Gastrodia is a high-value traditional Chinese medicine, mostly cultivated artificially. The main medicinal part is the rhizome, which has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, and dispelling dampness and relieving pain. Especially when combined with the following Chinese medicines, the efficacy is even better!
1. Combination with Gypsum
Gastrodia has a pungent and warm taste, with a strong aroma. It is a blood and Qi medicine that can ascend to the head and descend to the sea of blood. It can dispel wind in the liver meridian and treat headache caused by the lesser yang and jueyin meridians; Gypsum is sweet and bland, with a cold and cooling nature. It is a medicine that clears heat and eliminates excessive solid Qi, and has a pungent taste which can penetrate. It can relieve external heat in the muscles and skin. Gastrodia and Gypsum, one for blood and one for Qi, one warm and one cold, ascending and descending, can prevent excessive ascending dispersion of Gastrodia and the cold stagnation of Gypsum. It is used to treat headache caused by wind-heat and internal heat.
3. Combination with Notopterygium
Gastrodia has a pungent and warm taste, which can activate blood circulation and promote Qi flow, without retaining. It is a "blood and Qi medicine" that can ascend to the yang. Notopterygium is pungent, dispersing, bitter, dry, warm, and smooth. It can open the meridians and disperse wind. The combination of these two medicines can expel wind pathogens, harmonize meridian Qi, and nourish tendons and vessels. It is used to treat wind spasms during pregnancy and eclampsia.
4. Combination with Vitex Trifolia
Blood deficiency gives rise to wind, which disturbs the clear orifices and causes headache. When treating wind, it is necessary to first treat blood deficiency. Gastrodia is pungent and warm, with the function of activating blood circulation and promoting Qi flow. It is a "blood and Qi medicine" and has an ascending and dispersing nature. It is good at ascending to the head and relieving pain, and is an essential medicine for treating headaches. Vitex Trifolia is pungent, bitter, slightly cold, and has the ability to dispel wind. Its cold nature can clear heat and its light and floating nature can rise. It mainly disperses pathogenic factors in the head and face. The combination of these two medicines can nourish blood and expel wind. It is used to treat headache caused by blood deficiency.
2. Combination with Poria
The head is the meeting point of the yang meridians. When experiencing external pathogenic factors, it is often accompanied by wind, as it is said, "only wind can reach the top of the summit." Gastrodia can activate blood circulation, dispel stasis, expel wind, and relieve pain. It is a "blood and Qi medicine" that can ascend to the head. Poria can clear heat, detoxify, promote diuresis, and open the meridians. The combination of these two medicines can ascend and clarify while descending and turbid, activate blood circulation, promote Qi flow, and eliminate dampness and heat. It is used to treat headache caused by liver stagnation, dampness, and heat.
