Gan cao fu zi tang
fu zi 45 ( 3 pieces ) gui zhi 12 bai zhu 12 zhi gan cao 6
When wind and dampness contend with each other, and there is vexing pain in the joints, pulling pain, and an inability to bend and stretch, pain that is exacerbated when anyone even comes near, sweating, shortness of breath, inhibited urination, aversion to wind with no desire to remove clothes, or mild generalized swelling, gan cao fu zi tang governs.
It treats and exterior pattern of tai yang cold and damp accumulation in the joints with more cold than damp. It warms the shao yin to warm the tai yang.
Fu zi, Aconiti radix lateralis praeparata is pungent dispersing of liver blood and the ministerial fire in the san jiao. It is pungent dispersing of the heart and kidneys. It is pungent dispersing of the tai yang channels. It is pungent dispersing of excess water.
Fu zi warms the source yang of the body as imperial fire of the heart. Fu zi infuses the body with fire and promotes water metabolism through the descent of fire into the water reservoirs of the body to draw qi from the body.
The combination of fu zi and gui zhi is the strongest to promote water metabolism through warming cold fluids.
Gui zhi and fu zi are the emperors. Gui zhi rules without causing unrest. Fu zi rules with might and action. Gui zhi nourishes and fu zi does not. Fu zi disperses more than gui zhi and needs to be controlled. Gui zhi warms the tai yang bladder to warm the shao yin kidney water. Fu zi directly warms the shao yin kindey water to create qi.
Gui zhi, Cinnamomi cassiae ramulus is pungent sweet and warm dispersing of the imperial and ministerial fire. It warms and tonifies the shao yin and jue yin. In doing so it warms and tonifies the whole body.
Gui zhi is warm pungent to free the muscles and open the surface, warming and opening the channels allowing the wind, cold and dampness evils at the surface to be dispersed. Gui zhi is the main herb to restore the water metabolism of the tai yang fu organ. It warms the yang on the bladder channel and promotes the transformation of kidney qi as vapor from the stored fluids of the bladder.
Bai zhu, Atractylodis macrocephalae rhizome is sweet tonifying of the stomach domain and spleen. Bai zhu is bitter draining of excess fluids in the stomach domain, spleen, lungs and bladder.
It strengthens the Earth element to control the Water element.
Consider replacing bai zhu with cang zhu because cang zhu is pungent and this disperses damp on the surface.