Gui zhi fu zi tang
gui zhi 12 sheng jiang 9 da zao 9 zhi gan cao 6 fu zi 45 (3 pieces)
For cold damage that has lasted 8 or 9 days, with a clash of wind and dampness, the body aches vexingly, there is inability to turn the body spontaneously, there is no vomiting or thirst, the pulse is floating deficient and choppy, for gui zhi fu zi tang governs. If the person has hard stool, but urination is smooth, eliminating gui zhi and adding bai zhu governs.
This is gui zhi tang with the addition of fu zi. It treats a tai yang wind strike pattern with cold and dampness. There is more cold than damp and we know because there is no bai zhu in the formula.
When yang is weak yin takes its place. This is a tai yang and shao yin formula for interior or exterior patterns.
There is also a version called gui zhi jia fu zi and in that formula there is bai shao. Bai shao has been removed in this formula to enhance the dispersing action of sheng jiang, gui zhi, and fu zi.
Gui zhi tang is for deficiency. Gui zhi jia fu zi tang is for deficiency and cold. Gui zhi fu zi tang is for cold and dampness.
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.
Warm pungent to free the muscles and open the surface, warming and opening the channels allowing the cold evils at the surface to be dispersed.
Sheng jiang, Zingiberis rhizoma recens 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.
Sheng jiang is pungent warm dispersing and is supporting gui zhi and fu zi in warming the interior and surface.
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.
Gui zhi, da zao and zhi gan cao tonify and nourish the heart.
Da zao calms excessive movement of Wood wind by nourishing the nutritive to anchor yang pungent herbs.
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.
Zhi gan cao directly enters the heart and fu zi and zhi gan cao embodies the sweet and pungent tonification of yang qi.
Fu zi, Aconiti radix lateralis praeparata is pungent dispersing of liver blood and the ministerial fire in the san jiao. It is pungent dispersing of the heart and kidneys. It is pungent dispersing of the tai yang channels. It is pungent dispersing of excess water.
Gui zhi and fu zi are the emperors. Gui zhi rules without causing unrest. Fu zi rules with might and action. Gui zhi nourishes and fu zi does not. Fu zi disperses more than gui zhi and needs to be controlled. Gui zhi warms the tai yang bladder to warm the shao yin kidney water. Fu zi directly warms the shao yin kindey water to create qi.
Fu zi is highly pungent dispersing of cold. It warms shao yin heart and kidney to warm the tai yang. The combination of fu zi and gui zhi is the strongest to promote water metabolism through warming cold fluids.