WH Acupuncture & Herbs Centre

[SOURCE]: Formulae Assigned to the Three Categories of Evils of Diseases

[INGREDIENTS]: Pinellia tuber 6g ,  Bamboo shavings 6g,  Unripened bitter orange (stir-backing with flour) 6g ,  Tangerine peel 9g,  Roasted licorice root 3g  ,  Poria 5g ,  Fresh ginger 5 pcs.,  Chinese dates 1 pcs.

[DIRECTIONS]:Decoct all the above herbs in water for oral administration.

[EFFCTS]: Regulating qi and resolving phlegm, clearing the gallbladder and harmonizing the stomach.

[INDICATIONS]: Disharmony between the gallbladder and stomach with stir­ring up of phlegm-heat marked by insomnia due to vexation, vomiting, hiccup, diz­ziness, fearfulness, restlessness, palpitation, or epilepsy, a greasy tongue coating and taut pulse.

[ANALYSIS OF FORMULA]: Pinellia tuber as a principal herb lowers adverse qi to harmonize the stomach and dries dampness to resolve phlegm. Bamboo shav­ings clears away heat and resolves phlegm, stops vomiting and relieves restless­ness. Unripened bitter orange activates qi to remove phlegm and renders phlegm to go downward along with qi. These two herbs are used together as assistant herbs. Acting as adjuvant herbs, tangerine peel regulates qi and dries dampness, and poria strengthens the spleen to excrete dampness so that the dampness and phlegm can be cleared away. Fresh ginger, Chinese dates and roasted licorice root benefit the spleen and harmonize the stomach, coordinate the effects of other herbs in the formula, playing a role of dispatcher herbs. The combination of all herbs result in regulating qi and resolving phlegm, clearing the gallbladder and harmonizing the stomach. If phlegm and heat are extreme with restlessness, bitter taste, add coptis root to the formula which is then called Decoction for Warming Gallbladder with Coptis Root. If the case is complicated by summer-heat-damp- ness, sweet wormwood and scutellaria root should be added to the formula to re­move summer-heat.

Today this formula is often used for neurasthenia disorder of vegetative nerve system, menopause syndrome, chronic gastritis and cerebral arteriosclerosis mani­fested as syndrome of disharmony between the gallbladder and the stomach with stirring up of phlegm-heat.