Xu ming tang
gui zhi 9 ma huang 9 xing ren 9 shi gao 9 ren shen 9 dang gui 9 chuan xiong 6
gan jiang 9 zhi gan cao 9
Xu ming tang comes from Gu jin lu yun (ancient and modern records of proven formulas): indicated for wind stroke disability manifesting in the inability to contract muscles, inability to speak, lack of pain sensation, or hypertonicity preventing one from turning over onto one’s side.
This formula originated with Zhang Ji, but was later modified.
It is built around the famous tai yang wind cold formula ma huang tang.
Ma huang, xing ren, gui zhi, and zhi gan cao are the four ingredients for ma huang tang.
This gives the impression that xu ming tang treats some form of tai yang wind cold. Yet, it treats wind stroke.
The key symptoms are inability to contract muscles, inability to speak, lack of pain sensation, or hypertonicity preventing one from turning over onto one’s side.
These symptoms occur when yang and yin are both depleted as in a taxation pattern. Which can get suddenly worse when an exterior tai yang wind strike patterns occurs.
The gui zhi and ma huang strongly tonify the heart yang qi to restore function of the muscles.
Dang gui and chaun xiong are supporting the movement of yang qi.
Zhi gan cao is nourishing and tonifying of the heart yang. Zhi gan cao is ensuring a smooth transformation of energies.
Ren shen is tonifying and nourishing the original qi and gathering qi. It is also supporting the nourishing of blood and yin, working together with dang gui and zhi gan cao.
Dang gui is nourishing of yin and blood and chuan xiong is moving yang qi in blood to restore proper function of the muscles.
But what about the gan jiang and shi gao. They seem out of place at first glance.
Normally sheng jiang would be used to support the gui zhi for tonifying yang on the surface. Sheng jiang is warm and pungent dispersing and in this pattern gan jiang is used to prevent excessive movement. There is a Chinese expression about gan jiang. Fu zi is only hot when used together with gan jiang. It is the gan jiang that anchors the fu zi to warm the internal yang qi. This is being done in the formula si ni tang.
Gan jiang is hot pungent and astringent. Its astringent nature anchors the yang which prevents excessive outward movement. The person is already in a weakened state and sheng jiang would disperse outwards causing further weakening.
Shi gao is cold pungent and this disperses heat. It cools any heat that rises from the deficiency of yin and blood. The nature of shi gao balances the warm nature of gui zhi and ma huang.
The next time you see a tai yang wind strike pattern in a person that is in a weakened state think about xu ming tang.