Gastrodia and Uncaria Decoction
Chinese Prescription: Tian Ma Gou Teng Yin
English Translation: Gastrodia and Uncaria Decoction
Formula Type: Extinguish Internal Wind
Actions: Calms the Liver, extinguishes wind, clears heat, invigorates the blood, & tonifies the Liver & Kidneys.
Indications: Headache, dizziness, vertigo, tinnitus, blurred vision, a sensation of heat rushing to the head, insomnia with dream-disturbed sleep, a red tongue, & a wiry, rapid pulse. In severe cases, there may also be numbness, twitching & spasms in the extremities, or hemiplegia.
Contraindications: This formula should not be used for problems caused by deficiency.
Pinyin | English | Suggested Dosage |
---|---|---|
view: Tian Ma |
Gastrodia | 9g |
view: Gou Teng |
Gambir, Uncaria | 12-15g |
view: Shi Jue Ming |
Haliotis-Abalone Shell | 18-24g |
view: Zhi Zi |
Gardenia | 9g |
view: Huang Qin |
Scutellaria Baicalensis | 9g |
view: Yi Mu Cao |
Chinese Motherwort | 9-12g |
view: Chuan Niu Xi |
Cyathula | 12g |
view: Du Zhong |
Eucommia Bark | 9-12g |
view: Sang Ji Sheng |
Mulberry Stem | 9-24g |
view: Ye Jiao Teng |
Polygonum Stem | 9-30g |
view: Fu Shen |
Poria Spirit | 9-15g |
Tian Ma / Gastrodia Rhizome | |||
---|---|---|---|
Taste: Sweet • Temperature: Neutral • Category: Extinguish Wind • Sub Category: | |||
Dosage3-9g, or 0.9-1.5g as powder |
Actions1. Calms the Liver, extinguishes wind, & controls spasms & tremors: a very important herb for treating internal movement of Liver wind, whether caused by heat or cold. Used for headache, dizziness, childhood convulsions, epilepsy, tonic-clonic spasms, opisthotonos, tetany, & wind-stroke. Depending on the other herbs in the prescription, can be used for problems due to either heat or blood deficiency.2. Extinguishes wind & alleviates pain: for headaches, dizziness, & migraine headaches that occur with wind-phlegm patterns. Also used for wind-stroke with hemoplegia, dizziness, & numbness in the extremities. 3. Disperses painful obstruction: for wind-damp painful obstruction with pain & numbness of the lower back & extremities. |
MeridiansLiver |
CautionsToxicity: Experiments with animals have shown serious side effects. Vanillyl alcohol is much less toxic. |
Gou Teng / Gambir Vine, Uncaria | |||
---|---|---|---|
Taste: Sweet • Temperature: Cool • Category: Extinguish Wind • Sub Category: | |||
Dosage6-15g, do not cook more than 10 minutes |
Actions1. Extinguishes wind & alleviates spasms: for Liver heat patterns with internal movement of Liver wind, with such symptoms as tremors, seizures, & eclampsia.2. Drains Liver heat & pacifies Liver yang: for Liver fire & ascendant Liver yang patterns with such symproms as headache, irritability, red eyes, & dizziness. Recently used for hypertension, especially of this type. 3. Releases the exterior: for exterior wind-heat patterns with such symptoms as fever, headache, & red eys. |
MeridiansHeart, Liver |
CautionsNone. |
Shi Jue Ming / Abalone Shell (Haliotis) | |||
---|---|---|---|
Taste: Salty • Temperature: Cold • Category: Extinguish Wind • Sub Category: | |||
Dosage9-30g, in decoction cook aprox. 1 hour before adding other ingredients, also used in powder & pill |
Actions1. Drains fire & causes yang to descend: for Liver fire & ascendant Liver yang patterns with such symptoms as headache, dizziness, & red eyes.2. Improves vision & causes superficial visual obstructions to recede: for Liver heat patterns that affect the eyes causing photophobia, pterygium or other superficial visual obstructions, red eyes, & blurred vision. |
MeridiansKidney, Liver |
CautionsAccording to some traditional sources, this substance counteracts xuan fu hua. |
Zhi Zi / Gardenia, Cape Jasmine Fruit | |||
---|---|---|---|
Taste: Bitter • Temperature: Cold • Category: Clear Heat • Sub Category: Drain Fire | |||
Dosage3-12g |
Actions1. Clears heat & eliminates irritability: for heat patterns with fever, irritability, restlessness, a stifling sensation in the chest, insomnia, or delirious speech.2. Dries damp-heat: for painful urinary dysfunction due to damp-heat in the lower burner; damp-heat & constrained Liver & Gallbladder (middle burner) with jaundice; & damp-heat in the Gallbladder & Triple Burner channels of the face, affecting the nose & eyes or causing sores in the mouth or facial region. 3. Cools the blood & stops bleeding: for heat in the blood with such symptoms as nosebleed, or blood in the vomit, stool, or urine. For this purpose, the herb is partiallly charred. 4. Reduces swelling & moves blood stasis due to trauma: for this purpose, apply topically as a powder mixed with egg white or vinegar. |
MeridiansHeart, Liver, Lung, Stomach, Triple Burner |
CautionsContraindicated in cases of loose stool or loss of appetite due to cold from deficiency. |
Huang Qin / Scute or Baical Skullcap Root | |||
---|---|---|---|
Taste: Bitter • Temperature: Cold • Category: Clear Heat • Sub Category: Drain Damp | |||
Dosage6-15g |
Actions1. Clears heat & drains fire, especially from the upper burner: for heat patterns with high fever, irritability, thirst, cough, & expectoration of thick, yellow sputum, or hot sores & swellings. In treating the latter it can be applied topically or taken internally.2. Clears heat & dries dampness: a major herb for damp-heat in the Stomach or Intestines, which manifests as diarrhea or dyenteric disorder; damp warm-febrile disease, which presents with fever, stifling senstaion in the chest, & thirst but inability to drink; or for damp-heat in the lower burner with painful urinary dysfunction. Used as a an auxiliary herb for damp-heat jaundice. |
MeridiansGallbladder, Large Intestine, Lung, Stomach |
CautionsContraindicated in cases of heat from deficiency in the Lungs, cold diarrhea o any other condition with cold in the middle burner, & restless fetus due to cold in the blood. May counteract mu dan pi & li lu. |
Yi Mu Cao / Motherwort, Chinese | |||
---|---|---|---|
Taste: Acrid, Bitter • Temperature: Slightly Cold • Category: Regulate Blood • Sub Category: Invigorate Blood | |||
Dosage9-60g, up to 120g for edema from glomerulonephritis |
Actions1. Invigorates the blood & regulates the menses: commonly used for gynecological disorders such as irregular menstruation, premenstrual abdominal pain, immobile abdominal masses, infertility, & post partum abdominal pain with lochioschesis.2. Invigorates the blood & reduces masses: for abdominal masses or infertility caused by stasis from blood deficiency. 3. Promotes urination & reduces swelling: for acute systemic edema. Especially useful for that which is accompanied by blood in the urine. |
MeridiansHeart, Liver, Bladder |
CautionsContraindicated during pregnancy. Use with caution in cases of yin or blood deficiency. |
Chuan Niu Xi / Cyathula Root or Szechuan Ox Knee | |||
---|---|---|---|
Taste: • Temperature: • Category: Regulate Blood • Sub Category: Invigorate Blood | |||
Dosage4.5-9g |
Actions |
Meridians |
Cautions |
Du Zhong / Eucommia Bark | |||
---|---|---|---|
Taste: Sweet, Slightly Acrid • Temperature: Warm • Category: Tonic • Sub Category: Tonify Yang | |||
Dosage6-15g |
Actions1. Tonifies the Liver & Kidneys, strengthens the sinews & bones: for Liver & Kidney deficiency with such symptoms as weak, sore, or painful lower back & knees, fatigue, & frequent urination.2. Aids in the smooth flow of qi & blood: used to promote circulation, especially in those with weakness of the sinews & bones. 3. Calms the fetus: for cold deficient Kidney patterns with bleeding during pregnancy. Also used to prevent miscarriage when the fetus is restless or agitated, & when the pregnant woman has significant back pain or presents with a deficient condition. 4. Recently used for dizziness & lightheadedness (hypertension) from rising Liver yang. |
MeridiansKidney, Liver |
CautionsContraindicated in heat from yin deficiency. According to some traditional sources this herb antagonizes xuan shen. Toxicity: has a mild sedative effect in very large doses, though no symptoms of overdose with du zhong have been recorded. |
Sang Ji Sheng / Mulberry Mistletoe("parasite")Stems | |||
---|---|---|---|
Taste: • Temperature: • Category: Dispel Wind-Damp • Sub Category: Tendon & Bone Strengthening | |||
Dosage9-30g |
Actions |
Meridians |
Cautions |
Ye Jiao Teng / Polygonum Vine | |||
---|---|---|---|
Taste: Sweet, Slightly Bitter • Temperature: Neutral • Category: Calm Shen • Sub Category: Nourish Heart | |||
Dosage9-30g |
Actions1. Nourishes the Heart & blood & calms the spirit: for yin or blood deficiency patterns with insomnia & irritability. Especially used for dream-disturbed sleep.2. Nourishes the blood & unblocks the channels: for generalized weakness, soreness, pain, & numbness due to blood deficiency. |
MeridiansHeart, Liver |
CautionsNone. |
Fu Shen / Poria Root Fungus w/ piece of wood | |||
---|---|---|---|
Taste: Sweet, Bland • Temperature: • Category: Calm Shen • Sub Category: Nourish Heart | |||
Dosage3-12g |
ActionsCalms the spirit. |
Meridians |
Cautions |