Yellow Astragalus Wine: A Traditional Remedy for Rheumatism

【Prescription Name】

Yellow Astragalus Wine

【Ingredients】

Yellow Astragalus, Fang Feng, Cinnamon, Gastrodia, Bi, White Peony, Angelica, Mica Powder, White Atractylodes 30g each, Xanthosoma Leaf 20g, Agarwood, Xianling Pi, Licorice, Xuduan 30g each, 2.5kg of good wine.

【Preparation】

Crush all the above ingredients, put them in a silk bag, soak them in a clean bottle of wine, and open it after 7 days to remove the residue for later use.

【Indication】

Rheumatic pain, numbness, itching of the skin, stiffness of the tendons and meridians, paralysis of the limbs, difficulty in speaking.

【Usage】

Drink 1 cup of warm wine, anytime.

【Clinical Manifestation of Rheumatism】

The term "rheumatism" refers to the obstruction of the meridians. When external pathogenic factors such as wind, cold, dampness, and heat invade the body, they block the meridians, causing muscle, tendon, joint pain, numbness, difficulty in movement, and even joint swelling and burning sensation. Based on the predominance of pathogenic factors and characteristic symptoms, rheumatism can be divided into different types: wind-cold type, pain type, fixed type, and heat type. Joint pain and limited movement are common symptoms.

1. Wind-cold type

Excessive wind pathogen, joint pain that moves around, pain is not fixed, limited joint movement, may be accompanied by fever and aversion to wind, thin white coating, floating pulse.

2. Pain type

Excessive cold pathogen, severe joint pain with a fixed location, pain worsens with cold and improves with heat, limited joint movement, local skin is not red and not hot to the touch, thin white coating, tight pulse.

3. Fixed type

Excessive damp pathogen, heavy and fixed joint pain, sour pain or swelling, numbness of muscles and skin, aggravated by cold and rainy weather, white greasy coating, slow pulse.

4. Heat type

Heat pathogen obstructs the meridians and joints, causing heat-type rheumatism. Symptoms include joint pain, local burning, redness and swelling, pain is unbearable upon touch, limited joint movement, can affect one or more joints, accompanied by fever, aversion to wind, thirst, dry yellow coating, slippery and rapid pulse.

【Introduction to Medicinal Herbs】

Yellow Astragalus: Tonifies the qi, strengthens the defense, promotes diuresis and reduces swelling, detoxifies, and promotes the growth of new tissue. Used to treat spontaneous sweating, night sweats, blood stasis, edema, non-healing boils, or long-lasting ulcers. Roasted yellow astragalus is used to tonify the middle and qi. It treats internal exhaustion, spleen deficiency with diarrhea, prolapse of the anus, qi and blood loss, uterine bleeding, and all symptoms of qi deficiency and blood deficiency.

Fang Feng: The root of Fang Feng can be used as a medicinal herb. It has a spicy and sweet taste, and a slightly warm nature. It has the effects of dispelling wind, relieving the surface, dispelling dampness, relieving pain, and relieving spasms.

Xuduan: Tonifies the liver, strengthens the tendons and bones, regulates the meridians, relieves pain in the tendons and bones, stabilizes the fetus, treats leukorrhea in women, generates new blood, breaks up stagnant blood, expels retained fetus, stops coughing and coughing up blood, and treats reddish-white turbid stools.

Gastrodia: Its rhizome is used medicinally to treat dizziness, numbness in the limbs, and infantile convulsions. It is a valuable Chinese medicinal herb and is used in combination with Qiongzhen and Lingzhi to treat headaches and insomnia.

Angelica: The root of angelica can be used as a medicinal herb and is one of the most commonly used Chinese herbs. It has the effects of nourishing blood, regulating menstruation and relieving pain, moisturizing dryness and lubricating the intestines, anti-cancer, anti-aging, immune enhancement, etc.