disinhibiting

[Guest guest]

I got to discuss the disinhibiting issue with Feng Ye because I was

uncertain if my previously espoused view was correct. In other words,

do medicinals that disinhibit water have a urine promoting, diruetic

action or do they only help to eliminate dampness by this route if

dampness must be treated?

 

He said that it is a very old and solid viewpoint in CM theory that

the actions of medicinals are only brought out when combined with

accentuating medicinals and given to patients that require such

treatment. He used the example of fu ling, saying that when it is

used for its spirit quieting function in the absence of dampness, it

fails to promote urination. He believes that CM theory suggests that

disinhibiting or freeing urination requires inhibition of lack of free

flow in order to be an active function. He says that drastic

medicinals such as qian niu zi will produce draining precipitation in

everyone due to their drastic quality, but he believes that

damp/water-disinhibiting meds do not exert such an action when they

are not indicated. He feels the same with the sweat effusing action

of cang zhu, that the action is selective to the state of the patient.

He claims this to be true both in book study as well as clinical

experience.

 

It is worth noting that diuretics in Chinese are called li niao yao

(which in TCM Chinese would mean urine-disinhibiting meds). The

naming of drugs came from existing Chinese words, but the meaning in

traditional medicine varied from the definition used in pharmacology.

Nonetheless, it appears the the meaning of the word in TCM does

imply a slight distinction between the pharmacological term, a meaning

which is preserved in the definition of 'disinhibiting' but not

preserved in the expression 'promotes urination.'

 

Doubtless many people will disagree with my conclusion, but I am just

trying to keep an open mind and investigate the notion as it exists in

the source. I would welcome any more evidence one way or the other to

refine my hypothesis.

 

Eric Brand