Author: Unknown
Year: Late 3rd century
Source: Taishang Array of Five Numinous Treasure Talismans (Tai Shang Ling Bao Wu Fu Xu, 太上靈寶五符序)
Category: Formulas that Expel Parasites
Pattern: Three Corpse Possession
Key Symptoms: Excessive desire for treasures and valuables (Upper Corpse), the five tastes (Middle Corpse) and the five colours (Lower Corpse) to the detriment of health
Secondary Symptoms: This may correspond to many metabolic disorders caused by overindulgence.
Ingredients
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Fu Ling
| | | 2.5 kg
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Pinyin: Fu Ling
Chinese: 茯苓
Pharmaceutical: Poria
Taxonomy: Poria cocos syn. Wolfiporia extensa
English: China-Root / Hoelen / Tuckahoe / Indian Bread |
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Tastes: Sweet, bland, neutral
Meridians Entered: Heart, Spleen, and Kidney |
Actions & Indications:
- Strengthens the Spleen and harmonizes the Middle Jiao
Spleen Deficiency Dampness with anorexia, diarrhoea and epigastric distention
- Strengthens the Spleen
Phlegm Dampness due to Spleen Deficiency with thin mucus in which Phlegm moves upward manifesting as palpitations, headache, dizziness and a thick, greasy tongue coat
- Promotes urination and leaches out Dampness
Urinary difficulty, diarrhoea or oedema due to Stagnation of Fluids or Dampness
- Quiets the Heart, calms the Spirit and soothes the nerves
Palpitations, insomnia or forgetfulness due to either Spleen and Heart Insufficiency or Internal Obstruction of Turbid Phlegm
- Aids fasting
Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as part of the superior class of herbs which can, with protracted taking, quiet the Hun, nourish the Shen, make one free from hunger and prolong life. This may suggest it was part of supplementing the diet when engaging in an "avoiding grain" (Bigu 辟穀) fasting regime to cultivate life (Yangsheng 養生).
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Standard Dosage: 9-15g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated for spermatorrhea due to deficiency-cold. |
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Shang Lu
| | | 1.25 kg (inner white part only)
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Pinyin: Shang Lu
Chinese: 商陆
Pharmaceutical: Phytolaccae radix
Taxonomy: Phytolacca acinosa
English: Poke Root |
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Tastes: Bitter, pungent, cold, toxic
Meridians Entered: Large Intestine, Lung, and Kidney |
Actions & Indications:
- Drives out water through the urine and stool
Edema associated with Excess with severe constipation and urinary difficulty
- Reduces sores and carbuncles
Hot type sores (topical)
- Removes Phlegm, stops coughs and resolves lumps
Pulmonary disorders
- Reduces swelling and disperses nodules
Crushed and applied topically to treat swelling and nodules
- Resolves Evil Qi in the Heart, Expels Evil Spirits and refines the Five Zang
Possession by the Three Worms and Crouching Corpses with disorders of overindulgence that threaten health and do not respond to regular medicines.
The Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing says it kills ghosts and spiritual matters which may suggest it has a hallucinogenic quality or can be used to treat disorders characterised by seeing or dreaming of ghosts, demons and supernatural beings.
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Standard Dosage: 5-10g in decoction.
Cautions: Due to its high toxicity it should only be used in those with severe excess and contraindicated in pregnancy or for those with a weak, deficient Stomach. The dust can cause inflammation of the eyelids, rhinitis and gastroenteritis. |
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Bai Jiu
| | | 10 L
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Pinyin: Jiu
Chinese: 酒
Pharmaceutical: Alcohol
English: Rice Wine |
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Tastes: Hot, pungent, sweet, bitter, toxic
Meridians Entered: Stomach, Heart, Lung and Liver, but reaches every part of the body |
Actions & Indications:
- Nourishes and moves Blood and Qi, opens the Meridians
Taken internally or applied topically as the medium for liniments in Blood stasis, especially from trauma or Bi syndromes in the elderly
- Warms Yang and Expels Cold
All Cold syndromes including Cold Bi, Interior Cold and Yang deficiency
Often serves as the basis for longevity "elixirs" by soaking Yang tonifying herbs
- Strengthens the Shen, dispels sorrow and promotes happiness
Temporary low mood, celebration
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Standard Dosage: 10-60ml, two to three times per day. Often combined with other herbs to bring out their Blood moving or warming aspects by washing them, or adding to a decoction, or soaking herbs in alcohol to make medicinal wines.
Cautions: Caution with Damp-Heat syndromes or long term consumption in the young and middle aged.
The Materia Dietetica (Shiwu Bencao 食物本草) by Lu He 卢和 from the Ming Dynasty says that excess drinking can hurt the spirit and consume blood, damage the stomach and deplete the body fluid, produce phlegm and induce fire. |
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Xiao Mai
| | | 10 L (ground into flour)
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Pinyin: Xiao Mai
Chinese: 小麥
Pharmaceutical: Fructus Tritici
Taxonomy: Triticium aestivum
English: Wheat Grain |
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Tastes: Sweet, slightly astringent, cool
Meridians Entered: Heart |
Actions & Indications:
- Nourishes the Heart and calms the Spirit
Heart Deficiency
Visceral agitation (脏躁, Zang Zao), vexation, sadness
- Stops excessive sweating due to Deficiency
Spontaneous sweating due to Qi Deficiency Night sweats due to Yin Deficiency Postpartum Deficiency sweat Steaming Bones
- Stops bed wetting in children
Bed wetting in children
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Standard Dosage: 15-30g in decoction.
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Jiao Mu Jun
| | | 10 L |
Pinyin: Jiao Mu Jun
Chinese: 酵母菌
Pharmaceutical: Saccharomyces fungi
Taxonomy: Saccharomyces cerevisiae
English: Brewers Yeast |
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Meridians Entered: Spleen, Liver, Lung
Actions & Indications:
- Invigorates the Spleen
Poor appetite, bloating, diarrhoea, malabsorption
- Fortifies Wei Qi
Poor immunity
Upper respiratory tract infections
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Standard Dosage: Up to 500mg per day.
Cautions: Avoid in Crohn's disease. |
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Preparation: Cook all the ingredients together to brew the compound. Place the decoction in a clay vessel and seal for twenty days. When the medicine is ready, complete the preparation: take a measure the size of a large bean and cook it until it is like caramel. Knead it into a pill shaped like a large arrow head. Ingest three pills daily.
Actions: Expels the Three Corpses.
Notes:
The text notes that: "In ten days your excretions will be like egg-yolk. The superior corpse will be excreted in a hundred days, the middle corpse in sixty days, and the lower corpse in thirty days. The superior corpse is shaped like a hand, the middle corpse is shaped like a foot, and the lower corpse is shaped like an egg. The superior corpse is black, the middle corpse is green, and the lower corpse is white" (Raz, 2012).
Research Links:
Reference Notes: (click to display)
Most formulas are found in Scheid, Bensky, Ellis & Barolet (2009): Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies and Chen & Chen (2015) Chinese Herbal Formulas and Applications. Others are from translations of primary sources. It is recommended that the original material is cross-referenced for mistakes and additional information.
Substitutions have been taken from Ken Lloyd & Prof. Leung (2004): Mayway UK Substitution List or the above publications and are intended as suggestions to help navigate the tight restrictions in the UK quickly. More applicable substitutions may be appropriate in specific situations.
Individual herb information has initially been sourced from TCM Wiki and American Dragon for basic data and then updated manually with my own notes.
These pages are intended to assist clinicians and are not intended for self-diagnosis or treatment for which a qualified professional should be consulted.
