Gastrodia and Uncaria Wind Relief
Tian ma gou teng yin
Kan Traditionals
Calms the Liver, extinguishes Liver Wind, clears Heat, supplements Liver Yin and Kidney Qi, nourishes and regulates the Blood.
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- Herb: Abalone shell, Gambir stem branch and twig, Cyathula root, Eucommia bark, Loranthus herb, Polygonum multiflorum stem, Gastrodia rhizome, Poria with wood root, Chinese skullcap root, Gardenia fruit, Siberian motherwort herb
- Herb (Pinyin): Shi jue ming, Gou teng, Chuan niu xi, Du zhong, Sang ji sheng, Ye jiao teng, Tian ma, Fu shen mu, Huang qin, Zhi zi, Yi mu cao
- Actions: Soothes the Liver and dispels Internal Wind, Extinguishes Liver Wind, Nourish and Regulate Blood, Nourish Kidney Yin, Nourish Liver and Kidney Yin, Clear Deficiency Heat
- Indications: Supports healthy blood pressure, Supports healthy blood circulation, Occasional dizziness, Occasional insomnia, Supports a healthy nervous system, restlessness, Occasional flushing up, Occasional anger and irritability
- Contraindications: Contraindicated for dizziness arising from Blood deficiency.
- Tongue: Red with dry and little coating.
- Pulse: Wiry, rapid.
Gastrodia and Uncaria Wind Relief is a faithful rendition of a well-known traditional formula, Gastrodia and Uncaria Decoction (Tian Ma Gou Teng Yin), designed to calm ascending Liver Yang which is transforming into Internal Wind.
Ascendant Liver Yang, with Internal movement of Liver Wind, is produced by the depletion of Liver and Kidney Yin. Long-term Yin deficiency will eventually lead to Liver Heat, at which point the Yang will rise, at times quite vividly, with sensations of heat or excess energy rushing upward. An individual with this pattern will manifest a high concentration of physical indications in the upper body and head; descriptive drawings of this pattern often show a person who is literally “blowing their top”. Compounding the situation, when the Liver Yang rises upward, it is unable to store its resources in the form of Blood. This leads to symptoms of Blood deficiency and deeper Yin deficiency, creating a cycle which further exacerbates the Yang rising. Pent-up emotions, Qi constraint, constitutional Yang excess, aging, overwork, extreme stress, anger or poor diet all can cause the Liver Yang to ascend uncontrolled, transforming into Liver Internal Wind. This formula focuses on calming the Liver and directing the rebellious Qi downward.
The chief herbs Gastrodia rhizome and Gambir stem branch and twig address Liver Yang ascending, extinguish Wind, drain Liver Heat and Fire, and disperse Wind Damp obstruction. Gardenia fruit and Chinese skullcap root drain Heat, especially in the Upper Burner, dry Dampness, and address occasional irritability, restlessness and insomnia. Siberian motherwort herb invigorates Blood, dispels stasis, clears Heat and supports healthy urination. Cyathula root invigorates Blood, expels Wind and drains Dampness.
Eucommia bark and Loranthus herb tonify the Liver and Kidneys, expel Wind Damp, and smooth the flow of Qi and Blood. Polygonum multiflorum stem nourishes Heart and Blood and calms the Spirit. Poria with wood root calms the Spirit and addresses occasional restlessness
and insomnia.
Anchor the Yang addresses ascendant Liver Yang transforming into internal Wind with an underlying Blood deficiency. Gastrodia and Uncaria Wind Relief also addresses ascendant Liver Yang, but with a stronger focus on anchoring Liver Yang rising. Steady Centeredness, from the Kan Herbals line, is very similar to Gastrodia and Uncaria Wind Relief. Gastrodia rhizome is the chief herb in Steady Centeredness, and has the highest percentage by weight, and as such, the formula focus is more in calming the Liver rather than anchoring.
If more Blood tonification is desired, combine with Four Substances.
ORIGINS AND DEVELOPMENT
Gastrodia and Uncaria Wind Relief (Za Bing Zheng Zhi Xin Yi) is a modern formulation from Deriving New Protocols for Patterns of Miscellaneous Disharmonies, 1958.