Wu mei wan
wu mei 81 gan jiang 6 xi xin 3 fu zi 3 gui zhi 3 shu jiao 2 dang gui 2 ren shen 3
huang lian 9 huang bai 3
When in cold damage, there is a faint pulse and reversal, and at seven or eight days, the skin is cold, and the person does not even have periods of peace, this indicates visceral reversal, not roundworm reversal. In roundworm reversal, the person should vomit roundworms. Now the person is still, and then has periodic vexation, which indicates reversal cold. Roundworms ascend and enter one’s diaphragm, so there is vexation, but wait a moment and it will stop. After receiving food, there is retching and again vexation, because the roundworms smell malodor of food, and the person often spontaneously vomits roundworms. For roundworms reversal, wu mei wan governs. It also governs longstanding diarrhea.
It treats a jue yin level pattern of blood deficiency and cold. The separation of yang and yin due to deficiency causes a visceral reversal. True yang is deficient and about to expire and this causes agitation and movement. The abdomen is cold in the lower and warm in the upper this causes movement and internal wind.
The treatment approach is to calm the wind with the sour taste because sour collects while warming and moving the yang and yin and organs.
Wu mei, Mume fructus is sour collecting of liver blood and the ministerial fire in the san jiao. It is astringing fluids into the liver blood and stopping diarrhea.
In dampness patterns the dense heavy turbid nature impairs the ascension of clear yang and clouds mental activity.
Wu mei collects the weak yang qi and strengthens Fire to makes its descent into the Earth, Metal and Water. Because it is sour and sour collects so it tonifies by astringing.
Huang qin, Scutellaria radix is bitter draining and cooling of heat in the san jiao, stomach domain, lungs, liver, gall bladder, and bladder.
Cold and bitter it is the great cleaner. It clears heat and dampness, in all three burners, and in yang ming, tai yin, shao yang, and jue yin.
Huang lian, Coptidis rhizome is bitter draining of heat in the ministerial and imperial fire. It is bitter draining of heat in the heart and san jiao. It is bitter draining of heat and dampness in the stomach domain.
The huang qin and huang lian clear dampness by drying and also clear heat due to stagnation of the yang ming and shao yang.
The other seven herbs restore function by warming the interior and blood.
Gan jiang, Zingiberis rhizoma, dried is warm (or hot) pungent and astringent. Gan jiang is the main herb to warm the tai yin level and treat excessive dampness by introducing yang ming dryness in tai yin dampness.
Xi xin, Asari herba is pungent dispersing of the liver blood and the ministerial fire. It is pungent dispersing of the heart, kidneys and lungs. It is pungent dispersing of the tai yang channel.
Xi xin supports gan jiang with warming the interior.
Ren shen, Ginseng radix is sweet tonifying and nourishing of the spleen, lungs, heart, and kidney. It nourishes yin fluids and therefore is the foremost qi and yin tonic.
Ren shen tonifies tai yin qi and nourishes healthy fluids to support the ascending of clear 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 warms yang and blood to support circulation and to warm cold stagnate fluids.
Dang gui, Angelicae sinensis radix is sweet tonifying and nourishing of liver blood and the ministerial fire. It is pungent dispersing of the liver blood and ministerial fire.
Dang gui helps gui zhi but also nourishes and warms the blood.
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.
Shu Jiao, Pericarpum zanthoxyli bungeani is pungent dispersing of the liver and pericardium blood and the ministerial fire in the san jiao. It is pungent dispersing of the heart and kidneys.
Shu jiao directly warms the Fire element. It works with gan jiang in warming cold that is causing cramping.