He shou wu & Ye Jiao Teng--What a pair

August 26, 2008

Yehuda,

Yeah.. that's interesting why He shou wu was left off of the CA board list.

My assumption is because He shou wu is not an ingredient in any of the 63

state board formulas. But why is Ye jiao teng on the list then? There are

only 4 CA state board herbs in the Calm Shen and Tonify category, including

Ye jiao teng, so maybe that's why they included this one. Another big herb

that is left off of the CALE list is Shi chang pu and another is Ling zhi

(the Emperor)... which was not listed in the 2nd edition Bensky MM, but is

in the 3rd edition.

For Dui-yao pairs, Tian hua fen is often used with Gua lou (different parts

of the same species trichosanthes plant)

but Ce bai ye isn't usually used with Bai zi ren (different parts of the

same species biota plant)

Also Yu jin, Jiang huang and E zhu are all herbs from several different

species of turmerics... Jiang huang and E zhu are rhizomes (underground

stems like ginger) and Yu jin is a root. Depending on harvesting region,

these herbs can come from more than one species of turmerics. Interesting

that they are all in the Invigorate Blood category.

He shou wu is a root, so is used more for the lower jiao (yin)

while Ye jiao teng is the vine part of the plant, so works more for the

upper jiao?

Relieves pain, itching, insomnia etc (yang aspects of the body)...

Ye jiao teng can tonify as well as drain (just like he shou wu)

You bring up an interesting connection... what kind of functional

symbiotics can we yield from using herbs that are derived from parts of

plants of the same species or even genus or family?

ie. Angelica genus herbs (3 major herbs in TCM: Bai zhi, Du huo, Dang gui)

or Artemisia genus herbs (4 major herbs in TCM: Ai ye, Qing hao, Yin chen

hao, Liu ji nu)

and what about herbs that come from the Lotus plant (8) or Mulberry tree

(7)...

K.

On Tue, Aug 26, 2008 at 7:46 PM, wrote:

> Dear colleagues,

>

> Some people read novels, some people enjoy reading dictionaries and

> reference books, but among other things, I enjoy greatly, reading an

> reviewing herbs and formulas. Every once in a while a question comes to

> mind, and I lay it out for your edification.

> One of my favorite herbs is He Shou Wu. (How shortsited of the California

> state board to not consider it one of the " important " herbs to be included

> on their exam). If you haven't noticed, it is from the same plant as Ye

> Jiao Teng. Here is today's question: In Chen and Chen's Chinese Medical

> Herbology and Pharmacology, in the clinical studies and research heading

> under He Shou Wu, it lists a study of 141participants whereby 98.6% of

> subjects had either marked or moderate improvement. As a Blood and

> Jing nourishing herb entering the liver and Kidneys, that makes perfect

> sense. My questions then are 1. Why isn't insomnia or shen disturbance

> listed as one of the conditions that this herb is used for? and 2.

> Why would the two parts to the Polygoni plant: He Shou Wu and Ye Jiao Teng

> (Which is a Shen calming herb and enters the Liver and Heart) be used more

> frequently as a Dui Yao (Pair herbs)? What a perfect fit, so it appears!

>

> Thank you all for your support and feedback concerning Chana. I will be

> brewing her next batch tonight.

>

> With much respect and appreciation.

>

August 27, 2008