Need info on Di Huang Wan series, please

[Guest guest]

Yesterday was my 1st visit to my new TCM doctor (25 min drive instead of

previous 70+ min drive to my other one). Initially, she's only treating my

migraine/headache to make sure it don't return & helping with the trauma

(fall on concrete edging) of my tailbone. We discussed herbal treatments some

& for the time being, she gave me small capsules of Di Huang Wan series.

 

When I came home, I looked it up on a couple of sites & note that there are

various ones in the series - all came with diff pinyin names before the Di

part.

 

Questions 1: Can anyone tell me if there is a plain Di Huang Wan type &

whether the others are modified by a few additional herbs or not? Why the

diff names if not?

 

She said the teas are more expensive & if I'd like to see if the capsules

would work satisfactorily, I would save money. If capsules don't help much,

then we can switch to specific teas. The logic seems sound so am trying

capsules first.

 

I noticed that some of the symptoms Di Huang Wan series treat are hot flashes,

hypertension, night sweats, sore throat, dry skin, hyperthyroidism (I'm

actually hypo-thyroid & take thyroid hormone), etc. The sites do say it's

meant to nourish kidney & liver yin which I'm supposed to have a problem with

(both diff doctors said the same thing).

 

Questions 2: So I'm also asking, if these herbs do help kidney - liver yin,

it doesn't necessarily mean I would have those conditions listed above,

correct? That a kidney & liver yin can manifest itself in diff ways depending

on each person's activity & eating patterns?

 

Question 3: Are teas always more effective than capsules or are capsules

simply the more generic mix meant for more generic conditions?

 

I found it a little amusing that my new doctor told me I thought too much &

didn't know how to turn my mind off. How true. It's going to be a long

journey learning how to since it's so much part of my nature. On the other

hand, after acupuncture treatment yesterday, I felt strangely more quiet

inside so I'm not sure how to interpret that or if there's even anything to

interpret. ...Ah, but I need to not think too much on that since I'm trying

to quiet it down.

 

Any answers to my questions are greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

Judy

[Guest guest]

Judy:

 

Acupuncture and massage sessions can be much like

meditation sessions. If you haven't done so already,

then daily meditation practice may help quiet your

mind.

 

Wiseman and Ye call it Di Huang Wan µØ»ÆÍè (Earth

Yellow Pill) or Rehmanna Pill.

 

Kind regards, Jack

 

 

I found it a little amusing that my new doctor told me

I thought too much & didn't know how to turn my mind

off. How true. It's going to be a long

journey learning how to since it's so much part of my

nature. On the other hand, after acupuncture treatment

yesterday, I felt strangely more

quiet inside so I'm not sure how to interpret that or

if there's even anything to interpret. ...Ah, but I

need to not think too much on that since I'm

trying to quiet it down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Chinese Traditional Medicine , Judy Wilkins <isomorphix

wrote:

>

Question 3: Are teas always more effective than capsules or are

capsules

simply the more generic mix meant for more generic conditions?

 

It depends on what TCM imbalances are being treated, on specific

uses of the herb, and on the individual. For example, formulas used

to treat Kidney Yang Deficiency tend to be more effetive taken not

only as teas but taken warm to hot instead of room temperature. Some

people just tend to do better with decoctions than with pills or

powders though that isn't always the case.

 

Then there are special uses. Huang Qi, aka Radix (Root of) Astragali

membranacei, is classified as a Qi tonic herb. It's also one of the

best Qi tonic herbs for specifically increasing Protective (aka

Defensive) Qi. It has some Blood tonic properties too. It gets used

a lot for edema from Deficieny because it promotes urination.

However, there is a special use of Huang Qi in which the way it is

taken definitely has a bearing.

 

" According to The Great Dictionary of Chinese Medicianls, the use of

powdered, uncooked Huang Qi (Astragali Membranacei, Radix) at a

dosage up to 30 grams per day can remarkably reduce protein in the

urine. In addition, animal tests have shown that if powdered,

uncooked Huang Qi is given two days before researchers artificially

induce nephritis in animals, symptoms are milder and the animals

recover faster. However, one must use the uncooked powder. Water

decoctions of Huang Qi do not achieve the same effect. Huang Qi

also percolates dampness. " (Clinical Nephrology in ,

Wei Li, David Frierman, Ben Luna, Bob Flaws, p. 225.)

 

For the students: Something to keep in mind as you learn more and

more TCM is that the Lungs affect the Kidneys, and the Kidneys

affect the Lungs.

 

Sometimes the differences may be individual. For example, plenty of

people are helped by cayenne in capsules. However, the best way for

me to take cayenne is with food. Specifically homemade chili made

with beef, red kidney beans, onions, and chili powder served over

brown rice. Food may work best for me because I'm Qi Deficient, and

cayenne can scatter Qi.

 

There are other ways to take herbs. For example, in a syrup. These

sometimes are used with children. Some herbal formulas are applied

to the skin. The modern Chinese are injecting some formulas. There

are various ways to tincture herbs, including in alcohol.

[Guest guest]

Chinese Traditional Medicine , Judy Wilkins <isomorphix

wrote:

 

> Questions 1: Can anyone tell me if there is a plain Di Huang Wan

type &

> whether the others are modified by a few additional herbs or not?

Why the

> diff names if not?

 

Di Huang is rehmannia.

 

One of the most famous and often used Yin tonic formulas is Six-

Ingredient Pill with Rehmannia. Liu (six) Wei (ingredient) Di Huang

(rehmannia) Wan (pill). Students, you're going to see this one so

much, might as well go ahead and memorize the basic Liu Wei Di Huang

formula.

 

This basic formula has several recognized variations. For example,

there is Eight-Ingredient Pill with Rehmannia - Ba Wei Di Huang Wan.

This one is particularly good for " post partum continuous sweating

from deficiency " . (Chinese Herbal Medicine Formulas & Strategies,

Dan Bensky and Randall Barolet, p. 265.)

 

Augmented Six-Ingredeint Pill with Rehmannia (Jia Wei Liu Wei Di

Huang Wan) is " for children wiht slow mental development ... used

for a wide range of developmental disorders. " (p. 265.)

 

There are several of these recognized variations on the basic 6-

Ingredients with Rehmannia Pills. Plus, trained herbalists can come

up with other variations based on the individual's needs.

 

I want to call your attention to another rehmannia formula with

another use: Di Huang Yin Zi, aka Rehmannia Decoction. This one is

classified as a Formula That Extinguishes Internal Wind. In this

formula we see cooked rehmannia is its role of Blood tonic herb. If

you want to extinguish Internal Wind it's necessary to improve the

Blood. (Students, might as well memorize the part about having to

improve the Blood to get rid of Internal Wind.)

 

The rehmannia used in all these formulas is Shu Di Huang. Or as the

pharmaceutical people put it, Radix (Root of) Rehmanniae Glutinosae

Conquitae. The word " Conquitae " means that the herb is prepared in

a special way. The translation of Shu Di Huang is " cooked earth

yellow. " The word " huang " with a small mark like / over the " a "

means " yellow " . You'll see this word used a lot in the names of

herbs that are yellow.

 

Shu Di Huang's primary classification is as a Blood tonic herb, but

it also has Yin tonic herb properties. Hence, it's use in a Yin

tonic formula.

 

Cooked rehmannia is stirred and steamed in wine " until the inside

and outside turn black and moist. " (Chinese Herbal Medicine Materia

Medica, Revised Ed., Dan Bensky and Andrew Gamble, p. 328.) If the

herb is charred it can stop bleeding. (p. 328.)

 

Plain old rehmannia, Sheng Di Huang, aka Radix Rehmanniae

Glutinosae, aka " fresh earth yellow " is classified as an Herb that

Cools the Blood. You don't want to get the uncooked and the cooked

mixed up because the uncooked has a cold thermal energy (will really

cool the person down), and the cooked has slightly warm thermal

energy.

 

Rehmannia is Chinese foxglove root.

 

The word " wei " has a LOT of different meanings in Chinese. First,

Chinese is a tonal language, and depending on what tonal mark is

used, the pronounciation is going to be different. And the

definition is going to be different.

 

Second, the word " wei " in all its pronounciations has a lot of

homonyms. Like to, too, and two in English. They're all pronounced

the same but written differently. Even the weis with the same tonal

marks (written the same in pinyin and pronounced the same)are

written differently in Chinese characters.