Tian xiong san

Tian xiong san

fu zi 9 bai zhu 24 gui zhi 18 long gu 9

It governs the treatment of pulsing below the umbilicus. On the side it treats vexation, fright, and a loss of semen.

This formula acts to supplement yang and contain yin; indicated for men with seminal loss and cold pain of the lumbar and limbs. Think Fire and Water not communicating due to taxation.

If there is excessive dryness take out the bai zhu and consider using sheng di huang.

Originally tian xiong which is aconiti tuber laterale (blasted) was used but now we use fu zi at a much higher dose.

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.

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.

It warms the original qi of the kidneys and the gathering qi of the lungs and 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.

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 tonifies the spleen qi along with the promotion of the spleen’s transforming and transporting actions. Bai zhu promotes absorption of fluids in the large intestine which prevents excessive loss of yang.

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.

Long gu, Mastodi fossilium ossis is sweet and astringent and cool. Long gu is sweet tonifiyng and nourishing of liver blood and the ministerial fire in the san jiao. Long gu is astringent collecting of fluids into the liver, kidneys and heart.

Long gu calms the mind and descends heart fire by reconnecting the heart shen and kidneys, it astringes kidney fluids. It is sweet and astringent, and descends rebellious yang and suppresses Wood wind.

This is a taxation formula that restores the yang aspect of function by warming and moving. We can add it to dang gui si ni tang and zhi gan cao tang. If there is dryness we can replace the bai zhu with sheng di huang. We see gui zhi and fu zi being used with long gu and muli in gui zhi jia jiu ni tang which treats fear and fright by tonifying yang and restoring the heart kidney connection due to taxation.