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
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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
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Tags: chinese-herbs, errors, guest-post, shang-han-lunRelated posts
Pregnancy in Chinese medical texts
I’m away at a Qigong retreat this weekend (we take one a term in the Classical Chinese Medicine program at NCNM), but didn’t want to leave you folks without content. :) Two fellow bloggers were kind enough to offer posts - one from G. Michael Reynolds over at the Life Giving Sword and the other from Yael Ernst at Chinese Medicine Notes. I hope you will enjoy them both.
First up, Yael with her post about Pregnancy in Chinese medical texts. I don’t talk much about women’s health here, but not because I have no interest in it. I think this will provide a good introduction for folks who are wondering what Chinese medicine has to say about the process of pregnancy and its effects on the female body.
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In the post The Foundation of Pregnancy we looked at the physical aspect of pregnancy in women. In this post I would like to present what Sun Si Miao (http://www.taijichinesemedicine.com/sunsimiao.htm) wrote regarding the pregnancy itself. But, before I talk about Sun Si Miao, I would like to present Ye Heng Yin, and his description of conception. Ye Heng Yin was a gynecology expert from the Qing dynasty. He wrote the Nu Ke Zhi Nan (A Guide to Gynecology).
In this guide, Yin says that the Tian Gui is the contribution of the father and the mother, the form of heaven and true Qi that are formed in the body. The essence and blood that changed form, from fluids and grains, are the root of the creation of post-heaven. In males- Tian Gui arises at 8X2 (16), since men are Yang and belong to the sun. That is why their daily essence becomes more and more vital. In females - Tian Gui arises at 7X2 (14), since women are Yin and belong to the moon. That is why their blood flows out of the body once a month. At the time when man and woman unite, the original Qi of pre-heaven, the essence of post heaven, the blood, the Yin and the Yang all gather together. This allows for the arrival of children.
One must not treat or touch the meridian during it’s month of effect on the pregnancy
Moving now to Sun Si Miao… He explains that in each month, the fetus is nourished by a different channel and each has it’s own different effect and impact on pregnancy. The pulse of the organ system involved will be weak, as its Qi nourishes the fetus. If during treatment we need to address the channel during its month of effect, we can do so. We simply have to use indirect methods. We can access the organ system through the Back-shu points or by treating a paired organ (using five element or six conformation pairing, or some other).
Now for some specifics regarding the individual months of pregnancy…
1st month
Gestation of Raw Material. The fetus is like a dew drop!
The meridian of this month: Liver. The liver has a role in everything that has to do with the period and during pregnancy. This reminds us of the power of spring.
2nd month
The fetus is at the level of CV3. The fetus is referred to as Gao - fertility dough.
The meridian of the month: Gall Bladder. The GB is in charge of the essences. We still have the energetic influence of spring, the breakthrough of life. Since this month is very important for the fetus to be rooted in the uterus, it is a resting time for the mother.
3rd month
The beginning of the embryo. The fetus is like a silkworm’s pupa.
The meridian of the month: Pericardium. You can read more about Pericardium through a Classical Chinese Medicine perspective at Deepest Health.
4th month
The fetus connects with the Dantian. The body and form are becoming much more solidified.
The meridian of the month: San Jiao/Triple Burner
The element of the month: Water. The Zhi of the mother goes to the fetus. The first 3 months are very basic and there’s no certainty. As of the 4th month there’s a good chance for the fetus to survive the pregnancy and the elements come into the picture as do heavenly energies. When matter has the vital potential for life the rest of the elements come in.
5th month
The Uterus is being held firm in its place. One can feel the fetus moving in the Uterus.
The meridian of the month: Spleen. It is recommended to the mother to do things in their right timing and in a balanced way. The balance and stability of Earth needs to be invoked.
The element of the month: Fire. The Shen of the mother goes to the fetus.
6th month
The fetus is like a fish in its mother Uterus. It has real stability and form.
The meridian of the month: Stomach. The eyes and mouth are developing and the 5 tastes are in the fetus’ mouth. Salivary glands also develop in this month. It is recommended for the mother to eat delicate and sweet food.
The element of the month: Metal. The Po of the mother goes to the fetus.
7th month
The fetus grows big. The hair, the bones and ligaments are formed and all the sense organs are developing.
The meridian of the month: Lung. It is said that the mother should avoid cold, yelling and crying.
The month of the month: Wood. The Hun of the mother goes to the fetus.
8th month
Zang Fu completed.
The meridian of the month: Large Intestine. The 9 orifices are completed at this point.
The element of the month: Earth. The Yi of the mother goes to the fetus.
It is said that the mother’s spirit should be calm so not to create shocks in the Qi flow. One can feel the reactions of the fetus according the mother’s moods.
9th month
The fetus receives the Jade essence, which is the seal of approval that everything is ready.
The meridian of the month: Kidneys. It is recommended to the mother to avoid tight clothes and to eat sweet food.
10th month
Fetus is ready to come out.
The meridian of the month: Bladder. It is possible to treat this meridian if there’s a need to start labor or if you want to turn the fetus from a breech position. All the Yin organs are completed, the Yang organs are clear from stagnations, the heaven and earth were absorbed, the spirit of the man (fetus) is complete and all that is left is to be born. The mother should concentrate on the Dantian.
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Bibliography:
Extraordinary Fu- Elisabeth Rochat de la Vallee and Claude Larre
Chinese Gynecology studies with Yael Saslove- 2006- Israel
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From the Editor (Eric): With all of this in mind, how can we extend our understanding of pregnancy from a Chinese medicine perspective? How can we best advise our patients during their pregnancy? It seems that most Western people in contemporary times want to live their normal lifestyle during and directly after pregnancy, not taking the time necessary to fully nourish themselves and their fetus. What are the consequences of this? We would all love to hear your ideas and experiences in the comments.
Tags: Classical Texts (general), guest-post, pregnancy, sun si miao, women's healthRelated 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
Classical Chinese medical symbolism: Wood, Metal and Spring
Today I am featuring the first part of a two part guest post by my friend and colleague at NCNM, Michael “Delli” Dell’orfano. His article is a fine elaboration of the ideas I briefly presented in my post about Rest and Activity in the Year of Sagely Living. I will post the remainder of the article over the next few days. It will be followed up by another series that I’ve authored myself concerning treating external invasions with Classical Chinese Medicine. Before I get on with the article, a few housekeeping announcements. First, if you haven’t read through the comments on the last post, “Does Chinese Medicine Cure Disease,” I definitely recommend you do so. Second, if you have interest in following my progress in the Year of Sagely Living, be sure to visit that page and scroll down a bit where you can read my somewhat frequent updates. Third, if you haven’t already subscribed to the RSS feed or email newsletter, why don’t you take the time to do so now? Without further ado…
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As the vernal equinox approaches we find ourselves situated in the season of spring according to the Chinese calendar, yet the organ systems clock tells us that this time of year corresponds with the Lung and Large Intestine organ systems. How does one make any sense of this?
The relationship of the Wood organ systems and the Metal organ systems of Chinese Medicine can be understood through the use of Yin Yang theory. Yin Yang theory is one of the fundamental principles upon which our medicine was founded, and so I think it is worthwhile to explain a bit about the Taiji (太極) symbol (often called the Yin Yang symbol) and how it originated. It is important to keep in mind that ancient Chinese medicine is a science of movement and energy consisting of symbols. Symbols are bridges between matter and consciousness since they have the potential to resonate at the same frequency. The quality of the frequency can reveal to us similarities between the physical world and the holographic world. On one level, symbols are meant to be a simple way to convey an idea, but at the same time these symbols contain vast amounts of information that we must first comprehend in order to use them effectively.
Upon observation of the symbol we can notice the contrast in color. Light and dark are contained within it, but do not disregard the fact that a dark circle exist within the light area and vice versa. The fact that Yin always exists within Yang, and Yang within Yin, tells us that nothing is purely Yin or purely Yang, but rather that all life is a mixture of Yin and Yang. In my opinion, this clue leads us to reason that the two are mutually dependent on one another for the continuation of life. The shape of the Taiji is a circle, which tells us that it relates to infinity or completeness. We also get a sense of movement when we look at the way the dark and light shades are drawn in. These clues turn out to be very important because the Taiji is telling us that yin yang theory can be used to explain the movements of nature, because it is based on the movement of the seasons, and thus the Wu Xing (五 行, five elements, five phases, five phase movements) are closely related to it.
The Taiji symbol originated from the ancient sages who observed the cycle of the Sun using an eight foot long pole posted in the ground at a right angle to record the position of the Sun’s shadow throughout the year. They found that the length of the year was 365.25 days and then divided the year up into twenty-four segments including the solstices and the equinoxes using the sunrise and Big Dipper positions. They used six concentric circles, marked twenty-four segments points, divided the circle into twenty-four sectors, and then recorded the length of the shadow each day. After connecting the lines and dimming the portion between the solstices they created a picture that looked like the modern day Taiji symbol.
The Taiji symbol is actually a diagram charting the movement of the Sun so that the ancients could then use this information to better understand the world. This scientific breakthrough would allow the ancient sages to better understand our relationship to time and space and give them a starting point for classifying different types of energies.
The yin yang theory background is pertinent to understanding the Wu Xing (五 行, five elements, five phases, five phase movements) because they resonate on many levels. Both the wu xing and yin and yang move in cycles throughout the seasons. One interpretation/understanding of the Wu Xing I came across stated that the elements are not five distinct things, but are one cosmic force, differentiated into five appearances by time and space. Maybe this is good way to think about them because when first learning Chinese medicine many students tend to think of Jin (金, metal) and Mu (木, wood/flora) as being enemies since “Metal chops down Wood”. It is better to think of them as having a complementary relationship, because truly they balance one another out in a physiological state. When the relationship is in balance, Jin/metal works along the Ke (control) cycle to keep Mu in check since wood/flora can become relentless. If Jin over controls
Mu, then our internal “forest” would be destroyed and a pathological process would be underway.
Nature can also be described by Tian Gan Di Zhi (天幹 heavenly stems and 地支 earthly branches). Together, the ten Heavenly Stems and twelve Earthly Branches create the energy of the time and space continuum. Chinese think of the year as energy moving in a circular motion, while in the Western civilization we think of time as linear. The stems and branches were originally a counting system used to keep track of hours, days, months, and years by the ancients after they had discovered the world moves in circles or cycles as proven by the Sun diagram. In the seasons, Jin/metal represents fall and relates to the Tian Gan (heavenly stems) Geng 庚 and Xin 辛, while Mu/wood represents spring and relates to the Tian Gan Jia 甲 and Yi 乙. Jia is the first Tian Gan, and it is classified as yang wood in character, while Yi, the second Tian Gan, is considered yin wood in character. Both are associated with the springtime.
Jia 甲 is picture of a very hard tree with scales or armor around it. The traditional Chinese etymology is the idea of a helmet on a big man. It also had the meaning of a claw gripping tightly on to something, meaning very great strength and protection. Yi 乙 represents the idea of a seed of a plant which is breaking through the earth. Together Jiayi means the movement of life as it bursts open. The spring season represents the movement of Heaven and Earth coming together after being separated in the fall and winter.
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Editors note: I regret having to cut off Delli’s article here, there were really no great stopping points. However, the whole article would be too long to digest on the web in one sitting! In the next part of this article, we will learn more about metal and the interplay between the symbolism of both metal and wood.
Tags: autumn, Character, classical-chinese-medicine, etymology, fall, five phases, guest-post, Organ systems, Seasons, spring, symbolic-thinking, symbolism, taiji, yin yang symbol, yinyangRelated posts
Exploring the World of Classical Chinese Medicine
Please enjoy this guest post by my friend and classmate, Christopher Thombs, Candidate, M.S. in Oriental Medicine at NCNM.
Reprinted (in abbreviated form)in Oregon Acupuncture Association newsletter, Fall2007
Classical Chinese medicine celebrates bian hua, or the breath of nature. Only through unrestricted movement of breath will the body and spirit function optimally. Bian hua is a river flowing freely, the energy of spring surging up from seed, and the ebb and flow of the seasons. Our bodies are simply an expression of nature and our environment. As practitioners of Chinese medicine, it benefits us to lay the paradigm of natural processes over the landscape of our bodies. In modern Chinese medicine we have diagnostic and treatment protocols that are the products of studies, past recorded successes, and organized systems devised by doctors in China in the mid-twentieth century based on ancient knowledge — but we have lost something important to the ages.
In his college youth, Mao Tse Tung believed that China was isolated from the outside world, particularly the west, both in terms of cultural growth and social progress. By the late 1940’s, the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) had systematized thousands of years of medical knowledge. This enormous task aligned itself with a cultural revolution that saw the streamlining and regulation of everything from farming techniques to automobile axles and road widths. China wanted at the very least to compete with the rest of the world. Many of the practices and sources of information regarded as esoteric and ethereal in the context of the modern industrial world were simply deleted. Nature and its processes — the very foundation of the medicine — were all but forgotten.
Today, Classical Chinese medicine is a tenuous term, utilized mostly by those in the west seeking to reclaim the missing knowledge. There is, in the mainstream Chinese medical establishment, almost no institutionalized distinction between modern and classical perspectives, yet the classical teachings and treatment protocols do exist in the form of transmissions between student and teacher. Relatively speaking, a classical approach seeks to restore to the medicine the holism of nature and the holographic notion that our bodies are simply an expression of nature: there is something greater than ourselves, and we are a part of it.
Classical Chinese medicine is not exclusive, but rather embraces all the traditions and schools that existed for thousands of years either before relative popular decline or systematic elimination by the PRC in the 1940’s. It is important to understand that classical Chinese medicine recognizes the Wen Bing school, the canonical Shan Han Bin Lun, Six Conformation differentiation, the Bagua and medical I-Ching, and Taoist medicine, just to note a few sources. Additionally, much of the cosmological significance and symbology have been removed from most schools in the medicine, although many of our modern practices are based on this seemingly esoteric information.
Most classical Chinese medicine schooling in the west provides a platform to study and explore classical Chinese medical texts, texts which the majority of modern practices stem from. In Larre and Rochat de la Vallee’s series of publications about the organ systems and meridians, they examine in detail the symbology and cosmology of the Chinese characters in the medical classics in order to reveal valuable pathological and diagnostic information. Several translations of the Su Wen Nei Jing and other medical volumes are also accompanied by commentaries that explore the meanings and place them in a contemporary context.
At the National College of Natural Medicine, the goal of the School of Classical Chinese Medicine is to provide students with a strong classroom and clinical education in modern practices based on classical canonical medicine, while promoting a mentorship program of learning with individual doctors. It is the hope of the school that students gain as much from the transmission between teacher and student as from their books and studies. A number of students are also involved in extra-curricular projects and organizations, from student governance and AAAOM, to websites and publishing projects with individual doctors.
To say that classical Chinese medicine is one thing or another is to open a political can of worms. One thing is sure: we can never have too much knowledge. Problems arise when we mute or curtail knowledge to meet desired results. We can take courses in Chinese medical astrology and calligraphy or translate the Jingyue Quanshu, improve ourselves as practitioners through qigong and taiji practices, and study herbs and nutrition with great depth. Ultimately, however, it behooves us to acknowledge the inherent relationships between the parts of the whole and the natural processes at work in our bodies that have been embedded in these traditions from their inception, and are part of nature forever.
- Christopher
Tags: Acupuncture, Character, classical-chinese-medicine, guest-post, professional-development
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