1. Strategies for combining herbs (To Guide)

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This will be a series of posts going from beginning to intermediate

level. The information on combining strategies is taken from Dui Yao:

The Art of Combining Chinese Medicinals, Philippe Sionneau,

translated by Bernard Cote. You'll see these strategies listed in

other books as well. The reason I'm using the Dui Yao book is that

it's easier to demonstrate the strategies when talking about one herb

or a pair of herbs than when talking about a more complex formula.

 

I'm not following the order in the book because I want to go from

simplier concepts to the more complex.

 

E. Combining to guide

 

One of the most surprising things about TCM herbalism to many

Westerners is that there are guide herbs which will guide the action

of other herbs in the formula to a specific area of the body. For

example Radix Bupleuri (Chai Hu) is a guide herb to the Liver and

Gall Bladder channels. Put Bupleuri in a formula, and it will " guide "

the actions of other herbs in the formula to the Liver and Gall

Bladder channels even if they don't have an affinity for those

channels.

 

Some basic background on " affinity " of herbs: The listings for each

healing substance listed in the TCM Materia Medica (sort of like an

herbal PDR) will include what channel(s) the effects enter. For

example, there are a lot of herbs whose primary function is that

they're Yin tonic (supplement Yin). The Yin tonic herb that gets

chosen for the formula will depend on where the Yin Deficiency is in

the body. For example, if the imbalance is Lung Yin Deficiency, the

herbalist chooses a Yin tonic herb which will enter the Lung channel.

If the problem is Stomach Yin Deficiency, one chooses a Yin tonic

herb that enters the Stomach. And so on.

 

Some readers may wonder why - if herbs already enter certain

channels - one would need a guide herb. Just because one particular

herb enters a certain channel, that doesn't mean that the other herbs

in the formula will enter that channel. A Yin tonic herb alone may

not be all the channel/ Organ needs. So to make sure the effects of

the other herbs in the formula are pinpointed to where they're

needed, one includes a guide herb in the formula.

 

" Messenger medicinals allow the leading of the action of other

medicinals towards very precise areas of the body in order to exert

their effect at the site of the imbalance or its pathological

manifestations. These ambassadors specify, refine, reinforce, and

even transform the impact of a therapeutic effect. Adding such a

messenger medicinal to a prescription adapts that prescription more

precisely to the situation at hand and makes it more effective in

clinical practice. Thus it is said in Chinese, 'Yao wu yin shi, ze

bu tong bing suo' (Medicinal substances without guides cannot reach

the site of the illness). " (p. 8.)

 

Some guide herbs will guide the effects of other herbs to specific

channels. Others will guide to areas of the body. For example Herba

Ephedrae (Ma Huang) will guide the actions of other herbs to the

Exterior (skin, muscles, bones, head, neck, arms, legs - not the

Organs (Interior). Ma Huang is especially guiding to the skin so it

gets used " in the treatment of various types of dermatoses. " (p. 9.).

 

The actions of other herbs isn't the only thing that can be guided.

For example, Radix Achyranthis Bidentatae (Huai Niu Xi) and Radix

Cyathulae Officinalis (Chuan Niu Xi) will " guide the blood to move

towards the lower part of the body. " (p. 8) This is a very handy

property when a person has nose bleeds or is bleeding from some other

part of the upper body.

 

However, Blood isn't the only thing that Huai Niu Xi and Chuan Niu Xi

will move. " They downbear vacuity heat in the upper part of the body

manifesting such symptoms as oral ulcers, glossitis, toothache, and

sore throat. " (p. 8.) ( " Vacuity heat " is heat resulting from Yin

Deficiency - there not being enough Yin to cool the body properly.

Blue Poppy Press prefers the translation " vacuity " to Deficiency or

Empty.)

 

In addition, they " guide the action of other medicinals toward the

lower part of the body to treat disease located below the knees. " (p.

8.)

 

A lot of finetuning and precision healing is possible in TCM

herbalism. At this point don't worry about knowing all about guide

herbs. At this point what's important is knowing that they exist, and

that this kind of precision targeting is possible.