suggest to debilitated patients

that takng tonics is all that is needed for recovery. This is not true;

physical and breathing exercies and diet are also important. Tonifying

herbs stregthen the processes of the body, inclduing the pathogenic

processes, such as those from external pathogenic influences. Thus, unless

they are combined with herbs that release the exteriorr, tonifying herbs

should not be prescribed in cases where there are still signs of an exterior

disorder. If they are, the exterior disorder will linger on. " (p. 113)

 

This is why the cautions on an herb like astragalus - which is particularly

good for increasing Protective Qi and for building up resistence to

infections - include do not take when one already has a cold or the flu.

Actually, it can be taken (if needed - the person needs to be built up to

throw off the illness) when one has a cold or the flu BUT only if it's mixed

with the correct herbs for whatever stage of the cold or flu the person is

in. (See the 6 Stages of Cold-Induced Evils.) But because most people don't

know about properly mixing herbs in cases like this or that herbal

strategies will differ for different stages of Cold-Induced illnesses, the

general rule of " expel the Excess first, then tonify " is stressed.

 

The herbal category " Tonifying Herbs " is subdivided into subclasses of Qi

tonic, Blood tonic, Yang tonic, and Yin tonic herbs.

 

Victoria

 

 

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