A Shifting Inventory of Herbal Formulas

Every few years I tweek my herbal pharmacy, adding and subtracting formulas as my practice and patient base shift and change. I just completed my latest re-evaluation this morning and thought you might find it interesting to know what categories of herbal formulas are more popular. There are four different ones in particular that really stick out.

The largest category of formulas that I carry by far are the tonics, formulas that do things like replenish, nourish, support, and strengthen. This actually comes as no surprise for three reasons. First, tonics reflect one of the most unique and important ideas that Chinese medicine has to offer: that vital substances, tissues, organs, or systems that are depleted or under-functioning can healed, that deep imbalances can actually be corrected. Second, many individuals specifically seek out Chinese medicine for more chronic conditions, which tend to be marked by depletion or functional issues, just the type of imbalances that tonic formulas are designed to treat. Tonics are excellent at slowing or even reversing these conditions, healing them at the root instead of indefinitely managing their superficial symptoms. Third, tonics are very effective when used preventively, helping your body function optimally, slowing the aging process and making you more resilient to stress and disease. These are the true longevity formulas of ancient Chinese medicine.

Another popular category is formulas that release the exterior. These formulas help us eliminate what are referred to in Chinese medicine as “exterior pathogens,” i.e. air born disease-causing agents, like pollen and viruses. Their chief action is to induce a sweat, helping your body release the pathogens out to the exterior. These formulas have many other beneficial actions, like clearing heat to reduce fevers and inflamed throats, and transforming phlegm, helping your body process out congestion. If taken at the first sign of an infection, before a virus has had time to burrow deeper into tissues and organs, these formulas can even be effective at reducing the length and severity of colds. Additionally, there are formulas in this category that you can take when you are exposed to someone who is sick that will help prevent you from catching what they have. I always take some of these when I treat a patient who is contagious and I've only been out sick two times in twelve years.

There are two other categories of note: harmonizing formulas and those that calm the shen. Harmonizing formulas often treat the liver. In Chinese medicine, since the liver is responsible for the smooth flow of chi all over the body, when it is out of balance it can easily throw other systems out of balance. For example, because the liver plays such an important role in digestion, when it is out of balance it can cause symptoms like bloating and indigestion. Calm shen formulas, on the other hand, help calm the mind and the emotions. They are especially effective for anxiety but can help with other emotional states like stress and worry. Because they are so calming, these formulas are even useful for treating certain types of insomnia, helping people settle down better so they can fall asleep more easily and sleep deeply through the night.

Yintang, the Most Requested Acupuncture Point

Most acupuncture points have more than one indication and yintang is no exception. Like all acupuncture points, it is valuable for treating local conditions such as frontal headaches. It also benefits the nose so it can help with congestion, nasal discharge, sinus pain, and seasonal allergies. The main reason it is requested by so many of my patients, however, is because of its positive effect on the emotions. This point is located where we furrow our brow when we are angry, worried, scared, or anxious. Needling this point is an excellent way to release these emotions to help calm the shen (spirit). I also find that it can empty the mind, stopping the incessant chatter that comes with these emotions so we can think clearly once again. I use this point a lot in my practice, especially for stress, anxiety, and sinus issues.

This point has interesting indications in other systems of health as well, both ancient and modern. Its location corresponds to the third eye, a metaphoric sensory organ in Hinduism and Buddhism that opens as our consciousness expands and we approach enlightenment. It is also the location of the brow chakra, the 6th of 7 major energy vortexes that exist in our bodies, which specifically relates to inner guidance, mental clarity, and intuition. Even in western medicine this is an anatomically important place where the pineal gland senses changes in natural light, since there is a hollow sinus cavity directly behind it, allowing light to come through. As light decreases in the evening, the pineal gland is stimulated to secrete the hormone melatonin, which makes us sleepy. As the sun comes up and light increases, the pineal gland stops producing this hormone and we wake up. I always find these types of intersections across systems to be so fascinating, don't you?

Fresh Food Has More Chi

It's April and our local farmers markets are just about to start up once again for the season. In honor of this highly anticipated spring event, I though I would take a little time to talk about the connection between our chi and how it relates to the types of foods we eat, especially the importance of eating fresh foods. One of the most common complaints I hear from my patients is that of fatigue. Many times what they are feeling is a lack of chi. Simply put, chi is your lifeforce, the basic underlying energy that makes everything in the universe, including us, go. The theory of chi is similar to the theory of energy as it is described in physics: that everything in existence is essentially a different manifestation or expression of energy and forces.

We get our chi from just two sources: whatever we inherit from our parents and whatever we extract from air, food, and water. Our respiratory organs extract chi from the air, our digestive organs extract chi from food, and our urinary organs extract chi from water. In other words, besides the energy that we are born with, air, food, and water are literally the only fuel that keeps us going. This is why it is so important to get fresh air, eat well, and stay hydrated.

In Chinese medicine, eating well most of all means eating fresh foods. Fresh, seasonal, local, and unprocessed foods, just like the ones found at our farmers markets, are the best. This is because fresh foods contain a nutrient that you cannot get from foods that are dehydrated, canned, frozen, preserved, or highly processed - chi. Not only are fresh foods higher in vitamins and other nutrients, they are literally also more alive. Foods that lack chi can even rob us of ours, taking more energy and nutrients to process and digest than they replenish, or they may contain toxic ingredients like artificial flavors and preservatives that require great amounts of energy to neutralize and safely eliminate. Foods like these have been stripped of their nutrients but have also been dead for a long time, perhaps for months or even years before they are eaten. In short, eat more fresh foods to have more chi!

Seasonal Rituals for Spring
A Chinese Medicine Perspective

Here we are in Spring, nature's new year. The energy in this season rises up again from the earth after a winter of storage and rest: plants sprout up and out, buds force out leaves, sap rises up to nourish branches and twigs. The energy is moving, bright green and tangible. And we are not immune to the effects of this energetic shift that makes us, too, want to get up and out. After a winter of hibernation and inactivity we crave movement and sun. Internally our bodies are at work, processing all of the accumulations due to winter's inactivity and rich foods.

There are shifts like this with every seasonal change. As spring moves into summer the energy intensifies even more and the earth heats up. This is the season of the fire element and the energetic direction is up, like how flames rise up from a fire. The sun is high, the temperature is high, and daylight dominates the 24-hour cycle. As fall arrives the energy returns down into the earth once again. Leaves fall and mulch into earth. The leafy plants die back and retreat underground, concentrating their energy in their roots, tubers, and bulbs. The sun drops down earlier and earlier until the stillness and cold of winter descends. The energy is lowest in the winter with animals in hibernation and early nightfall. This is the natural time for rest, for sleeping more, and for introspection.