Chai hu jia long gu mu li tang
chai hu 24 huang qin 9 ban xia 12 ren shen 9 sheng jiang 9 gui zhi 9 fu ling 9 long gu 9 mu li 9 da huang 12 da zao 6 dai zhe shi 9
When in cold damage that has lasted for eight or nine days, precipitation is used, and there is fullness in the chest, vexation and fright, inhibited urination, delirious speech, heaviness of the entire body, and inability to turn sides, chai hu jia long gu muli tang governs.
Treats shao yang, clears damp and heat congestion and anchors the yang. This is a version of xiao chai hu tang but now with gui zhi and long gu muli to calm the shen and anchor yang.
The yang qi has been weakened and the ministerial fire fails to warm and moisten the san jiao. This causes damp to accumulate which then becomes phlegm due to exposure to the heat of the body. The ministerial fire then flares due to a failure of movement. Excessive heat then dries the fluids even more and yang ming becomes dry. The yang in its weakened state rushes upward causing fear and fright and the heat causes mental unrest.
This is an advanced state of dryness in yang ming and heat in shao yang. Da chai hu tang treats shao yang with dryness in yang ming before it progresses to a chai hu jia long gu muli tang pattern.
Chai hu, Bupleuri radix is bitter draining of damp and heat in the liver, gall bladder and san jiao. It is pungent and aromatic dispersing of heat in liver blood and the ministerial fire in the san jiao.
Huang qin, Scutellaria radix is bitter draining and cooling of heat in the san jiao, stomach domain, lungs, liver, gall bladder, and bladder.
Huang qin clears gall bladder and liver heat that flares up to the upper burner. It also clears san jiao damp heat through its bitter drying taste and cold cooling nature.
Ban xia, Pinelliae rhizoma is pungent dispersing of the liver blood and the ministerial fire in the san jiao. It is pungent dispersing of the cold and dampness in the stomach domain, spleen and lung. It transforms tai yin damp phlegm generated from excessive and stagnant cold dampness and counteracts nausea and adverse flow.
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.
The yin fluids from ren shen moderate excessive movement by anchoring yang with yin. It raises the original qi and gathering qi. It strengthens righteous qi and righteous qi is also called true qi and is a combination of original qi and gathering qi. All are dependent on the qi of shao yin and tai yin. Which in turn are dependent on the jue yin and shao yang for the ministerial fire in all three burners.
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 and clear deficient heat.
Sheng jiang, Zingiberis rhizoma recens Sheng jiang is pungent dispersing of the liver and pericardium blood and the ministerial fire in the san jiao. Sheng jiang is pungent dispersing of dampness and cold in the stomach domain, spleen and lung. Sheng jiang is pungent connecting of the tai yin with the tai yang. It supports raising of the clear qi to the chest and the 100 vessels.
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.
Weak yang floats upward and so by warming and anchoring the yang can descend. Normally the yang is anchored by yin herbs but now we need something stronger and this is what long gu and muli do.
Fu ling, Poria is sweet and neutral. It drains fluids but is not bitter. Fu ling is tonifying the stomach domain, spleen, kidney and bladder to move excess fluids. It moves more than it tonifies.
Long gu, Mastodi fossilium ossis is sweet and astringent and cool. Long gu is sweet tonifiyng and nourishing of liver blood and the ministerial fire in the san jiao. Long gu is astringent collecting of fluids into the liver, kidneys and heart.
Long gu calms the mind and descends heart fire by reconnecting the heart and kidneys, it astringes kidney fluids. It descends rebellious yang and suppresses Wood wind.
Mu li, Ostrea concha is salty softening of hardness in the abdomen and stomach domain. It is astringing fluids into the kidney and stomach organs.
Muli together long gu and muli restore the heart and kidney connection by descending heart fire to the kidneys while ascending kidney water to the heart. Thus restoring the communication through the jue yin channel of liver and pericardium.
Da huang, Rhei rhizoma is bitter draining of excess heat and dry stool in the stomach domain.
Da huang clears yang ming congestion by disinhibiting bowel movement and clears the bowels of congested excessive heat. It descends yang ming and assists huang qin in clearing damp heat.
Da zao, Jujubae fructus is sweet tonifying and moderating. It tonifies and nourishes the stomach domain, spleen, lungs, and heart. It directly nourishes the shao yin heart.
Dai zhe shi, Haematitum is bitter draining of heat. It is cold and heavily brings down the upward flowing qi and directs it downward. It settles and suppresses the upward movement of qi and blood.
It heavily brings down the upward flowing qi and directs it downward. It settles and suppresses the upward movement of qi and blood.
When first started learning formulas I thought it must be a mistake that there is no zhi gan cao in this formula. The heat and congestion must be cleared down and out and zhi gan cao is sweet moderating and this hold qi up and in the Earth preventing the downward movement. Sweet governs moderation and its movement can ascend therefore it can tonify the middle burner.