Guest guest Posted March 29, 2000 Report Share Posted March 29, 2000 This is one formula for weight loss. It's in the book Chinese Tonic Herbs by Ron Teeguarden. 10 g poria 5 g atractylus 1 g ginger 1 g licorice He didn't specify if the ginger is dry or fresh or if the licorice is treated. The atractylus is Rhizoma ATractylodis Macrocephalae. And I'm assuming he meant grams and not qian. In the section on atractylus, he talks about it being used in formulas that adjust metabolism. If combined with licorice, taking this for a few days will tend to decrease the appetite. Teeguarden tends to overuse and misuse the term " tonic " , but Bai Zhi (Rz Atractylodis Macrocephalae) really is a Qi Tonic herb. It's energy is warm, and its taste is sweet. It targets the Spleen and Stomach. It's particularly good for tonifying the Spleen and benifiting Qi. It dries Dampness in the Middle Burner and is espeically good for when this Dampness is due to Spleen Qi failing to transform food. Good for edema and decreased urination due to Spleen Qi Deficiency that results in Dampness accumulation. (It's the Kidney Qi Deficiency and Kidney Yang Deficiency where you see the copious urination and even increased urination with edema.) There's a warning for long term use of atractylodis. Rats fed .5 g/kg of body weight per day developed mild lymphopenia and anemia. The equivalent dose for adult humans is 12 qian per day. One qian is about 3 grams. This is part of the reason why I assume Teeguarden meant grams and not qian in the formula he gave. The usual dose for Bai Zhu is 1.5 to 3 qian per two day period for adults of European descent, average weight, 140 to 180 pounds. (Dosages will vary according to race. Ethnic Chinese tend to tolerate and need higher dosages. Dosages sometimes will vary according to individuals.) Bai Zhu (Rz Atractylodis Macrocephalae) is contraindicated in Deficiency f Yin with Heat. Due to its targeting of the Stomach meridian and the way it dries Dampness in the Middle Burner, and the Stomach's tendency to Yin Deficiency, this is one you want to be very careful using with a person who has Stomach Yin Deficiency or tendencies to develop Stomach Yin Deficiency. The Stomach like a somewhat moist environment (not Damp), but the Spleen likes Dryness. Victoria --== Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ ==-- Share what you know. Learn what you don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 29, 2000 Report Share Posted March 29, 2000 I understand that you're showing us these formulas to illustrate how Chinese herbs can be used for various types of conditions. But I have to admit, I get a little leery of anything labeled " weight loss " and hope that folks are reading about this in the overall context of what you're posting, rather than zooming in on the weight loss aspect. The clients I'm currently working with do qualify as obsese medically (not aethestically), but we won't be focusing in on that other than as an indicator of some long-term imbalances. As you've pointed out previously, correct the imbalances and the weight loss will occur naturally. BTW, I've got to take another look at Teeguarden's book as I've got it here. Cathy, Wise Weeds http://www.freeyellow.com/members6/wiseweeds/ > " victoria_dragon " <victoria_dragon > > This is one formula for weight loss. It's in the book Chinese Tonic Herbs by Ron Teeguarden. > > 10 g poria > 5 g atractylus > 1 g ginger > 1 g licorice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 30, 2000 Report Share Posted March 30, 2000 >I understand that you're showing us these formulas to illustrate how >Chinese herbs can be used for various types of conditions. >But I have to admit, I get a little leery of anything >labeled " weight loss " and hope that folks are reading >about this in the overall context of what you're posting, >rather than zooming in on the weight loss aspect. I do too. TCM is based on what's optimal for the individual, not on what society says is the ideal. An ideal that can change tomorrow, often an unrealistic ideal. >The clients I'm currently working with do qualify as >obsese medically (not aethestically), but we won't be >focusing in on that other than as an indicator of some >long-term imbalances. Let me know how it works out for them, and if I run across any more info that might help, I will pass it on. One thing I want to stress to other readers that the concentrating on weight loss is a destructive approach. When obesity occurs, that is just one symptom out of a lot of things that are going wrong. The weight gain is not causing the other problems; the weight gain is one of many symptoms coming from the root cause. And some of the other allied problems are a lot more serious than weight gain. If weight loss is concentrated on, there are cases where it will aggravate the other problems because the root cause is not being addressed. >BTW, I've got to take another look at Teeguarden's book as I've got >it here. The info about the possible anemia from long-term atractylus use came from Wicke. In my particular case, the possible anemia isn't a problem because I have too many red blood cells. The Dampness relieving properties aren't a problem because I have some Dampness problems. But the fact that it also tends to lower blood sugar is a consideration because I'm hypoglycemic and my blood sugar is too low already. In my particular case Bai Zhu would need to be mixed with another herb which will address the low blood sugar problem (needing Yang Tonic herbs in my particular case.) I mention this to demostrate just how carefully TCM herbalists choose the herbs that go into a formula. There are a lot of formulas, but it's understood that these are to be modified to suit the individual. Very often texts will contain information on how to modify the basic formula. In some cases the herbalist will need to use her/his training in order to modify a formula so it's exactly right for the individual. Sure it's more complicated than a one size fits all approach, but it also gets a lot better results and with less side effects. I speak from personal experience on this one.<G> Victoria --== Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ ==-- Share what you know. Learn what you don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 30, 2000 Report Share Posted March 30, 2000 I haven't worked with Bai Zhu, but the blood-sugar lowering component MAY be helpful for one of the clients as he's on medication for diabetes, (not insulin). But if we decide to use this herb, he'll have to monitor his blood sugar extra carefully, as he may need to reduce the medication--something he'll have to discuss with his physician. Cathy, Wise Weeds http://www.freeyellow.com/members6/wiseweeds/ > victoria_dragon wrote: > The info about the possible anemia from long-term atractylus use came from > Wicke. In my particular case, the possible anemia isn't a problem because > I have too many red blood cells. The Dampness relieving properties aren't > a problem because I have some Dampness problems. But the fact that it > also tends to lower blood sugar is a consideration because I'm hypoglycemic > and my blood sugar is too low already. In my particular case Bai Zhu would > need to be mixed with another herb which will address the low blood sugar > problem (needing Yang Tonic herbs in my particular case.) I mention this to > demostrate just how carefully TCM herbalists choose the herbs that go into > a formula. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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