Zhen wu tang
fu zi 30 fu ling 9 bai zhu 6 bai shao 9 sheng jiang 9
This is the representative formula for shao yin cold water accumulation.
The disease triggers for a Zhen Wu Tang pattern are described in the following texts from the Classic on Cold Damage.
When in tai yang disease, sweating has been promoted and sweat issues but the disease does not resolve, the person still has heat effusion, and there are palpitations below the heart, dizzy head, generalized twitching and the person is quivering and about to fall, zhen wu tang governs.
When shao yin disease has not ceased after two or three days, and at four and five days there is abdominal pain, inhibited urination, heaviness and pain in the limbs, and spontaneous diarrhea, it means there is water qi and the person may cough, or have uninhibited urination, or diarrhea, or retching, therefore zhen wu tang governs.
These are the classic modifications of Zhen Wu Tang.
If there is a cough, add wu wei zi, xi xin, and gan jiang.
If the urine in flows freely remove the fu ling.
If there is diarrhea remove the bai shao and add gan jiang.
If there is retching remove the fu zi and add gan jiang.
If you are using Zhen Wu Tang for the Kidney Yang deficiency pattern and there is diarrhea, which is often the case, then remove the bai shao and replace it with gan jiang.
Fu Zi Tang has been modified to create Zhen Wu Tang to disperse cold water by replacing ren shen with sheng jiang.
Fu zi tang
fu zi 30 bai zhu 12 fu ling 12 bai shao 9 ren shen 6
Zhen wu tang
fu zi 30 bai zhu 6 fu ling 9 bai shao 9 sheng jiang 9
It is the addition of sheng jiang that makes Zhen Wu Tang better at warming and transforming Water qi. Sheng jiang warms the Tai yin and Fu zi warms the Tai yang and Shao yin.
Fu zi is a Yang herb in that it warms and transforms fluids. Fu zi brings the Heavenly yang qi to the Earthly yin qi. Fu zi brings Fire to Earth and Water.
Fu zi warms the Original yang qi of the body as Imperial fire of the Heart and Kidneys.
Fu zi infuses the body with Fire which promotes water transformation through the descent of Fire into the Water reservoirs of the body.
The formula name Zhen Wu Tang is based on the True Warrior Zhen Wu.
The True Warrior Zhen Wu warms the icy cold waters of the North.
The origins of the deity Zhen wu, the perfected warrior go back to the Warring States and Han dynasty periods. At that time, he was known as Xuan wu, the dark warrior, and was simply represented by a tortoise entwined by a snake. Xuan wu was the ancient symbol of the North and often appeared with three other animals: the dragon, red bird, and tiger, to symbolize the four directions.
Eastern region is represented by the blue green dragon.
Southern region is represented by the vermillion bird.
Western region is represented by the white tiger.
Northern region is represented by the black tortoise.