Herbs 3 Review: Herbs that Tonify Qi

Hey, this is Nicholas. Let's talk about herbs that tonify qi. When we talk about qi deficiency, the two main organs we're going to look at are the lung and the spleen, simply because these are the two sources of postnatal qi. From the lung, we absorb the da qi, the qi of the air, and through the spleen, we absorb the gu shui qi, the qi of water and grain. So what does qi deficiency in these two systems look like? Qi deficiency in the lung, remember the lung governs respiration, so we're going to see breathing problems, shortness of breath, or a soft, weak voice. We might see a pale complexion. And then also remember the lung governs the wei qi and the exterior, so we might see spontaneous sweating or a tendency to get sick easily. With spleen qi deficiency, we're going to see things like fatigue, lethargy, weakness of the forelimbs. We might get digestion problems, things like lack of appetite, abdominal pain, or loose stools. Also remember that the spleen has this action of raising the clear yang, so when the spleen is weak, we might see signs of spleen qi sinking, things like organ prolapse, hemorrhoids, profuse menses, or even frequent miscarriage. Also remember that both the lung and the spleen have something to do with fluid transformation, so when these organs are weak, we might start to see signs of dampness, or signs of fluid accumulation, like superficial edema under the skin. So any other type of qi deficiency we might talk about, we might say heart qi deficiency. This comes with things like palpitation, certain shin problems, like irritability and anxiety. But that's about it, we don't really talk about liver qi deficiency, or large intestine qi deficiency, or anything like that. We're mostly talking about the lung and the spleen. Some common properties of herbs in this category. These herbs tend to be neutral, or warm in temperature. Because they tonify, they tend to be sweet in flavor. And the common entering channels are, like we said, the lung and the spleen. The only caution we might want to worry about with these herbs is, because these herbs are sweet, rich, and they might have a cloying property, we just might want to combine them with herbs that move qi, just to avoid any stagnation. Also, some of these herbs are warm in temperature, so we want to worry about heat signs that might develop with long term use. So let's go ahead and take a look at the herbs themselves. So here we are with the actual herbs. First is Renshen, ginseng root. This is a very powerful qi tonic. It tonifies all the qi. It tonifies spleen qi, for fatigue, poor appetite, and diarrhea. It tonifies lung qi, for wheezing and shortness of breath. It tonifies heart qi, to calm shen. And then what's really special here is that it also tonifies original qi, treating something we call collapsed qi. This is an emergency situation, usually after severe blood loss or severe fluid loss, where the patient is extremely pale, weak, with cold extremities, copious sweating, and a faint minute pulse. So Renshen is so powerful at tonifying this original qi, that it can actually rescue collapsed qi. We even have a formula for it called du shen tong, which means only ginseng decoction. It only has one ingredient, Renshen. So that's how useful it is for rescuing qi collapse. Besides qi, Renshen also generates body fluids to alleviate thirst, especially when the normal fluids have been damaged by fever, sweating, or heat. Xiangshen is American ginseng. A lot of books put this in the category herbs that tonify yin, but it might be useful to mention it here, since it's another type of ginseng. So there are three main differences between Chinese ginseng, Renshen, and American ginseng, Xiangshen. Number one, Xiangshen is weaker than Renshen at tonifying qi. Number two, Xiangshen is stronger than Renshen at tonifying yin and generating body fluids. And number three, Xiangshen is colder in temperature than Renshen, so it's less likely to cause heat signs if it's taken long term. So that's why it tends to go in the yin tonifying category, because it's colder and it's better at generating fluids. But it's still a pretty good qi tonic. Dongshen, coenopsis, is basically a cheap version of Renshen. It's used as a substitute, but at double the dosage. It has similar functions to Renshen, but notice it does not tonify original qi to treat qi collapse. It's just not strong enough. Taizishen, same thing, also a less expensive version of Renshen, also used as a substitute at a higher dosage. Huangqi is a stragglers root. The traditional cut of this herb looks like a popsicle stick or a tongue depressor. It tonifies lung qi. It's especially useful for fortifying the exterior, strengthening the wei qi, sealing the pores, stopping sweating, however you want to say it. It's just very useful for spontaneous sweating and for patients who get sick easily. Huangqi also tonifies spleen qi, and in doing so it has a strong upward action to raise the clear yang. So we often combine Huangqi with herbs like Chaihu and Shengma in order to raise spleen qi and counter prolapse. For things like uterine prolapse, rectal prolapse, hemorrhoids, profuse menses, or even frequent miscarriage. Huangqi also promotes the regeneration of flesh to heal long-standing sores and wounds. Think about diabetic patients. They can get sores that take months and months to heal. So Huangqi can help with that healing process. And finally, Huangqi also promotes urination to treat edema. Baijiu is one of our best herbs for tonifying the spleen. Our basic formula for spleen qi deficiency is So Baijiu is there to tonify the spleen. And similar to Huangqi, Baijiu also strengthens the Weiqi to stop sweating. So actually these two appear together in a formula called Yiping Fengcan, Jade Windscreen Powder. Only three ingredients. Huangqi, Baijiu, and Fengfeng. So this formula strengthens the Weiqi to prevent exterior attacks. So it's a good formula for people who catch colds easily. Also an important feature, Baijiu calms restless fetus movements to prevent miscarriage. We've learned other herbs that do this. Herbs like Huangqin and Sha Ren. So now we have another one, Baijiu. And like Huangqi, Baijiu also promotes urination to treat edema. Gancao is licorice root. The name in Chinese literally means sweet herb. And it's one of the most commonly used herbs in Chinese medicine. Like others here, it tonifies lung qi and spleen qi. But pay attention, it also tonifies heart qi. So this herb shows up in formulas like Zhigangcaotang, which is a formula to tonify heart qi, treating things like palpitation and irregular pulse. Gancao moistens the lung and stops cough. It also relieves spasm and contraction. So it's good for muscle cramps, abdominal cramps, and cramping pain in the leg. We even have one formula called Shaoyao Gancaotang, specifically for muscle cramps, especially for cramping in the calves. The function that people tend to forget about is Gancao clears heat toxicity for things like sore throat, carbuncles, sores, and boils. This tends to show up on tests a lot, so don't forget, Gancao clears heat toxicity. Gancao can also be used to harmonize other herbs. So a lot of times you'll see a long formula, and then at the very end it'll say add 3 grams of Gancao. And that's just there to harmonize the ingredients in that formula. Just a few other things about Gancao. If you want to emphasize Gancao's ability to tonify qi, either spleen qi or heart qi, it should be prepared by stir frying it in honey, and then we call it Zhigangcao. We should also mention here that Gancao is one of the categories of the 18 incompatible herbs. So Gansui, Daji, Yuanhua, and Haicao are all incompatible with Gancao. Meaning the combination of Gancao with these herbs will create toxic side effects that are not present in any of the herbs individually. So we have to pay careful attention to avoid combining Gancao with those herbs. Shanyao is mountain yam, but it doesn't look like the American sweet potato type yam. It's a long white tuber, and it's very moist and slippery. You can even tell in its dried form it's kind of chalky, like it used to be super moist before it was dried out. It tonifies spleen qi, and then also tonifies lung qi and lung yin, treating things like cough and wheezing due to lung deficiency. Especially useful for that chronic dry cough, because it's so moist. So we don't really say that Shanyao is astringent, but we do say it has this action of securing kidney essence. So it can treat certain leakage conditions like frequent urination, seminal emission, or vaginal discharge. Because it's kind of like a food, the dosage is a little bit higher than average. Dacao is Chinese date. Like the others here, also tonifies spleen qi, and it's commonly used as food therapy for this purpose. But pay attention here, this one also tonifies heart blood to calm shen. So we have a famous formula called Ganmai Dacao Tang. It has three ingredients, all of them in the name. Gancao, Fushaomai, and Dacao. All of these herbs enter the heart channel, and so this formula is for treating emotional disturbances like sadness, depression, or uncontrollable crying. So Dacao is here because it tonifies the heart. So we can also say that Dacao harmonizes the other herbs, but it's really all used for this purpose when we're dealing with those herbs that are incompatible with Gancao. So since Gancao is off the table, we can use Dacao instead to harmonize other herbs. For Dacao's dosage, we usually don't specify a weight, we just say use 3-12 dates. Baibiendo is hyacinth bean. Tonifies spleen qi, especially for diarrhea. It can also be used to treat summer heat dampness, especially when there's diarrhea. And it's a bean, so it's often used in food therapy, and its dosage is a little higher than normal. Huangjing is Siberian Solomon's Seal. It tonifies spleen qi, and it also tonifies lung and stomach yin. So it can be used for symptoms of dryness, like dry mouth, dry stools, dry cough. It can also be used for kidney deficiency, for things like low back pain or weakness in the lower extremities, but it's really not particularly strong in any of these actions. Yitang is maltose or barley malt. It tonifies middle jiao qi, to stop pain. The most common place you'll see this is in a formula called Xiaojian Zhongtong, minor construct middle decoction. It's used here to treat abdominal pain due to coldness and deficiency. It also generates fluids in the lung, treating things like dry cough and weak voice due to lung deficiency. So let's do a little overview. Renshen is very powerful. It tonifies all the qi, including original qi to treat qi collapse. Dangshen and Taizishen are cheaper substitutes for Renshen. Usually used at double the dosage. Because they're not as strong as Renshen, they cannot be used to rescue collapsed qi. Huangqi tonifies lung and spleen qi, raises a clear yang, and regenerates flesh to heal long-standing wounds and sores. Baiju is the best herb for strengthening the spleen. It also has a special function of calming restless fetus to prevent miscarriage. Both Huangqi and Baiju can be used to fortify the exterior, strengthen the wei qi, and stop sweating. They also both, by virtue of their ability to tonify the spleen, are able to treat dampness and edema. Gancao tonifies qi of the lung, spleen, and heart. It moistens the lung, it treats cramping and spasm, and it also clears heat toxicity. Shanyao tonifies spleen and lung, and secures kidney essence. Dacao tonifies spleen qi and tonifies heart blood. Remember, both Gancao and Dacao tonify the heart to treat shen problems. Baibiando tonifies the spleen and treats diarrhea. Huangjing tonifies qi and yin. And Yitang tonifies the middle to stop pain. So that's herbs that tonify qi. It's a very large category, but a very important category. So that's it for now. See you next time.