Guest guest Posted April 18, 2004 Report Share Posted April 18, 2004 At a glance it might seem obvious that fish oil, being a rich liquid substance derived from the tissues of an animal, must exert its effects as a yin supplement. But I wonder if it is so simple as that. While fish oil has been touted (and dismissed) for how it may affect nervous tissue, I am more interested in its proven effects on inflammation in the blood vessels and joints. In all likelihood, these anti-inflammatory effects extend to every other tissue of the body as well. In TCM, both heart disease and joint pain can both fall under the rubric of bi (xiong bi and bi zheng, respectively). Since the antiinflammatory effects of fish oil can rapidly lead to pain relief and decreased cardiovascular symptoms, it seems the moving blood may be an operant factor here as well. The fish oils do decrease platelet stickiness. While both yin supplements and blood moving herbs often have antiinflam effects, blood movers are more short acting. I can't think of a single herb that is both a cooling yin tonic and a blood mover (maybe dan shen qualifies?). Yin tonics relieve inflammation by controlling yang heat. blood movers do it by breaking up stagnation that has led to local swelling and/or heat. From a physiological perspective, I would expect a yin supplement to work to a large extent by generally altering circulating steroid and neuropeptide levels, while a blood moving herb would have more direct effects on blood vessel integrity, circulation, local immune factors. Both have their place in medicine, but I wonder which one, if either or both, fish oil plays. Chinese Herbs FAX: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 19, 2004 Report Share Posted April 19, 2004 > I can't > think of a single herb that is both a cooling yin tonic and a blood > mover (maybe dan shen qualifies?). Yin tonics relieve inflammation by > controlling yang heat. blood movers do it by breaking up stagnation > that has led to local swelling and/or heat. From a physiological > perspective, I would expect a yin supplement to work to a large extent > by generally altering circulating steroid and neuropeptide levels, > while a blood moving herb would have more direct effects on blood > vessel integrity, circulation, local immune factors. Both have their > place in medicine, but I wonder which one, if either or both, fish oil > plays. Does Bie Jia (cold, salty, yin-nourishing, blood moving) give us any other clues, or is it a red herring? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 19, 2004 Report Share Posted April 19, 2004 , mshort@z... wrote: > > I can't > > think of a single herb that is both a cooling yin tonic and a blood > > mover (maybe dan shen qualifies?). > Does Bie Jia (cold, salty, yin-nourishing, blood moving) give us any other > clues, or is it a red herring? no, good call. and it is a product of the sea, as well. however it does not work by EFA content. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 19, 2004 Report Share Posted April 19, 2004 Li Shi-zhen, Ben Cao Gang Mu, Vol. 2, page 2486, fish oil: Sweet, warm, small toxicity, mainly treats concretion diseases. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 19, 2004 Report Share Posted April 19, 2004 , " Bob Flaws " < pemachophel2001> wrote: > Li Shi-zhen, Ben Cao Gang Mu, Vol. 2, page 2486, fish oil: > > Sweet, warm, small toxicity, mainly treats concretion diseases. > so this would mean its used for palpable masses of definite form, fixed location, with pain (zheng)? I know you don't like this, but I wonder if phlegm and/or blood stasis in the joints or arteries could be a form of concretion on the microscopic level. Even if not, does it make sense that a susbstance that melts concretions would exert its effects everywhere in the body, even against microscopic concretions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 19, 2004 Report Share Posted April 19, 2004 , " " wrote: > , " Bob Flaws " < > pemachophel2001> wrote: > > Li Shi-zhen, Ben Cao Gang Mu, Vol. 2, page 2486, fish oil: > > > > Sweet, warm, small toxicity, mainly treats concretion diseases. > > > > In keeping with Al's theme of antlers having different properties than turtle shell, I would maintain that fish are also different and therefore depending on the source there would be different properties. Cod liver oil would be significantly different than shark or wild salmon or farmed salmon oil. The fish live in different areas of the ocean and behave in totally different ways. A fast moving tuna which has a body temperature higher than the sea in which it swims is far different than a halibut or other bottom dweller. A tuna by nature is more yang than salmon(of which there are five pacific species and in their turn have different properties)which is more yang than cod which is probably more yang than halibut... ad infinitum. Jill Likkel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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