Ben tun tang
ge gen 15 sang bai pi 24 huang qin 6 ban xia 12 bai shao 6 chuan xiong 6 dang gui 6 sheng jiang 12 zhi gan cao 6
In running piglet qi surges upwards to strike the chest, with abdominal pain, and alternating hot and cold, ben tun tang governs.
This formula treats a jue yin liver blood deficiency and upward rushing due to heat. It also treats the shao yang flaring of the ministerial fire.
It contains xiao ban xia tang for the counter flow qi of the middle. It contains the blood module chuan xiong, bai shao, dang gui. This formula does not get used much in clinic.
Ge gen, Puerariae radix is sweet tonifying and nourishing of the spleen and lungs. It is is pungent dispersing and sweet nourishing of the tai yang and yang ming channels. Ge gen connects the tai yin to the tai yang and yang ming channels.
Sang bai pi, Mori cortex is sweet tonifying, nourishing and cooling of the lungs.
Sang bai pi drains heat from the qi layer and ge gen raises clear grain qi to open the chest and stop the upward rushing.
Huang qin, Scutellaria radix is bitter draining and cooling of heat in the san jiao, stomach domain, lungs, liver, gall bladder, and bladder.
It is cold and bitter and is the great cleaner. It clears heat and dampness, in all three burners, and in yang ming, tai yin, shao yang, and jue yin. It cools heat in the shao yang ministerial fire to prevent excessive drying of the jue yin liver blood storage.
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.
We see the core blood warming and nourishing trio of bai shao, chaun xiong, and dang gui.
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.
It nourishes blood and supports the middle to prevent damage from purging herbs by moistening dryness.
Bai shao, Paeoniae radix lactiflora is sour, bitter and cool. It is sour collecting of yin fluids and blood. It is bitter descending of heat. It nourishes dryness in yang ming and the jue yin. It descends Earth and Metal and calms Wood wind.
Bai shao nourishes yin and blood. Dang gui tonifies liver blood and mildly transforms stagnation while bai shao softens the liver, stops internal cramping and pacifies the blood layer from being stirred by the blood movers.
Chuan xiong, Ligustici radix is pungent dispersing of the liver and pericardium blood and the ministerial fire in the san jiao.
Chuan xiong moves liver qi contained in blood and restores the normal flow of blood by mildly eliminating stasis.
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.
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 sheng jiang with its sweet moderation and nourishing.
Sheng jiang and zhi gan cao support the tai yin.