Sp Qi Def and Phlegm

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Hi there...

 

> > The problem si not the phlegm, the problem is the

> > Spleen Qi Def.

 

> Funnily enough that is me - though I don't know

> where the phlegm is.

 

> But, there was a real limit to the amount of

> tonification I could take - Ren

> Shen sent me sky high with palpitations,

 

I'm sorry, I wasn't clear enough, you shoudl not

tonify, especially with renshen. The tonification of

energy is simply going to cause tumult. Your pathways

need to be clean first.

When I said that it is the Spleen Qi Def that needs

to be dealt with I meant a specific context: Spleen Qi

Deficiency with phlegm accumulation.

This means that we need to break phlegm/stasis,

resolve phlegm, regulate energy, dry damp and _then_

tonify spleen qi.

We can think of it this way, using the 5 treatment

principles I mention in the above paragraph:

b. -----

r. ----

r. ---

d. --

t. -

You'll notice that tonify only has one dash meaning

that we use very little or no herbs to tonify Spleen

Qi. Ok, this is where you do a small mental flip: When

one has " Spleen Qi Deficiency with Dampness/Phlegm

Accumulation " _all_ that one needs to do to " Tonify

the Spleen Qi " is remove the obstruction to normal

functioning. I think you'll find that once the

obstruction is removed energy will increase simply

because the organ is now clean. It's like taking

weight off a car. The car will use less fuel, handle

better, stop more easily and go faster as well.

Of course, having this in mind, we can then apply Qi

Tonics as appropriate, meaning that Qi tonics can only

contribute positively when they are considerately

prescribed according to the turbidity of the energy,

blood and organ network.

Using the above example, we can change our priority

as phlegm is reduced:

b. ----

r. -----

r. ---

d. --

t. -

 

b. ---

r. ----

r. -----

d. --

t. -

 

b. --

r. ---

r. ----

d. -----

t. -

 

b. -

r. --

r. ---

d. ----

t. -----

 

b.

r. -

r. --

d. ---

t. -----

 

and etc. (the above are only to illustrate my point)

 

I think my conclusions are

1. Energy tonics thrown into a dirty system will

cause tumult / heat and therefore need to be

prescribed at a dosage that the body can actually

process, and

2. Phlegm reducing herbs must be used appropriately

in order to avoid drying excessively and damaging yin.

 

In other words, everything must be prescribed exactly

according to pattern. Root and branches properly

identified.

 

> herbalist went to (bai zhu?

> one of the angelica's, the 'open the orifices one!)

> which really helped.

 

A basic formula to tonify spleen qi is Four Gentlemen

/ Si Jun Zi:

Ren Shen - tonify source qi, warm

Bai Zhu - tonify sp qi, dry damp

Fu Ling - percolate damp, drain damp

Gan Cao - tonify sp qi, harmonise

 

Not really any herbs in there to resolve or crack

phlegm / stasis. But it's good for energy weakness and

some early dampness accumulation. (poor appetite,

loose bowel movement, lethargy)

 

Someone with energy weakness plus phlegm accumulation

would probably rather have a formula like Two Old

Ingredients / Er Chen:

Ban Xia - crack/resolve phlegm

Chen Pi - regulate energy, disperse qi entanglement

Fu Ling - percolate dampness out, man

Gan Cao - tonify sp qi

Sheng Jiang - dry damp, expel pathogens

Da Zao - moisten dryness, tonify sp qi

 

Note how the qi tonification is quite minor, esp

considering that the last two ingredients are not

always included. Nausea and vomiting with a sticky

white coating and middle warmer distension for this

one.

 

Last example of how we should be wary of tonification

when there is severe entanglement / obstruction /

stasis:

Zhi Zhu / " Zhi Shi and Bai Zhu "

Bai Zhu - dry damp, tonify spleen qi

Zhi Shi - crack stasis and disentangle qi

About 3 times the regular does is used for each

ingredient, and Bai Zhu a little more than Zhi Shi.

This formula is used for either

chronic food stagnation with severe sp qi def

or

severe acute food stagnation with mild sp qi def

 

Yes, Bai Zhu tonifies sp qi, but only mildly, and

you'll notice that there is no dang shen, ren shen,

huang qi or, God Forbid, 100 year-old korean ginseng

in the mix! =)

 

> Then I read that Dang Shen (codonopsis) had a very

> different chemistry from

> Ren Shen and asked if I could try that - and I'm

> fine on that.

 

Great.

 

Hope all thsi helped,

 

Good night,

Hugo

 

 

 

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