'other' organs systems

[Guest guest]

Jason,

It is important to fully understand the (Eastern and Western) functions of materia medica and (Eastern and Western) physiological responses they stimulate. Unfortunately, there exists little material translated into English enlightening us Westerners on the subtleties of each herb as presented by great physicians of the past. It is seldom that our abbreviated Western materia medicas allude to potential adverse effects of certain substances (at least from an Eastern perspective). This may be due to the fact that one should understand the context in which a substance is traditionally used to achieve homeostasis within the body. Hence, one would not use ephedra, for example, to stimulate the organ systems Michael Moore lists in his Westernized description of the herb (note that the different uses and functions of the various parts of this plant is completely ignored -i.e. mahuang gen). Herbs always must be used within context; in ways which empirical/anecdotal knowledge supports and in ways supported by both old and new knowledge that also conform appropriately to your diagnosis and disease differentiation.

The latest edition of Pearls from the Golden Cabinet (an awesome book, despite its appearance) has monographs of 15 five-star herbs including translations of various classic works on the subject. I am not aware of other similar texts that address the subject to a greater extent and I would sure appreciate a tip from any of you out there that do know of a text that details the subtleties of the herbs.

 

Thaddeus Jacobs, N.D., L.Ac.

 

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traditional chinese herbs

Wednesday, June 21, 2000 9:14 AM

'other' organs systems

 

 

I have been wondering about our herbal classification system. Herbs have functions, indications, taste, temperature, action, and entering channels. Interestingly enough, there never seems to be any mention of how herbs might negatively affect an organ system. Negative might be a strong word, more correctly might be ‘decrease energetic function or production of yin, yang, qi or xue.’ How do herbs affect the ‘other’ organ systems energetically? Reading any herbal description one gets the impression that some of these herbs can do no harm (or decrease the function of a given organ system/element.) Yes... we do have contraindications, but I believe there's more. This idea came from Michael Moore and how he classifies western herbs. For example, he looks at Ma Huang as:

strongly stimulating - respiratory, cardiovascular, central nervous, sympathetic, adrenaline stress

Weak stimulating – renal, muscular skeletal, thyroid stress

weak suppression— upper GI, lower GI, immunological, skin, mucosa, parasympathetic

strong suppression – none:

 

So... if an herb is increasing spleen/ kidney yang, stabilizing essence, and aiding the kidney to grasp qi. Are we to believe that this is all that is going on? This herb is contraindicated for yin deficiency with the heat, is this herb damaging Lv yin? Lung yin? Stomach yin? Is this herb decreasing qi somewhere? And increasing it another place? Looking at Ma huang how is it effecting other Chinese organ systems? Interestingly Moore says it decreases skin fx, no comment on the lower urinary system, but, of course, increases renal.…? We could view something like this in a five element perspective, but I think this might be too limiting.

 

Does any of this matter? . It just seems we could take herbs to a new level if we understood these types of energetics. Do the classics make mention of this type of decreasing fx? Just curious...

 

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[Guest guest]

<<Hence, one would not use ephedra, for example, to stimulate =

the organ systems Michael Moore lists in his Westernized description of =

the herb (note that the different uses and functions of the various =

parts of this plant is completely ignored -i.e. mahuang gen)>>

 

Thaddeus, Michael Moore is talking about Ephedra nevadensis, a completely

different plant than E. sinica. It doesn't have the same properties.

(Not much good for asthma either.) I don't believe there is a

traditional use for the root.

 

Unfortunately our TCM MMs eschew standard biological nomenclature in

favor of antiquated pharmaceutical Latin that refuses to acknowledge that

Herba Ephedrae without the binomial can refer to other entire species,

particularly in Western countries.

 

<<It is seldom that our abbreviated Western materia medicas allude to

potential adverse effects of certain substances (at least from an Eastern

perspective).>>

 

If you want a Pearls from the Golden Cabinet approach to western

herbs,the American Botanical Council's monographs on individual herbs are

fairly exhaustive. Other quite detailed Western herbals include Matthew

Woods' _Book of Herbal Wisdom_, Paul Bergner's _The Healing Power of..._

series (garlic, ginseng, echinacea and goldenseal), Christopher Hobb's

small books in a number of herbs (St. John's wort, the ginsengs, vitex,

saw palmetto), even Susun Weed for a barefoot wildwoman doctor type of

approach. Given the prevalence of acupuncture degrees among western

herbalists in the US, most good herbalists include considerations of

differential diagnosis and herbal energetics, although often from an

Eclectic or planetary model. And of course there is Peter Holmes.

 

Karen Vaughan

CreationsGarden

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Email advice is not a substitute for medical treatment.

" Medicine...the only profession that labours incessantly to destroy the

reason for its existence. " James Bryce 1914

 

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