Guest guest Posted April 12, 2002 Report Share Posted April 12, 2002 On 4/12/02 3:03 AM, " " wrote: > Other Radix Bupleuri (Chai Hu) substitutes you might consider are >> Herba Artemisiae Capillaris (Yin Chen Hao), which does not plunder >> yin, and Herba Centellae Asiatica (Qi Xue Cao), a.k.a. Gotu Cola. > This >> second substitution is especially useful when treating emotional >> depression and disquietude of the spirit. For those in the U.S., if >> you wanted to experiment with Qi Xue Cao, you can buy this herb >> certified organic in bulk at $12.05 per pound from Frontier Natural >> Products Co-op at 1-800-669-3275. >> >> Yet another qi-rectifying medicinal to keep in mind is Lignum >> Aquilariae Agallochae (Chen Xiang), a main psychiatric herb in > Tibetan >> medicine. I just translated an article yesterday wherein the author >> used Chen Xiang to rectify the qi in patients with marked >> psycho-emotional disturbance. I believe this article will be posted >> today or by the end of the week at least at >> www.chinesemedicalpsychiatry.com. If I remember correctly, it is on >> the treatment of mania with modified Qing Gong Tang (Clear the > Palace >> Decoction). >> >> Bob >> Following the discussion about what to substitute for Chai Hu I am left confused. Why substitute at all? There is no substitute for it anyway as a medicinal that enters Shao Yang and so wonderfully rectifies the qi or lifts it or vents. I am of the bent that we can combine medicinals in such a way as to bring out the best in an herb while molifying it's dangers. If a patient is blood or yin vacuous, why not combine skillfully rather than throw out the Chai Hu? Other herbs have wonderful properties but Chai Hu is Chai Hu. Let's not be fearful of using it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 12, 2002 Report Share Posted April 12, 2002 Sharon, It is not that chai hu is a 'bad medicinal', but it has very specific qualities that must be used in a particular context. Chai hu is one of my favorite medicinals. As a shao yang medicinal that also upbears the clear yang, it cannot be used in some patients with liver yang counterflow. Certainly it can be combined in some cases with yin or blood supplementing medicinals, but some patients are sensitive to it, in my experience, and substitutes that are not as direct in their action need to be used. To put it another way, Michael Broffman calls chai hu a 'break in and enter' medicinal. It enters the liver quite directly, not in a subtle fashion. For some conditions, because the liver is a very sensitive zang, the liver 'overreacts', creating undesirable side effects such as headache, nausea, and increased anxiety. I have seen it raise SGOT and SGPT levels in liver panels on hepatitis C patients. In those cases, the practitioner may want to consider other medicinals such as yin chen hao, yu jin, or gotu kola. By the way, I am willing to upload a translation of the material from zhong yao da ci dian on chai hu (worts and all) if Todd will let me know how to do it. On Friday, April 12, 2002, at 06:45 AM, Sharon Weizenbaum wrote: > > Following the discussion about what to substitute for Chai Hu I am left > confused. Why substitute at all? There is no substitute for it anyway > as a > medicinal that enters Shao Yang and so wonderfully rectifies the qi or > lifts > it or vents. I am of the bent that we can combine medicinals in such a > way > as to bring out the best in an herb while molifying it's dangers. If a > patient is blood or yin vacuous, why not combine skillfully rather than > throw out the Chai Hu? Other herbs have wonderful properties but Chai > Hu is > Chai Hu. Let's not be fearful of using it! > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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