Gui zhi tang
gui zhi 9 bai shao 9 sheng jiang 9 da zao 9 zhi gan cao 6
Line 12 In tai yang wind strike with floating yang and weak yin, floating yang is spontaneous heat effusion and weak yin is spontaneous issue of sweat. If there is huddled aversion to cold, wetted aversion to wind, feather warm heat effusion, noisy nose, and a dry retching, gui zhi tang governs.
Line 13 For tai yang disease with headache, heat effusion, sweating, and aversion to wind, gui zhi tang governs.
This has to be the most famous formula in Chinese Herbal Medicine. It is always included in the list of formulas that clear the surface. What does it clear?
When the outer layers of the body cool off this gives rise to chills. The cold can also give rise to function loss of the pores and sweating occurs. All of the yang qi in the body comes together at one point, du mai 14, and is simply called tai yang.
The nature of tai yang is to open and rise. We see this in spring and summer. A disease of tai yang is a failure to open.
Gui zhi opens the yang qi to warm the surface and interior. Sheng jiang is working together with gui zhi to warm the surface and the interior, especially the tai yin spleen.
Bai shao is replacing the lost fluids by nourishing yin and blood. It calms excessive outward movement and collects and descends yang qi. This cooling and descending nature of bai shao corresponds with the nature of metal and yang ming. The nourishing nature of bai shao corresponds with jue yin liver and pericardium blood storage.
Da zao tonifies the earth and nourishes the jue yin liver blood along with the bai shao. The tai yin raising nature of sheng jiang brings the da zao up to the 100 vessels.
Zhi gan cao tonifies the earth while moistening yin fluids. It ensures a smooth transformation of qi.
There are different types of tai yang wind patterns. There is tai yang wind cold. Which means that surface is closed and there is no sweating. There is tai yang wind strike. Which means there is sweating. Tai yang wind cold is called an excess pattern since the accumulation of excess cold prevents normal functioning. Tai yang wind strike is called a deficiency pattern since yang qi is deficient and there is a loss of fluids such as sweat. There is also a combination pattern where the surface is partially closed and partially open.
Ma huang tang is a closed surface formula. Ma huang tang contains ma huang and gui zhi.
Gui zhi tang is an open surface pattern. Gui zhi tang contains gui zhi and bai shao.
Ge gen tang is a half open and half closed pattern. Ge gen tang contains ma huang, gui zhi, and bai shao.