True Warrior Decoction
Chinese Prescription: Zhen Wu Tang
English Translation: True Warrior Decoction
Formula Type: Warm and Transform Water and Dampness
Actions: Warms the yang & promotes urination.
Indications: Abdominal pain that is aggravated by cold, urinary difficulty, & deep aching & heaviness in the extremities. There may also be generalized edema, loose stools, dizziness, heavy sensation in the head, palpitations, coughing, & vomiting. The tongue is pale or dark & swollen with tooth marks, & has a white, slippery coating. The pulse tends to be submerged, thin, & forceless. Also for externally-contracted disorders with sweating that does not reduce the fever, palpitations in the epigastrium, dizziness, generalized twitching, the patient feeling unstable on their feet as if they were about to fall, a white, slippery tongue coating, & a submerged, thin, & forcelss pulse.
Contraindications: Unknown.
Pinyin | English | Suggested Dosage |
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view: Fu Zi |
Aconite | 9g |
view: Bai Zhu |
White Atractylodes | 6g |
view: Fu Ling |
Poria | 9g |
view: Sheng Jiang |
Fresh Ginger | 9g |
view: Bai Shao Yao |
Peony | 9g |
Fu Zi / Aconite Root (Treated) | |||
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Taste: Acrid • Temperature: Hot • Category: Warm Interior & Expel Cold • Sub Category: | |||
Dosage1.5-15g, boil 30-60 min before adding other ingredients to reduce toxic properties |
Actions1. Restores devastated yang: for devastated yang disorders where the yang qi is extremely weak & the cold yin is abundant. Symptoms include diarrhea containing undigested food particles, chills, cold extremities, & a faint or imperceptible pulse. This condition often occurs after severe vomiting, diarrhea, or sweating. This herb is critical in these situations since it both assists the Heart yang to unblock the vessesls & improve circulation, & tonifies the Kidney yang to augment the fire & avoid loss of the basal yang.2. Warms the fire & assists the yang: for any problem associated with weakness or deficiency of the Heart, Spleen, or Kidney yang. It is a widely used herb, especially when the pattern involves interior cold due to yang deficiency. 3. Disperses cold, warms the channels, & alleviates pain: for wind-damp-cold painful obstruction, especially when cold is predominant. Also for cold blocking the Organs, channels, sinews, bones, or blood vessels. |
MeridiansHeart, Kidney, Spleen |
CautionsContraindicated in cases of yin deficiency with illusionary cold & true heat, & during pregnancy. Traditionally this herb was not to be used together with bei mu, gua lou, bai ji, ban xia, or bai wei. According to some traditional sources, this herb antagonizes wu gong & counteracts xi jiao & lu dou. Note that the latter two substances are used to reduce the toxicity of this herb. Toxicity: Fu zi is a very toxic herb. Toxicity waivers widely depending on the source of the herb, when it was harvested, how it was prepared, & how long it was decocted. Preparation usually removes much of the toxicity. A toxic dose is usually far above normal level, on the order of 15-60g. Clinically, atropine has been very effective in treating overdosage of this herb. When gan cao & gan jiang are combined with this herb in decoctions, its toxicity is substantially diminished. Xi jiao, jin yin hua & lu dou also reduce its toxicity. Signs of toxic overdose include drooling, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, lightheadedness, blurred vision, & numbness in the mouth & extremities. In advanced cases there may be premature atrial contractions, dyspnea, tremors, incontinence, stupor, & reduced temperature & blood pressure. |
Bai Zhu / Atractylodes (White) Rhizome | |||
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Taste: Bitter, Sweet • Temperature: Warm • Category: Tonic • Sub Category: Tonify Qi | |||
Dosage4.5-9g |
Actions1. Tonifies the Spleen & augments the qi: for Spleen or Stomach deficiency with such symptoms as diarrhea, fatigue, lack of appetite, & vomiting.2. Strengthens the Spleen & dries dampness: for digestive disorders due to Spleen yang failing to rise, with loss of its ability to transform & subsequent accumulation of dampness. Also for edema & reduced urination associated with Spleen deficiency. Used as an auxiliary herb for damp painful obstruction. 3. Stabilizes the exterior & stops sweating: for spontaneous sweating due to qi deficiency. 4. Strengthens the Spleen & calms the fetus: for restless fetus disorder, especially when due to Spleen deficiency. Also for other types of this disorder when combined with appropriate herbs. |
MeridiansSpleen, Stomach |
CautionsContraindicated in cases of yin deficiency with heat signs, or injured fluids. |
Fu Ling / Poria, Hoelen, Tuckahoe | |||
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Taste: Sweet, Bland • Temperature: Neutral • Category: Drain Damp • Sub Category: | |||
Dosage9-15g, up to 60g |
Actions1. Promotes urination & leaches out dampness: for urinary difficulty, diarrhea, or edema due to stagnation of fluids or dampness. Also used in cases of scanty urine due to damp-heat (more often in its red form).2. Strengthens the Spleen & harmonizes the middle burner: for Spleen deficiency compounded by dampness with such symptoms as loss of appetite, diarrhea, & epigastric distention. 3. Strengthens the Spleen & transforms phlegm: for Spleen deficiency with congested fluids in which phlegm moves upward with such symptoms as palpitations, headache, dizziness, & a thick, greasy tongue coating. 4. Quites the Heart & calms the spirit: for palpiations, insomnia, or forgetfulness. |
MeridiansHeart, Spleen, Lung |
CautionsContraindicated in cases of frequent, copious urine due to cold from deficiency. May counteract di yu, qin jiao & bie jia. Taking this herb in large doses or long-term is discouraged. |
Sheng Jiang / Ginger (market fresh) Rhizome | |||
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Taste: Acrid • Temperature: Warm • Category: Exterior Releasing - Warm • Sub Category: | |||
Dosage3-9g |
Actions1. Releases the exterior & disperses cold: for exterior cold patterns.2. Warms the middle burner & alleviates vomiting: for cold in the Stomach, especially where there is vomiting. 3. Disperses cold & stops coughing: for coughing due to both acute wind-cold cough patterns & chronic Lung disorders with phlegm. 4. Reduces the toxicty of other herbs: for detoxifying or treating overdoses from other herbs such as fu zi or ban xia. 5. Adjusts the nutritive & protective qi: for patients suffering from exterior deficiency who sweat without an improvement in their condition. |
MeridiansLung, Spleen, Stomach |
CautionsContraindicated in cases of Lung heat, or Stomach heat with vomiting. |
Bai Shao Yao / Peony (White) | |||
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Taste: Bitter, Sour • Temperature: Cool • Category: Tonic • Sub Category: Tonify Blood | |||
Dosage6-15g, very large doses up to 30 g |
Actions1. Nourishes the blood & regulates the menses: for blood deficiency with such symptoms as menstrual dysfunction, vaginal discharge, & uterine bleeding. This is a very commonly used herb for treating women's disorders.2. Calms & curbs the Liver yang & alleviates pain: for such symptoms as flank, chest, or abdominal pain from either constrained Liver qi or disharmony between the Liver & Spleen. In general, this herb is used to "soften & comfort" the Liver, stop painful spasms in the abdomen, stop cramping pain or spasms in the hands & feet, & alleviate abdominal pain associated with dysentric disorders. It is also used for headache & dizziness due to ascendant Liver yang. 3. Preserves the yin & adjusts the nutritive & protective levels: for vaginal discharge & spermatorrhea, as well as exterior wind-cold from deficiency patterns with continuous sweating that does not resolve the problem. It is also used for yin deficiency where the yang floats to the surface causing spontaneous sweating or night sweats. |
MeridiansLiver, Spleen |
CautionsUse with caution in cases of diarrhea due to cold from deficiency, & in patients with weak yang & cold from deficiency. May antagonize shi hu & mang xiao, may counteract with bie jia & xiao ji, & may be incompatible with li lu. |