Xu ming tang
gui zhi 9 ma huang 9 xing ren 9 shi gao 9 ren shen 9 dang gui 9 chuan xiong 6 gan jiang 9
zhi gan cao 9
Xu ming tang comes from Gu jin lu yun (ancient and modern records of proven formulas): indicated for wind stroke disability manifesting in the inability to contract muscles, inability to speak, lack of pain sensation, or hypertonicity preventing one from turning over onto one’s side.
It treats a tai yang wind strike and wind cold dual pattern.
It is a yang formula in that it warms yang qi while nourishing the nutritive. It treats an excess pattern of cold and deficiency that causes contraction of the muscles.
Gui zhi, ma huang and shai gao are used together to free the surface. The chuan xiong and dang gui warm, move and nourish the nutritive.
This formula contains the formula ma huang tang and gui zhi gan cao tang.
Gui zhi, Cinnamomi cassiae ramulus is pungent sweet and warm dispersing of the imperial and ministerial fire. It warms and tonifies the shao yin and jue yin. In doing so it warms and tonifies the whole body.
Warms the vessels and frees the movement of yang qi. It frees the flow of heart yang in the chest and promotes the circulation of heart qi through the channels.
Ma huang, Ephedrae herba is bitter descending of the lung. It is pungent dispersing of the imperial and ministerial fire. It enters the lung and bladder channel, it opens the surface, and dispels the cold on the surface. Further it dissipates lung qi and pacifies panting through opening the closed lung qi.
Pungent and bitter and enters the lung and bladder channel, it opens the surface, promotes sweating and dispels the cold on the surface. It dissipates lung qi and stops panting through opening the closed lung qi.
Ma huang is not enough to promote sweating and is therefore used with shi gao, gui zhi, chuan xiong and dang gui to free the congested nutritive and the flow of yang.
Xing ren, Armeniacae semen is bitter descending of Metal. Xing ren descends lung qi, which stands into the interior exterior relation to the large intestine, allowing for a heavy Metal downward pressure on the stomach and large intestine.
Shi gao, Gypsum is pungent dispersing of heat in the stomach domain and lung. It is sweet nourishing of the stomach, spleen, and lung. It is pungent cold dispersing of the yang channels: tai yang, yang ming, shao yang. It saves yin and blood by clearing heat.
Very cold pungent and sweet shi gao clears the qi layer heat, clears internal heat in the shao yang and yang ming channels. Purges excess yang ming or qi layer channel fire with pungent dispersing and cools heat with cool sweetness.
Shi gao is working together with ma huang in dispersing the surface channels of cold and heat.
Ren shen, Ginseng radix is sweet tonifying and nourishing of the spleen, lungs, heart, and kidney. It nourishes yin fluids and therefore is the foremost qi and yin tonic.
Ren shen tonifies qi and yin of the lungs and heart. The tonification of qi will strengthen the heartbeat, while the tonification of yin will nourish the blood.
Dang gui, Angelicae sinensis radix is sweet tonifying and nourishing of liver blood and the ministerial fire. It is pungent dispersing of the liver blood and ministerial fire.
Dang gui is the core jue yin liver blood storage herb. Dang gui tonifies blood and nourishes the liver while moving blood and transforming stasis and so protects the jue yin liver blood from heat.
Chuan xiong, Ligustici radix is pungent dispersing of the liver and pericardium blood and the ministerial fire in the san jiao. It is the core herb for moving qi within blood. Moves liver qi contained in blood allowing the wind to be stilled. The Nei jing states; when blood moves, wind will spontaneously subside.
Moves qi and dispels external wind by warming and moving qi in blood. Treats mainly the tai yang surface while moving blood and stopping pain.
Gan jiang, Zingiberis rhizoma, dried is warm (or hot) pungent and astringent. Gan jiang is the main herb to warm the tai yin level and treat excessive dampness by introducing yang ming dryness in tai yin dampness.
The main herb to warm the tai yin level and treat excessive dampness by introducing yang ming dryness in tai yin dampness.
Zhi gan cao, Glycyrrhizae radix prep is sweet tonifying and nourishing of all organs but especially the heart.
Zhi gan cao is sweet and mildly warm tonifying and nourishing of yin fluids. It nourishes yin fluids in the tai yin and shao yin. It calms wind in the jue yin.
It balances the pungent herbs with its sweet moderation and nourishing.