Opium

[Guest guest]

After thinking about the Chinese description of opium (Ya Pian)

further, I question whether it is a securing and astringing medicinal.

Securing and astringing medicinals strengthen the function of the qi's

securing and astringing. As such, they are very close to supplements,

but supplements that especially supplement the securing function of

the qi. Some of our most commonly used securing meds, such as Fructus

Corni Officinalis (Shan Zhu Yu), Fructus Schisandrae Chinensis (Wu Wei

Zi),Semen Tritici Aestivi (Xiao Mai), and Fructus Rubi Chingii (Fu Pen

Zi), are used as much or even more often as supplements than as

securing meds. Other securing meds, such as Fructus Pruni Mume (Wu

Mei) to engender fluids, are used alomost as often as supplementing

meds as securing meds, and some supplementing meds, such as Fructus

Alpiniae Oxyphyllae (Yi Zhi Ren), are commonly used as securing meds.

 

I believe, along with the Chinese author who wrote the article

published at www.chinesemedicalpsychiatry.com on opiates, that opium

and other opiates achieve their sedative effect by scattering the

spirit qi, and it seem antithetical that a med could both

strongly scatter and disperse the qi at the same time being a cousin

to, if not an out-right, qi-supplementing med.

 

So, my question is this: Is it possible that the Chinese are wrong

when they describe Ya Pian as being a securing and astringing med? In

other words, is there another way of explaining the seemingly

astringent effects of Ya Pian? It appears that, since the time of Li

Shi-zhen, the consensus opinion is that he was wrong to describe Ya

Pian as sour and astringent in terms of flavor. If we now think this

part of the description was wrong, mightn't other parts of the

description also be wrong?

 

(BTW, I might have made a mistake if I said the ZYDCD says the flavor

and nature of Ya Pian is acrid and warm. Looking again, I see I might

have misread the first for the second line. The " standard " description

in the ZYDCD is bitter and warm. However, the author of the Tang Ben

Cao believed it was acrid and bitter and level or neutral. I'm sorry

if I mistated this earlier. However, this does point up the fact that

we have three different opinions on the flavor of Ya Pian, bitter,

acrid, and/or sour.)

 

Is it possible that Ya Pian causes constipation not by securing and

astringing but by consuming, exhausting, and drying out the intestinal

fluids? I think we've already seen that some of the adverse effects of

Ya Pian and other opiates are due to damage to yin. Just because a med

causes constipation does not necessarily mean it is a securing and

astringing med. Constipation may also be due to fluid dryness of the

intestines and not enough water to float the boat. I believe that Todd

has pointed out that Ya Pian is more likely to cause constipation the

higher the dose. Thus the tendency to cause constipation in terms of

dose seems to be directly correlated to this med's ability to scatter

and disperse the spirit qi and thus also cause sedation and even

unconsciousness.

 

Perhaps the problem is a lack of clarity (even on the part of the

Chinese themselves) as to what makes a med securing and astringing.

 

Anyone care to comment?

 

Bob