5 Chinese Medicine texts you shouldn’t live without [Video]
I’ve been figuring out how to take Deepest Health to the next level. It seems important to start diversifying media. Text is great, but the power of the Internet doesn’t stop there. I’m going to begin experimenting with audio and video content to see how best to integrate them into Deepest Health. I’m planning a Podcast series, tentatively on Fridays, that will probably be me rambling about some of what I learned in the given week. I will also be adding interviews with professionals and students when I am able to get them. I will also do Video when possible, particularly when that medium will add something special to the given content.
In the video below, I’m mostly just getting used to the medium. I tried to provide some value for you folks, though, by talking about the five books that are practically glued to me right now. :) You’ll notice product links in the video, I hope they’re not too annoying. I’m also unsure whether RSS/Email subscription readers will be able to see the video - you may have to come to the site to see it. I encourage you to do so! Please give me feedback about this new format. Don’t worry, text will continue. Depending on the situation, I may offer transcripts to folks who request them because they aren’t capable of using the audio or video content. Contact me for more details.
Note: Brief reviews of the following texts are included in this video:
2. Arnaud Versluys’ and Heiner Fruehauf’s formulas text
(Link for the above text points to the NCNM bookstore - you may have to contact them by phone or email to order the book.)
3. Bensky’s Formulas and Strategies
4. Mitchell/Wiseman’s Shang Han Lun translation
5. Deadman’s Manual of Acupuncture
(Links for the last three texts are within the video itself.)
Enjoy!
If you like what you read here, you may want to keep updated by using my RSS feed. Want to know more about RSS/feeds? - read more here. Thanks for visiting!
Tags: Acupuncture, Blogging, book-review, books, chinese-herbs, formulas, videoRelated posts
Experiments in Chinese herbalism : on the dangers of Yin Qiao-itis
What follows is a guest post by my friend and comrade in Shang Han Lun love, G. Michael Reynolds over at the Lifegiving Sword. I think it demonstrates a couple of things.
- That experimenting with herbs can - obviously - bring mixed results. :)
- That there’s real peril in standardized systems of medicine. I believe, in general, they tend to make lazy practitioners. I mean, seriously, do you see Yin Qiao in that tongue?
- The power of Classical formula principles.
For any members of the general public currently reading, please don’t become too alarmed by this story. In all systems of medicine, there are ok practitioners, good practitioners, great practitioners and a few folks who shouldn’t but somehow DO make it into the practitioner pool. The difference between Chinese and allopathic medicine in this regard is that Chinese medicine is highly unlikely to kill people even when practiced badly, while allopathic medicine is somewhat less blessed.
This is one reason I am so passionate about the style of Chinese medicine that I am learning. In my experience the kinds of mistreatment problems described below are far less likely to happen within Classical styles. Enjoy this fun read.
Eric
__________________________________________________________________
From Michael: “This story involves a whole host of mistakes, the first and second of those made by me personally, the rest made by three different supervisors in the school clinic. The 3 doctors who led me down the wrong path will remain nameless, however I will point out that the doc who set things to rights is none other than our own Abdallah Stickley. Make what you will of it!”
So here’s the story. On a Sunday evening, I get suddenly sick right before bed. I mean instantaneously sick. My ear started kind of hurting, throat bothering me a little, was sort of dizzy, a slightly productive cough appeared, and some urethral pain (which i have sporadically anyway, but it changed quality a little and intensified). I went to bed determined to do something about it in the morning.
In the morning all the symptoms were the same, but with a little added intensity and a headache that would only appear at pinpoint locations on the GB channel (like GB-2, GB-14, GB-20) and only on one side. Also some retching, mostly due to the cough. I checked my pulse as best I could (always dodgy when you’re sick) and it seemed to me like it could have been considered (in TCM pulse parlance) rapid, slippery, and a bit tight, but also a bit deep at the same time. A mid level pulse, not coming up to the Qi level. So, determined to handle this via SHL style medicine, i wrote the following formula:
Chai Hu
Huang Qin
Gan Jiang
Ban Xia
Bai Shao
Zhi Gan Cao
Fu Ling
Wu Wei Zi
At this point I made a fateful mistake which this whole story turns on. I probably could have booted the whole thing out of my system had I added Gui Zhi. However, I panicked and did not put my full faith in the method I was using. Instead of thinking “quick onset, minor ear and throat irritation=Taiyang, Urethra and bladder pain=Water inhibition=Shaoyang,” I thought “TCM says ear pain is treated with Long Dan Cao. It also treats Liver channel issues like urethral pain. The throat part is covered by the Shaoyang part of this formula” and instead added Long Dan Cao. This formula was made with Teacher #1’s blessing.
That evening I woke up with the same symptoms more or less (adding in sneezing), except now I was getting some dark urine, a tiny bit of dark phlegm, and my pulse was now showing superficial, rapid, and slippery over all. I really panicked at this point, as I begin to think that I did the whole thing wrong. I started to think that the pathogen had time to turn into a heat condition, that despite evidence to the contrary, SHL formulas cannot treat Heat conditions, Wen Bing is right, TCM is right, and a whole other host of lunatic thoughts brought on by someone with Phlegm-Fire problems getting hit by a phlegm producing illness and waking up in the middle of the night….
In my panic I made my second mistake. I took a big hit of Yin Qiao Pian. It will not surprise you to know that within an hour I found myself on the couch thinking “wow…im FREEZING now…” In the morning, I took another YQP dose but half that of the previous one and trotted off to school, feeling worse. I decided that I’d swallow my pride and find a clinic supervisor to look me over and tell me what they thought, because clearly I had blown my own diagnosis and treatment. So, Teacher #2 gave me a looking over and suggested that I stick with the YQP, as it sounded like a heat condition due to the rapid pulse (which was now back down to the Blood depth again) and the dark urine in the morning coupled with the small amount of yellow phlegm. I complied and finished off my YQP that night.
The next morning, I felt worse (keep in mind that I’d already felt bad enough to leave school after an hour or two on both Monday and Tuesday). While in the truck, I got the Missus to take a picture of my tongue, which I present here:
(It may be hard to tell since this is a photo, but that coat-outside of the back area-is definitely a WHITE coat)
I went to school again, toughed it out for my half day class, arranged to be absent from my clinic shift the following day, came home, crashed. The next day, I was still worsening. By the end of the day, I broke down and went back to the clinic hoping to find another supervisor to evaluate. I managed to catch one on her way out the door and Teacher #3 gave me 10 minutes worth of diagnosis and prescription. She wrote a formula which I dont have in front of me, but which I think goes something like this:
Huang Qin
Long Dan Cao
Yu Xing Cao
Xing Ren
Gui Zhi
Wu Wei Zi
Ban Xia
Bai Shao
(It actually had 13 herbs, but these are the only ones i can remember. I’ll get the full list off my chart tomorrow. Basically its a cold, cold formula.)
So I filled this one, took it, next morning woke up feeling like I was going to suffocate. i had to cough for about 5 minutes solid to establish normal breathing. Not happy. However, continued to take the formula. Over the course of the next few days (Fri-Mon) I got marginal improvement at best but still felt horrendous. On Tuesday, I had class followed by clinic. By Clinic time I felt like I was going to die, so I threw myself on the mercy of Dr. Stickley, who did the diagnostics and Rx’ed the following formula:
Chai Hu
Huang Qin
Gan Jiang
Bai Shao
Ban Xia
Fu Ling
Wu Wei Zi
Gan Cao (we were out of Zhi gan Cao in the pharmacy)
Jie Geng
I took a dose in the clinic and then went home afterwards and went to bed.
Next morning, 75% improvement.
So there you have it. I still haven’t finished kicking this thing but I’ve only been on the sensible formula for a day. I’m thinking it may need a little Gui Zhi at some point if it doesnt resolve itself.
G. Michael Reynolds
Tags: chinese-herbs, errors, guest-post, shang-han-lunRelated posts
Understanding Chinese herbs using Classical Chinese Medical thinking
Sometimes I learn small things that turn out to be very useful. I would like to start sharing these as bite sized treats interspersed in between the thicker cuts that many of you are accustomed to here on Deepest Health. Today, I would like to offer one of those which is a way of thinking about herbs (and, thus, formulas) that I initially learned from my mentor, Dr. Arnaud Versluys. It’s a simple thing, maybe, but hopefully helpful to you.
In our Classical Chinese Medicine education here in Portland, OR, we are given a variety of types of information. I’ve talked about this several times before. We are sometimes told that truly Classical Chinese Medicine includes the information in the standard TCM system and includes information in the Western/allopathic system, but then goes outside of those reaching back to the Classical texts and cultivated ways of knowing. All of this information must be explored and, ultimately, integrated. We are encouraged to find that which really drives us and dive deep into that, but always asked to keep our minds open to the whole symbol field of information that human striving has uncovered.
In that spirit, consider the study of Chinese herbs. There’s a huge amount of information one could associate with any given single herb. The information has many different aspects - let us consider the relative materiality and the relative size (in time and/or space) of the information. We can create two axes. One from grossly material to highly immaterial, and one from microscopic to quite macroscopic. We can find useful information anywhere in the field created by these two axes. Let me provide a partial list of information along these two axes that I use to understand single Chinese herbs. The information will be listed from more material and more microscopic to less material and more macroscopic (obviously not a perfect gradation).
- Specific biochemical constituents, chemical bonding (for example, discussion of specific alkaloids)
- Classes of biochemical constituents, herb-herb interaction (for example, what are alkaloids?)
- Western medical physiological understanding (for example, discussion of the endocrine system)
- This might include information from Western medical studies/clinical trials
- Habitat and other botanical information (what kind of plant is this?)
- Chinese herbal category information (qi, flavor, channel affinity) and dosage information
- Contradictions (both Chinese and Western)
- Use of the herb through history in China (what formulas? what doctors? what contexts?)
- Understanding via various systems of differentiation (Ba Gan/8 Pillars, 6 Conformations, 5 Element)
- Information in various Classical texts concerning this herb other than what’s already been covered in another category
- Symbolism behind any of the previous categories of information (for instance, given the relevant habitat in which the herb grows - how can we understand it symbolically)
- Use of categories of information associated with the organ clock (If this is a Spleen herb, how can the symbolism of the snake help us think about it?
Let’s just look at a quick example on a very basic level using just some of the partial list above. Bai Shao, anyone?
白芍 Bái Sháo (Yào)
Biochemical constituents/other minute level Western information
- Paeoniflorin, albiflorin, oxypaeonifloring, benzoylpaeoniflorin, paeonin, hydorxypaeoniflorin (glycosides), gallotannin, d-catechin, eugeniin (tannins), benzoic acid, proteins and other constituents
- To extend this into the next category, we might be interested to look more deeply at the general function of glycosides and tannins, their function in the body and the families of things on the planet that either create or use them in high amounts. Of course this must all be evaluated symbolically.
- Herb-herb interaction? We might consider that Bai Shao is often paired with Gui Zhi, look into the chemical constituents of Gui Zhi and investigate, from a Western standpoint, what those interactions tend to produce.
- Herb-drug interaction? What drugs does Bai Shao resemble? What drugs does Bai Shao work poorly with? For instance, one is asked to have care when using Bai Shao for patients on anti-coagulants. What does this mean?
We could definitely find many clinical studies about Bai Shao and isolate what pharmacological effects allopathic medical researchers have found. A quick look tells me that some researchers have found that Bai Shao has:
- CNS suppressant, gastrointestinal, antibiotic, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, anti-platelet and cardiovascula effects
Habitat and other botanical information
Bensky tells us that Bai Shao is Paeonia lactiflora with the bark removed and that Chi Shao is a wildcrafted version of the same species - with bark intact. It would be interesting to know more about this distinction and to understand whether this distinction held during the Han dynasty. Anyone with information to that effect?
It is native to a large part of the area from Tibet through China up to Russia. It enjoys a wide range of habitats and the entire plant can be used medicinally or as food. This may help us to understand its rather broad range of effects and its extensive use in the classics.
Chinese herbal category information, inclusion in formulas
- Wei/Flavor: Bitter and sour
- Qi/Temperature: Slightly cold/cool
- Channel affinity: Liver and Spleen
- Dosage: Typically 6-15 grams
A quick search at Rootdown.us shows us that Bai Shao is included in 48 formulas. As the formula database is not complete on that site (it’s growing every day!) I’m certain the number is much higher. We could look at the usage of Bai Shao in each of those formulas and come to some conclusions about what kinds of effects it has and use those findings to further dive into the symbolism associated with the herb.
Use of the herb through the history of Chinese medicine, inclusion in various Classical texts
How did Zhang Zhong Jing use Bai Shao? How is this different from the way later physicians used it? What is said about Bai Shao in the Shennong Ben Cao Jing? This entry is getting a bit too long already, so I won’t delve into these questions — but you can see how the information would be very useful in coming to a full understanding of Bai Shao.
Understanding some of the above information more symbolically
Just as a quick example take the broad habitat adaptation of Bai Shao. It’s a relatively easy plant to grow - and it grows quickly. The Earth seems to want to give it to us in abundance. An herb that adaptable has to be important for the basic physiology of the body - one might think. Perhaps it lends itself to a certain adaptability in us as well.
Various systems of differentiation
Again, to save time I will be very brief. One way to understand Bai Shao is that it backs Wood off of Earth. This doesn’t mean that Wood has to be very excessive. Earth merely needs to be a bit under the weather (so to speak) and the normal amount of Wood will be too much for it. This is part of the way we can come to understand Bai Shao’s use in Xiao Jian Zhong Tang. One symptom one might find in a XJZT syndrome is mild muscle cramping or mild abdominal cramping due to a weak Earth being unable to resist the basically “normal” Wood energy. Bai Shao mildly backs Wood off of Earth so it can recover.
Organ clock and other high level theoretical constructs
Bai Shao is basically a Wood herb. How can we use the symbolism behind the Wood organs - Liver and Gallbladder, to come to a fuller understanding of Bai Shao? We can consider, perhaps, the symbol of the Ox or the Wood constellations in Chinese astronomy. We could look at the clock pair of the Liver and try to uncover any mysteries there.
—
Ok, so this turned out a little longer than I expected. My gut level instinct is simply this. While I am not personally interested in going down every little rabbit hole that the current information culture serves up for me, I am certainly open to embracing a wide variety of information sources. I find that when I am able to see an herb (and by extension a formula) from many angles, my relationship with it deepens. I can only assume that this is molding me into a better clinician. I’d be very interested to hear anyone else’s thoughts on this topic in the comments. Go on - take a chance!
Eric
Tags: chinese-herb, chinese-herbs, formula-science, formulas, herbs, integrative-medicine, scholar, study-methods, studying, western researchRelated posts
Multi-disciplinary herbal study - Huang Qi
Last term at NCNM, the Classical Chinese Medicine students in my class took a course with Paul Kalnins, an anthroposophical researcher and natural medicine superstar, about the pharmacology of natural substances. We were asked to write a paper about a particular herb, bringing together Chinese and Western information about it. I asked my class if anyone would be interested in bringing their paper public, and one brave soul took me up on my offer - Danit Polunsky. Below find the results of her research - lightly modified from the original. It’s been a while since I’ve talked about a single herb, so I thought this would be welcomed. I’ll put my paper up next - on Wu Zhu Yu.
Huang Qi: Astragalus Propinquus - aka: Astragalus membranaceu
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Astragalus
Species: A propinquus
Botany:
Huang qi prefers sandy to loamy soil, which is well drained, or even dry. Huang qi likes soil that is neutral & alkaline, in a sunny location; it will not grow in the shade. Huang qi, Astragalus membranaceus, is an herbaceous perennial with a deep straight tapering taproot.
Each flower has five petals; the banner is large and envelopes the rest of the petals in a bud, often relaxing when the flower blooms. The two adjacent petals are the wings, surrounding the two bottom petals with claws one and a half times the length of the limb. The two bottom petals are fused together at the apex, remaining free at the base and forming a boat-like keel. Together the petals are whorled into a bell shape (calyx campanulate), 8 to 9 mm long, forming a tube 3 times longer than the linear subulate lobes. Each flower is hermaphroditic with 10 stamen, 9 fused and 1 free. They are pollinated by bees, moths and butterflies. Huang qi’s flowers turn into legumes that are 10 to 13 mm long, papery and glabrous. The seeds are dark brown, kidney shaped, and 7 to 8 mm long.
The taproot grows 30 to 100 cm long and 0.5 to 2 (rarely 2.5 ) cm in diameter. It is twisted near the crown, wider at the top, and generally stripped of secondary rootlets. The outer surface is light grayish-yellow to yellowish-beige with longitudinal wrinkles irregularly dispersed throughout horizontal lenticel-like patterns. A cross section of the top portion of root reveals 2 to 3 mm thick light yellowish-white outer cortex surrounding light yellow xylem that look like cracks in larger roots. The root has an overall fibrous texture, making it difficult to break, a slightly starchy aroma, and a starchy, mildly sweet slightly acrid, bean-like taste. Many of the Fabaceae host diazotrophs in their root nodules. Diazotrophs take nitrogen gas out of the air and convert it into a form of nitrogen that is usable to the plant, such as ammonia, nitrate, and nitrogen dioxide, in a process called Nitrogen fixation. Nitrogen fixation is important for replenishing the soil nutrients
Traditionally, the roots of 4 to 5 year old plants are collected in the spring or autumn; the autumn harvest is superior to the spring harvest. In the autumn the qi is descending and internalizing in preparation for winter, which is reflected in the qi of the root herb. The spring qi is emerging upward and outward, striving for growth and spreading from the root into the leaves. After gathering, the roots are cleaned and graded according to size. Some roots are dried whole, while others are cut and sliced. Most authorities report increased potency and increased root size from plants in the Shanxi Province and Mongolia in western northeast China. The Huang qi samples from Shanxi province and Mongolia show high astragaloside I and II concentrations in fingerprint analysis tests.2 Comparative chemical analyses of roots of varying age show that the isoflavone and astragloside concentrations, the constituents correlated with activity, decrease as the diameter of the roots increases. Increasing age also correlates to a decrease in concentration of most constituents.
High quality roots are dry, but still supple and resistant to snapping. The outer surface is relatively unwrinkled, with a floury texture and a solid deep yellow core — in contrast to material which is lacking a core or roots in which the core is black or pithy.
Western Perspectives on Huang Qi activity:
Huang Qi is known for three main groups of active constituents. Flavonoids and isoflavanoids, which give the root slice a yellow color, are metabolized on the Shikimate pathway. Flavonoids are generally known for anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects which assist the body’s reaction to allergens, viruses, and carcinogens. It is believed that isofavanoid activity will help restore impaired immune systems. Saponins are common ingredients of Fabaceaea family members. Saponins are triterpenoids, formed through the mevalonic acid pathway. Saponins are common adaptogens, known to enliven blood circulation and resolve phlegm. Huang qi also has long-chain polysaccharides with potential medicinal benefit mediated by white blood cells.
The majority of Western research on Huang qi is focused on its immune stimulation activity and its ability to restore the activity of a suppressed immune system. In an epidemiological study in China, 1000 individuals were administered Huang qi orally or as a nasal spray to test its preventative effects in upper respiratory illnesses. The incidence of common colds decreased on the whole, and the duration of the colds contracted was shortened dramatically.
Huang qi’s remarkable ability to restore the functioning of a suppressed immune system has been labeled within Chinese medicine as fu zheng gu ben, “restore the correct and secure the root.” It is used to enhance non-specific immunity, protect adrenal cortical function during radiation and chemotherapy, and ameliorate bone marrow depression.4 Studies report general immune stimulation that include increased stem cell generation of blood cells and platelets, increased lymphocyte proliferation, increased numbers of antibody producing cells, increased numbers of spleen cells, stimulation of phagocytic activity by macrophages and leukocytes, and increased cytotoxicity by natural killer cells.
In the body, Astragalus increases the activities of Th-1 cytokines and decreases Th-2 cytokines. Th1 cytokines protect against intracellular pathogens like viruses and some bacteria, and are implicated in organ transplant rejection and miscarriage. By inhibiting the production of Th 2 cykotones, Huang qi inhibits the defense against extracellular pathogens, but may exacerbate allergies and asthma.5
In China, Huang Qi is used widely in treating cancer, both as a primary treatment and as an adjunct to chemical and radiation therapies. Most frequently Huang qi is combined with Chuan Xiong (lingusticum wallichii). In a number of randomized prospective clinical studies of cancer patients using a combination of Huang qi and Chuan Xiong, it was found that breast cancer patients given a combination of these herbs as an adjunct to irradiation treatments showed a decrease in deaths from 1 in 2, to 1 in 10. The exact formulas and ratios are not recorded, and in practice may vary due to individual constitution. In another study of patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer, the effectiveness of conventional chemotherapy was compared to the effectiveness of chemotherapy in conjunction with the Huang qi and Chuan Xiong formula. Patients with squamous carcinoma showed a significant increase in survival time averaging 204 to 465 days; patients with adenocarcinoma showed a less significant increase in survival from 192 to 324 days6.
Huang qi’s antioxidant activity has been studied in its benefit to the cardiovascular system and has shown improvement in clinical parameters associated with angina, congestive heart failure, and acute myocardial infarct. A number of isoflavonoids have been identified with free radical scavenging activity, and Huang qi’s polysaccharides also report prevention of free radical damage.
A Classical Chinese Medicine Perspective:
Huang Qi’s recorded use dates back to the first century AD in the Shennong Bencao Jing, the Divine Husbandman’s Classic of Materia Medica, in which Huang qi is classified as a “superior herb.” The superior herbs are “rulers…they control the maintenance of life and correspond to heaven. They do not have a markedly medicinal effectiveness. Taking [Huang qi] in large amounts or over a long period of time is not harmful to man. If one wishes to take the material weight from the body, to supplement the influences [circulating in the body], and to prolong the years of life without aging” these herbs should be used.1 Crude Huang qi extract tested on rats and mice confirm Huang qi’s safety - no toxic reactions or mutagenic effects occurred.
According to the Ben Cao Bei Yao, Essentials of Materia Medica “When used in harmonizing preparations, it tonifies and supplements; in sweating preparations it relieves the surface; in cooling preparations, it drains pathogenic heat; in moistening preparations, it nourishes the yin and blood.”
Wang Haogu, an herbalist of the Jin-Yuan reform period, maintains that “Huang qi replenishes the defensive and, therefore, is a medicinal for the exterior. It boosts the spleen and stomach and, therefore, is medicinal for the center. Since it is able to treat cold damage with the cubit pulse not arriving, it supplements the kidney origin and, hence, is medicinal for the internal.” Through this explanation, Huang qi is seen as a broadly useful tonic ingredient to include in prescriptions.10
Huang qi’s sweet flavor and slightly warm nature tonifies the Spleen, Lung, and Zheng qi. It aids in replenishing the blood, uplifting yang, securing the exterior and reinforcing wei qi. It promotes growth of new tissue, urination, and suppuration. It circulates qi, reducing edema, and it drains yin fire. 8
Huang qi strongly tonifies the yuan qi. It restores both of the Spleen’s major functions; transformation and transportaion of yang qi drawn from the food into circulation via the Spleen’s other function of building new blood. When qi is strong it can more effectively impel the circulation of blood, which in turn helps resolve disease. Strengthening qi to move blood indirectly eliminates blood stasis without injuring zheng qi, as applied in the Bu Yang Huan We Tang: Tonify Yang to Restore the Five Decoction. The chief herb is Huang qi at 120 g, while the supporting herbs are dosed at 3 to 6 g to give the blood an extra, gentle push. 11 It is also often used to assist in recovery after severe blood loss and to promote healing. It is especially helpful from its Lung affiliation in enhancing eliminative functions of skin, especially promoting healing or elimination of non-healing or non-festering chronic sores or ulcerations. 8
The five best know formulas utilizing Huang qi are
|
Formula name |
Uses
|
Astragalus |
|
Buzhong Yiqi Tang |
Spleen/stomach deficiency with symptoms of fever, spontaneous sweating, shortness of breath, fatigue, organ prolapse. |
20 g |
|
Yiqi Congming Tang |
Qi deficiency and failing of yang to rise with symptoms of impairment of vision or hearing. |
15 g |
|
Guipi Tang |
Qi and blood deficiency with symptoms of anxiety, palpitation, insomnia, night sweating, fatigue, bleeding. |
30 g |
|
Shiquan Dabu Tang |
Qi, blood and yang deficiency with symptoms of fatigue, asthmatic breathing, bleeding |
15 g |
|
Yupingfeng San |
Qi deficiency with symptoms of spontaneous sweating and susceptibility to wind invasion. |
30 g |
|
Danggui Buxue Tang |
Generates blood in severely deficient patient, usually after excessive uterine bleeding |
30g 83% |
Resources:
1. Upton, Roy. Astragalus Root.American Herbal Pharmacopoeia and Therapeutic Compendium August 1999.
2. Wagner, Hildebert; Bauer, Rudolf; Peigen, Xiao; Jianming, Chen; Michler, Hans. Radix Astragali Chinese Drug Monographs and Analysis. Vol. 1, No. 8 1997
3. Chang HM, But PH. Pharmacology and Applications of Chinese Materia Medica vol. 2. Singapore World Sci.
4. Lau, BH; Ong, PY; Tosk, JM. Macrophage chemiluminescence modulated by Chinese medicinal herbs Astragalus membranaceus and Lingustrum lucidum. 1989.
5. Phaneuf, Holly. Herbs Demystified. Herbs Demystified, Marlow and Company, 2005.
6. Marazzoni, P; Bombardelli, E. Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch) Bunge. Scientific documentation 30 Mar 1994.
7. Wang, D; Shen, W; Tian, Y; Sun, Z; Yuan, S; Jiang, C. the effects of the three components isolated from Astragalus mongholicus Bunge on scavenging Free Radical. Zhongguo Yaolixue Tongbao. 1994.
8. Bensky, Dan; Gamble, Andrew. Chinese Herbal Medicine Materia Medica revised edition. Eastland Press, Seattle.1993.
9. Zhang, WD; Zhang, C; Liu, RH; Li, HL; Zhang, JT; Mao, C; Moran, S; Chen, CL. Preclinical pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of a natural cardioprotective agent astragaloside IV in rats and dogs doi:10.1016/j.lfs.2006.02.032
10. Dharmananda, Subhuti PhD. ASTRAGALUS, Practical Aspects of Administering the Herb. Institute for Traditional Medicine, Portland, Oregon http://www.itmonline.org/arts/astragalus.htm
11. Bensky, Dan; Barlet, Randall; Formulas and Strategies. Eastland Press, Seattle 1990.
Tags: Character, chinese-herb, chinese-herbs, chinese-medicine-research, guest-post, herbs, huang qi, pharmacology, western-scienceRelated posts
How would a sage care for the planet?
April has already begun and I’ve spent quite a bit of time thinking about the habit I would like to develop in pursuit of a more sagely existence. First, let’s recap what was said in the inaugural Year of Sagely Living post:
April - Large Intestine, Mao 卯 (Rabbit) - Care of the planet/consumption: This category will contain practices that develop us into compassionate and sane consumers, while helping to develop our deep relationship with the natural world. Why this pairing? April is a time when we can see the beauty of nature all around us, so is a great time to contemplate our dependence on it and responsibility towards it. Also, the negative side of LI/Rabbit is a tendency to run rough-shod over the needs and wants of others, these practices will seek to counterbalance this.
My lifestyle is already very much concerned with what I would call “compassionate consumerism,” which is to say that I consider the human and non-human ramifications of my actions every time I buy, consume or discard something. I recycle about 20 times more than I throw away, my version of whole-foods veganism lives lightly on the planet, I use my own two feet and public transportation most of the time, so on and so forth. Looking for a way to leave the planet in better shape than I found it has been a sort of part-time job of mine. So, figuring out an excellent practice for April’s Year of Sagely Living both had more weight and seemed more challenging.
At the end of March, I really took some time to review the whole Year of Sagely Living project. I have a passion for personal development, and my thoughts and actions naturally tend in this direction. However, “regular” personal development is not what my schooling, future career, and this blog are really about! The point is to look at categories of practice that seem to be aligned with the essence of Chinese medical philosophy, live by them, and analyze the results. The hypothesis is that these practices, particularly when they are very deeply rooted in Chinese medical philosophy, will be productive of excellent human beings. What I’m getting to here is that I want to be sure that I stay connected to the aim of reaching back to the ancient wisdom.
So, when considering my April YSL goal, I really tried to consider what kind of practice I could do that would bring me in line with the overall aim of the project. I’ve decided, with my family, to try to grow as much of our produce as possible in our backyard. I have been trying for a long time to develop the habit of growing food. We have beautiful houseplants and have managed to grow some excellent flowers, shrubs and trees in our yard. We have several fruit trees, raspberry bushes, and now a strawberry patch. We have had a container garden on our back stoop for two years running that was mildly successful. Now we have the space and the desire to really make a push and create a beautiful, bountiful space to provide our fruit and vegetable needs and we should use it.
This goal is ideal in a number of respects. First, it really brings us into line with our desire to buy the majority of our food locally. We shop at our local coop which has this goal as one of its goals, so we generally eat food that comes from pretty close to home. However, growing it in our yard would take that to another level. Eating locally is one of the greatest things you can do to reduce your environmental impact, as it reduces theamounto of petroleum used to get you the things you eat. It has a number of residual benefits as well, such as strengthening the local economy. We are making an attempt to make this even more petroleum-neutral by using public transportation when we can to get things for our garden, sharing some supplies (and their transportation) with a garden-savvy friend, etc…
Another reason why this goal is ideal for the YSL is that it connects the two vital practices of interacting with nature and ensuring the viability of our ecosphere. Chinese medicine has nature observation and contemplation at its root. Watching the cycle of growth, death, and rebirth will certainly deepen my understanding of this root. Third, there are a number of health benefits involved in growing a significant portion of our food. Micro-agriculture seems to yield more Qi-laden veggies, having lots of veggies around will promote us to eat them more often and the work itself (when done mindfully) can be tremendously good exercise. Finally, I really believe that interacting with nature on this level will confer some spiritual benefits - improving my general level of personal cultivation.
Some details:
- We will be growing the following: two kinds of kale, two kinds of chard, two kinds of lettuce, lots of tomatoes, potatoes, broccoli, summer squash, delicata squash, cucumbers, spicy peppers, chicory, carrots, fennel, basil, oregano and maybe a couple of other herbs. I will be seeking out Chinese herbs to grow as well. I know our local Classical Chinese Garden sometimes has plant sales.
- We will be using all organic soil amendments and pest control.
- We will not be using any machines in creation of the garden.
- We will be using heirloom varieties whenever possible, open pollinated.
- We will be using raised beds created from recycled wood (left in our yard by the landlord) or FCS certified wood
I will discuss the particulars of my experience and probably even find a way to post pictures of the garden as it grows. This will obviously be more than a month, but I will use my Year of Sagely Living intensity to really engage in the process of setting up the garden and getting it in the ground and then do periodic reports as time goes on. I can’t wait to hear about other people’s April Year of Sagely Living goals!
Eric
Tags: chinese-herb, chinese-herbs, environment, environmentalism, garden, habits, nature, organic, Personal Development, Year of Sagely Living
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