Yin tonic herbs

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A few days ago I did a post on one of the Yin tonic herbs: Tuber

Asparagi Cochinchinensis (aka asparagus root, aka Tian Men Dong). To

recap, the thermal energy of asparagus root is very Cold. (It has a

very chilling effect on the body.) It has a special affinity for the

Kidneys and Lungs.

 

There is a wide variety of Yin tonic herbs. This is a post to

acquaint readers new to TCM and beginning TCM students with some of

the range of Yin tonic

herbs.

 

TCM healers use several diagnostic models. One of the most basic of

these diagnostic models is the 8 Principle Patterns. Students learn

the general sumptoms and signs of Yang and Yin Deficiency or Excess.

(Yang and Yin are two of the 8 Principle patterns, Deficiency and

Excess are two more. Exterior and Interior and Hot and Cold are the

other four.)

 

Eventually students learn Organ diagnosis. They learn the signs and

symptoms of Yang or Yin Deficiency (or Excess) peculiar to each

Organ. They learn to finetune treatment. This post contains general

infomation on finetuning treatment.

 

Organs that can become Yin Deficient include the Lungs, Stomach,

Liver, Kidneys, and Heart. Asparagus root is an herb that has a

special affinity for the Kidneys and Lungs. It's used when there are

signs and symptoms of Heat in the Lungs and/or Dryness in the Lungs.

(Remember, Yin cools, calms, and moistens.)

 

On the other hand, Herba Dendrobii (aka Shi Hu) has a special

affinity for the Kidneys and Stomach. Among other things, it gets

used when there are signs and symptoms of Stomach Yin Deficiency.

Its thermal energy is Cold.

 

Semen Sesami Indici (aka black sesame seeds, aka Hei Zhi Ma) has a

special affinity for the Kidneys and Liver. It sometimes gets used

to treat disorders like Liver Yang Rising. (The predominate cause of

Liver Yang Rising is Liver Yin Deficiency. There is not enough

Liver Yin to properly balance Liver Yang.) The thermal energy of

black sesame seeds is neutral. Many of the Yin tonic herbs have

Cold or Cool thermal energy (i.e., a cooling effect on the body),

but some have neutral thermal energy. (For the students on the list:

Sometimes a Yin tonic herb having neutral energy will be important.

For example, sometimes the possible Heat symptoms of Yin Deficiency

will not manifest or be predominate. Like when the person primarily

is Yang Deficient and too Cold. Since people who are Kidney Yang

Deficient are almost sure to be Kidney Yin Deficient too to a lesser

degree (and vice versa), sometimes finding a Yin tonic herb that

doesn't add to the Coldness the person already has will be important.

 

The primary classification of black sesame seeds is as a Yin tonic

herb. But this herb also has Blood tonic properties. It's

contraindicated in cases where there's diarrhea because it also has

a laxative effect.

 

Some of the herbs in the Yin tonic section of the

Materia Medica (list of healing substances used in TCM) have a

special affinity for the Heart. Like for example Bulbus Lilii, aka

lily bulb, aka Bai He. It has a special affinity for the Heart and

Lungs, and its thermal energy is Cold. But some of the Yin tonic

herbs with a special affinity for the Heart have a primary

classification of Herbs That Nourish the Heart and Calm the Spirit.

For example Semen Zizyphi Spinosae (aka sour jujube seed, aka Suan

Zao Ren). It's especially good for nourishing Heart Yin though it

also has an affinity for the Gall Bladder, Liver, and Spleen.

 

I want to call readers' attention to an herb that few Americans or

Europeans have heard of but have consumed if you've ever had Hot and

Sour Soup at a Chinese restaurant: Fructifcatio Tremellae, aka Bai

Mu Er, aka white wood ear (or white tree ear). It's a type of

mushroom. White wood ear by itself has an affinity for the Lungs and

Stomach. It's used for Stomach Yin Deficiency and for Lung Dryness

due to Lung Yin Deficiency. It also gets used with appropriate herbs

to treat Liver Yang Rising. It's very good when made into a soup

with jujubi (Da Zao) and pork for treating people who have become

debilitated by a long illness. When combined with other ingredients

in Hot and Sour Soup, the soup can be particularly good for people

with Kidney Deficiency, in particular Kidney Qi or Kidney Yang

Deficiency.

 

Remember the discusion about Golden Cabinet Kidney Qi formula in a

previous post and how the Herbs That Warm the Interior activate or

awaken Yang? Hot and sour soup does something like this. Some of the

ingredients that give the soup its hot taste are making it easier

for the body's Yang to heat the Yin tonic ingredients (like white

wood ear) in the soup and produce Kidney Qi. So if you're Kidney

Deficient, in particular Kidney Qi or Yang Deficient, and after

consuming this soup you feel better with an increase in energy and

in a feeling of well-being, it's not your imagination. That's

exactly what the soup does. Not to mention the lessening of certain

symptoms one may have like urine incontinence.

 

I don't know what the contraindications for Hot and Sour Soup are.

Possibly Damp Heat since Hot and Sour could aggravate that. Wood ear

by itself actually has some slight diuretic properties even though

it produces fluids and moistens. (The taste is sweet and bland. The

bland taste is associated with diuretic properties.) There are no

contraindications for weed ear except for the person being allergic

to it.