Zhi gan cao tang
sheng di huang 48 mai men dong 12 ejiao 6 ren shen 6 huo ma ren 12 gui zhi 9 sheng jiang 9 da zao 18 zhi gan cao 12
For cold damage with a pulse that is bound and intermittent and stirring heart palpitations, zhi gan cao tang governs.
Zhi gan cao tang treats deficiency taxation with insufficiency, there is sweating and oppression, a knotted pulse and palpitations, and although activities and movement is regular, it will not last more than one hundred days, and in dangerous cases, one day after eleven days.
Zhi gan cao tang treats lung wasting with abundant salvation and waves of warmth in the chest.
It treats a jue yin level taxation pattern while supporting tai yin and shao yin. It is the strongest blood and yin tonic in the Shnag Han Za Bing Lun.
This formula is based on the formula gui zhi qu shao yang tang. In tai yang disease, when after precipitation the pulse is skipping and there is fullness in the chest, gui zhi qu shao yao tang governs.
The bai shao has been removed from gui zhi tang to increase the tonifying of shao yin heart qi. Bai shao calms the Wood wind and would hold back the desired effect.
Sheng di huang, Rehmanniae radix recens is bitter draining of heat in the liver blood and the ministerial fire, heart and kidney. It is sweet nourishing and tonifying of the liver blood and kidney. It enters the heart and kidney channel and nourishes nutritive of blood while clearing heat from the yin layers.
Cold, sweet, and bitter sheng di huang nourishes through the shao yin kidney true water to infuse blood with nutritive to fill the jue yin Wood which increases yang by nourishing yin. It is bitter sweet cold heat clearing and yin nourishing. The cold bitter drains heat from deficiency and the sweet nourishes yin and blood.
Sheng di huang is always used fresh in the classic formulas because of its cooling nature. Replenish yin within the blood and to cool blood heat. Replenish the body’s yin reservoir of the kidney to nourish the liver fluids to build blood and counter deficiency heat. Enters heart and kidney channels and nourishes nutritive fluids while clearing heat from the yin layers. Clears deficiency heat and nourishes shao yin and jue yin fluids to contain the deficiency fire that disturbs the heart and causes mental unrest and vexation.
Mai men dong, Ophiopogonis radix is sweet tonifying and nourishing of the spleen and lung. Mai men dong is sweet, slightly bitter and cold and tonifies upper burner yin while eliminating mental unrest and vexation.
It tonifies qi and nourishes yin and mildly clears heat. It replenishes fluids and strengthens yin as the main component of blood. Mai men dong nourishes nutritive fluids and clears deficiency heat of the upper burner and buffers Wood. This clears the agitation at night and night sweats or the five center heat.
Mai men dong clears deficiency heat and moistens the stomach and lung yin. Also supports heart yin and so treats mental unrest or palpitations.
Ejiao, Asini corii colla is sweet tonifying and nourishing of the stomach and spleen. It directly nourishes the liver, kidney and heart blood. It is salty softening of yin and blood.
It strongly replenishes the water element through its animal nature and kidney-heart affinity. Combined with sheng di huang it strongly replenishes the nutritive fluids stored in the jue yin liver blood storage.
Ejiao builds yin and blood to revive the pulse and support the nutritive blood.
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.
The yin fluids from ren shen moderate excessive movement by anchoring yang with yin. It raises the original qi and gathering qi. It strengthens righteous qi and righteous qi is also called true qi and is a combination of original qi and gathering qi. All are dependent on the qi of shao yin and tai yin. Which in turn are dependent on the jue yin and shao yang for the ministerial fire in all three burners.
Ren shen is the motive force in this formula to keep the blood moving together with gui zhi. Its temperature is mildly warm and sweet and it tonifies tai yin spleen and lung qi. It nourishes yin fluids and therefore is the foremost qi and yin tonic.
Ren shen tonifies post heaven qi of tai yin and the pre heaven qi of shao yin.
Huo ma ren, Cannabis semen is pungent dispersing of the liver blood and the ministerial fire in the san jiao. It is pungent dispersing of the stomach domain to clear cold and allow the descent of Metal. It is sweet nourishing of dryness in the stomach domain, liver blood and the ministerial fire.
Neutral and sweet and contains abundant oils that moisten and lubricate the intestines.
Hou ma ren is usen only twice in the Shang Han Za Bing Lun. It moistens Wood dryness and the jue yin layer. It builds yin and blood to revive the pulse and support the nutritive blood.
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 the emperor because it warms the Wood to stir the imperial Fire. It warms the blood which tonifies the heart yang.
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.
Sheng jiang, Zingiberis rhizoma recens is pungent dispersing of the liver and pericardium blood and the ministerial fire in the san jiao. Sheng jiang is pungent dispersing of dampness and cold in the stomach domain, spleen and lung. Sheng jiang is pungent connecting of the tai yin with the tai yang. It supports raising of the clear qi to the chest and the 100 vessels.
Sheng jiang is pungent warm dispersing and is supporting gui zhi in warming the interior and surface.
Da zao, Jujubae fructus is sweet tonifying and moderating. It tonifies and nourishes the stomach domain, spleen, lungs, and heart. It directly nourishes the shao yin heart.
Gui zhi, da zao and zhi gan cao tonify and nourish the heart. Da zao calms excessive movement of Wood wind. . It mainly tonifies the spleen qi but also nourishes the heart qi and blood.
Zhi gan cao, Glycyrrhizae radix prep is sweet tonifying and nourishing of all organs but especially the heart.
Zhi gan cao is sweet and mildly warm tonifying and nourishing of yin fluids. It nourishes yin fluids in the tai yin and shao yin. It calms wind in the jue yin.
It balances the pungent gui zhi with its sweet moderation and nourishing. Together they form the formula gui zhi gan cao tang. When too much sweating has been promoted, and the person crosses both hands to cover one’s heart, with palpitations under the heart, and a desire to apply pressure, gui zhi gan cao tang governs.