Traditional Chinese medicine usually classifies tonifying herbs into four categories: qi-tonifying herbs, blood-tonifying herbs, yin-tonifying herbs, and yang-tonifying herbs. Some examples of qi-tonifying herbs include ginseng, codonopsis pilosula, American ginseng, astragalus, white atractylodes, Chinese yam, and jujube. Blood-tonifying herbs include Chinese angelica, cooked rehmannia root, donkey-hide gelatin, fleeceflower root, mulberry fruit, and longan flesh. Yin-tonifying herbs include sand ginseng, polygonatum root, ophiopogon root, lily bulb, wolfberry, and black sesame. Yang-tonifying herbs include deer antler, cordyceps, Chinese chives seed, clam shell, Eucommia bark, and walnut meat. So how do we use these tonifying herbs? Traditional Chinese medicine mainly relies on the patient's condition and the season to make a selection.
1. Tonifying according to the condition
In traditional Chinese medicine, the diagnosis and treatment of diseases highly value the principle of differentiating patterns. This is a prominent feature and principle. Just as in the treatment of diseases, when selecting tonifying herbs, it is necessary to differentiate between deficiency and excess, yin and yang, and choose herbs accordingly in order to truly exert their tonifying effects.
Qi deficiency: When experiencing fatigue, shortness of breath, lack of energy in speech, poor appetite, loose stools, and profuse sweating with slight exercise, it can be diagnosed as qi deficiency. In this case, qi-tonifying herbs such as ginseng, codonopsis pilosula, astragalus, white atractylodes, and Chinese yam can be taken, or various patent medicines or decoctions containing these herbs can be used.
Blood deficiency: It is often manifested as dizziness, pale complexion, pale lips and nail beds, palpitations, and menstrual disorders in women. Blood-tonifying herbs such as Chinese angelica, fleeceflower root, donkey-hide gelatin, longan flesh, cooked rehmannia root, or patent medicines and decoctions containing these herbs can be taken.
Yin deficiency: Common symptoms include emaciation, dizziness, tinnitus, red lips, irritability, insomnia, night sweats, cough with blood, and nocturnal emission. Yin-tonifying herbs such as sand ginseng, polygonatum root, ophiopogon root, lily bulb, and wolfberry, or patent medicines and decoctions containing these herbs can be chosen.
Yang deficiency: Common symptoms include pale complexion, cold limbs, listlessness, soreness and weakness of the lower back and knees, spontaneous sweating, and clear urine. Yang-tonifying herbs such as deer antler, cordyceps, Chinese chives seed, Eucommia bark, and walnut meat, or patent medicines and decoctions containing these herbs can be used.
Usually, deficiency patterns are not purely qi deficiency, blood deficiency, yin deficiency, or yang deficiency, but are closely related. According to traditional Chinese medicine theory, qi and blood share the same origin, and yin and yang are interdependent. In pathological conditions, they often influence each other. For example, qi deficiency cannot produce blood, and blood deficiency can weaken qi. Yin deficiency can lead to yang deficiency, and yang deficiency can lead to yin deficiency. Ultimately, it can lead to deficiency of both yin and yang, as well as qi and blood. Therefore, it is necessary to use tonifying herbs correctly based on the specific changes in the clinical condition.
2. Tonifying according to the season
In traditional Chinese medicine, "patterns" not only indicate the deficiency or excess of qi, blood, yin, and yang, but also reflect the close relationship between human beings and the natural environment. Throughout the year, different seasons create different environments for the human body. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that spring is warm, summer is hot and humid, autumn is cool and dry, and winter is cold. The physiological and pathological conditions of the body are influenced by the changes in seasonal climate. Therefore, whether in a healthy state or when experiencing diseases, tonifying herbs should be used according to the characteristics of each season.
In spring, especially during abnormally warm weather with little snow, liver diseases are more common. In this case, nourishing yin and liver herbs such as wolfberry, ligustrum, chrysanthemum, or chrysanthemum crystal can be used. In summer, excessive sweating can lead to damage of body fluids and qi. Therefore, it is advisable to frequently consume mung bean soup, lotus root powder, lotus leaf porridge, etc. These can nourish yin and boost qi, as well as prevent heatstroke and cool down the body. In addition, high temperatures and increased humidity during the summer can promote bacterial growth, making gastrointestinal diseases more likely to occur. It is recommended to regularly take Huo Xiang Zheng Qi water (pills) to prevent and treat such conditions. In autumn, the weather becomes cooler and drier, and the body begins to contract. This season often causes cough or sore throat in some elderly people. In this case, some herbs that nourish fluids and moisten dryness can be taken, such as tremella fuciformis with rock sugar, adding some fritillary bulb for better effect, or consuming lily porridge, autumn pear paste, etc. In winter, the weather is cold. In order to resist the cold and store energy for the winter, the body enters a stage of preparing for hibernation. At this time, appropriate tonification is needed to increase essence, blood, and vitality in the body. This can prevent cold and diseases and lay a good foundation for growth in the following spring. Herbs such as ginseng, wolfberry, fleeceflower root, Eucommia bark, cistanche, gastrodia, and walnut meat can be used. Those with deficiency of both yin and yang can take Jin Kui Shen Qi Wan, and those with weak spleen can take Ren Shen Gui Pi Wan.
From the above, we can see that...
| 1 2 > >> >>|
