Chinese Herbs

[cureme]

I wanted to know more about this Chinese formulation. I am taking it as prescribed by my acupuncturist, but I would like to know the name and if there is anything harmful in the formulation.

thanks to everyone


Rehmanniae praeparata
Paeoniae suffruticosae
Chinese Lycium
Radix Bupleuri
The Long Gu Draconis
Radix Ginseng - Ren Shen
zizhhphus jujubae
Angelicae sinensis

 

[babz]

I am an Acupuncturist. You have the Latin names to look up on line. I can only add the Chinese names and some of them have more common names:

Rehmanniae praeparata= common= Rhemannia, chinese=shu di huang or sheng di Huang. A very nourishing herb. It is a root
Paeoniae suffruticosae= common=Peony Root (Mudan), Chinese= Mu Dan Pi usually used to clear some heat in the body. It is usually a root or bark
Chinese Lycium= common= Goji berries, Chinese= Go Ji Zi. Nourishing. It is a berry
Radix Bupleuri. =. Common=Bupleuri, Chinese= Chai Hu, moves qi, It is a root
Long Gu Draconis= common= Dragon Bone, Chinese= Long Gu, it is calming, it is fossilized animal bone
Radix Ginseng= common=Ginseng, Chinese = Ren Shen. It strengthens body, it is a root
Ziziphus jujube= common Jujube, Chinese= Da Zao, nourishing, it is a date.
Angelica sinensis= common=angelica, Chinese=Dang Gui. Nourishing and strengthening, it is a root.
These herbs have many, many more functions than the single ones i have listed and your practitioner may be using them for you For any number of their functions. None are harmful. Especially if they are well tailored to your issues and constitution. They are all very commonly used in TCM. Just make sure you tell the Acup how you are feeling on it each time you see them. Tell them if you Are digesting it ok and if you are having any reactions. This will help them adjust it if needed. Chinese medicine can be a wonderful addition to any healing strategy. I wish you well!

 

[TheSir]

I am an Acupuncturist. You have the Latin names to look up on line. I can only add the Chinese names and some of them have more common names:

Rehmanniae praeparata= common= Rhemannia, chinese=shu di huang or sheng di Huang. A very nourishing herb. It is a root
Paeoniae suffruticosae= common=Peony Root (Mudan), Chinese= Mu Dan Pi usually used to clear some heat in the body. It is usually a root or bark
Chinese Lycium= common= Goji berries, Chinese= Go Ji Zi. Nourishing. It is a berry
Radix Bupleuri. =. Common=Bupleuri, Chinese= Chai Hu, moves qi, It is a root
Long Gu Draconis= common= Dragon Bone, Chinese= Long Gu, it is calming, it is fossilized animal bone
Radix Ginseng= common=Ginseng, Chinese = Ren Shen. It strengthens body, it is a root
Ziziphus jujube= common Jujube, Chinese= Da Zao, nourishing, it is a date.
Angelica sinensis= common=angelica, Chinese=Dang Gui. Nourishing and strengthening, it is a root.
These herbs have many, many more functions than the single ones i have listed and your practitioner may be using them for you For any number of their functions. None are harmful. Especially if they are well tailored to your issues and constitution. They are all very commonly used in TCM. Just make sure you tell the Acup how you are feeling on it each time you see them. Tell them if you Are digesting it ok and if you are having any reactions. This will help them adjust it if needed. Chinese medicine can be a wonderful addition to any healing strategy. I wish you well!

How stupid would it be to just randomly try these herbs and see how they make you feel, discard those that make you feel bad and continue using those that make you feel good?

 

[babz]

Chinese herbs are not used individually. They are part of a formula tailored to your needs. They work synergistically together. They moderate each other. The effects of the herbs individually are not the same as in the formula. If you have questions or concerns speak to your practitioner.

 

[GTW]

What's the name of the formula?

 

[babz]

Are these raw herbs or pills?

 

[cureme]

I am an Acupuncturist. You have the Latin names to look up on line. I can only add the Chinese names and some of them have more common names:

Rehmanniae praeparata= common= Rhemannia, chinese=shu di huang or sheng di Huang. A very nourishing herb. It is a root
Paeoniae suffruticosae= common=Peony Root (Mudan), Chinese= Mu Dan Pi usually used to clear some heat in the body. It is usually a root or bark
Chinese Lycium= common= Goji berries, Chinese= Go Ji Zi. Nourishing. It is a berry
Radix Bupleuri. =. Common=Bupleuri, Chinese= Chai Hu, moves qi, It is a root
Long Gu Draconis= common= Dragon Bone, Chinese= Long Gu, it is calming, it is fossilized animal bone
Radix Ginseng= common=Ginseng, Chinese = Ren Shen. It strengthens body, it is a root
Ziziphus jujube= common Jujube, Chinese= Da Zao, nourishing, it is a date.
Angelica sinensis= common=angelica, Chinese=Dang Gui. Nourishing and strengthening, it is a root.
These herbs have many, many more functions than the single ones i have listed and your practitioner may be using them for you For any number of their functions. None are harmful. Especially if they are well tailored to your issues and constitution. They are all very commonly used in TCM. Just make sure you tell the Acup how you are feeling on it each time you see them. Tell them if you Are digesting it ok and if you are having any reactions. This will help them adjust it if needed. Chinese medicine can be a wonderful addition to any healing strategy. I wish you well!

Hi Babz, first thank you very much for the reply. I know more or less how Chinese medicine works, as i'm starting on this path (studying the fundamentals). But I don't understand as much as I would like to treat my own syndromes.

This formula was prescribed to treat insomnia and depression (kidney yin deficiency and liver qi stagnation), but I have already treated this depression in allopathic medicine with antidepressants and it left me with a PSSD (post SSRI sexual dysfunction) sequel. Despite having mentioned this, the formula is not dealing with this issue and has even gotten worse, which ends up making me more sad and apathetic.

I don't intend to stop her because I know that by treating the kidney, everything else will benefit soon.

Now I come to my crucial question: researching here on the forum, I got the information that there is a Chinese formula that has the potential to treat and reverse PSSD, called Zuojin Pill, I'm leaving the link to the post here if you're interested. Could I use it along with this formula my acupuncturist prescribed me?

Even knowing that it is impossible for Chinese medicine to define a formula as a cure for a disease in several people, I would very much like to try, due to the promising results of the studies on this formulation.

Thank you so much again for the reply

 

[babz]

What's the name of the formula?

Hi Babz, first thank you very much for the reply. I know more or less how Chinese medicine works, as i'm starting on this path (studying the fundamentals). But I don't understand as much as I would like to treat my own syndromes.

This formula was prescribed to treat insomnia and depression (kidney yin deficiency and liver qi stagnation), but I have already treated this depression in allopathic medicine with antidepressants and it left me with a PSSD (post SSRI sexual dysfunction) sequel. Despite having mentioned this, the formula is not dealing with this issue and has even gotten worse, which ends up making me more sad and apathetic.

I don't intend to stop her because I know that by treating the kidney, everything else will benefit soon.

Now I come to my crucial question: researching here on the forum, I got the information that there is a Chinese formula that has the potential to treat and reverse PSSD, called Zuojin Pill, I'm leaving the link to the post here if you're interested. Could I use it along with this formula my acupuncturist prescribed me?

Even knowing that it is impossible for Chinese medicine to define a formula as a cure for a disease in several people, I would very much like to try, due to the promising results of the studies on this formulation.

Thank you so much again for the reply

Where do I begin?! There is a saying in TCM that the answer to every question is “it depends”. I have been a practitioner for 22 years and I have found that to be the honest truth. If you are studying Chinese Medicine, I hope you are studying it in a school forum. Studying on your own will be confusing to say the least. It takes qualified education and years of practice to understand the full breath of the Medicine. First TCM doesn’t prescribe herbs/formulas based solely on diagnosis. There are many formulas that may treat PSSD but it is also based on your PATTERN of symptoms. There was no link but Zuo Jin Wan is a two herb formula that is mainly used for draining heat/fire from the digestion and moving qi. It would be wise to use a formula that fits your pattern. Based on the formula your TCM doc gave you, it doesn’t look like you have too much heat in your body. It looks like they think it is more of a deficient condition. If the formula is making it worse, that is when you need to tell the practitioner exactly how it is worse and they can adjust the formula. That is the nature of the medicine. Get a working diagnosis, prescribe formula, patient reaction gives further information, adjust formula etc. As the healing Progresses we always adjust the formula then also. Take out herbs no longer needed etc. I will also tell you that I had a health challenge recently. A very complicated one. Even though I am a very good practitioner and have a very good working knowledge of herbs, I am working with another practitioner to help me heal. It has been a long haul. We’ve had to adjust the formula many times, but I’m finally starting to feel good again, after almost 2 years. My condition was severe and I almost died so don’t lose heart, but my point is even I turned to another TCM doc to consult with. I wouldn’t start experimenting on yourself. Herbs are powerful. Anti depressants are well know to injure the yin of the body. Maybe you have more dampness than was first showing up. If your digestion is comprised and creating dampness, unless you have stomach fire Zuo Jin Wan would not make it better and probably make it much worse But I know nothing about your symptoms so……I hope this helps.

 

[babz]

Hi Babz, first thank you very much for the reply. I know more or less how Chinese medicine works, as i'm starting on this path (studying the fundamentals). But I don't understand as much as I would like to treat my own syndromes.

This formula was prescribed to treat insomnia and depression (kidney yin deficiency and liver qi stagnation), but I have already treated this depression in allopathic medicine with antidepressants and it left me with a PSSD (post SSRI sexual dysfunction) sequel. Despite having mentioned this, the formula is not dealing with this issue and has even gotten worse, which ends up making me more sad and apathetic.

I don't intend to stop her because I know that by treating the kidney, everything else will benefit soon.

Now I come to my crucial question: researching here on the forum, I got the information that there is a Chinese formula that has the potential to treat and reverse PSSD, called Zuojin Pill, I'm leaving the link to the post here if you're interested. Could I use it along with this formula my acupuncturist prescribed me?

Even knowing that it is impossible for Chinese medicine to define a formula as a cure for a disease in several people, I would very much like to try, due to the promising results of the studies on this formulation.

Thank you so much again for the reply

After thought: I found the link and the paper only states that it MAY treat a type of genetic pool of people. It’s only theory. Did you ever wonder why some people get horrible side effects from drugs/herbs etc and some don’t? Because it’s not being used for their individual pattern and constitution. We are energetic beings not just functional machines. In TCM we could treat two people with the exact same genetic disease completely differently, because they may display symptoms differently based on their individual mtebolic/energetic pattern. Again, I don’t know your individual symptoms so I can’t tell you to not take Zuo Jin Wan. You are a grown person and can decide for yourself I’m just hoping to explain the rationale behind the medicine so you can have more information. Best to you.

 

[amd]

Has anyone found a good source of Chinese formulations relatively free of heavy metals?

Any third-party, lab tested products on the market?

 

[blob69]

I really wanted to believe in TCM and tried it seriously two times, each time with a bad result. I went to two different Chinese TCM doctors, both supposedly good, older guys with a lot of practice. The first doctor used acupuncture and massage and after spending money on many sessions I ended up with severe pains all over my body that took a while to dissapear. I thought that maybe this guy was an anomaly so after ten years I decided to try TCM again with another doctor. This time it looked as if perhaps the therapy was working somewhat so I continued, but then all benefits disappeared and I started feeling worse than before. This guy used both acupuncture and herbs.

My friend then tried the same doctor, and later another one who replaced him, and kept going there for about a year, much longer than I have. She thought it was helping at first too, but over the long term her health worsened and she ended up in early menopause (at 40), losing memory etc. Even her original problem (psoriasis) is as bad as it ever was.

So unfortunately I have completely lost faith in TCM. I feel as if it's working via stress hormones (cortisol - it can be quite painful) like Peat says for acupuncture, so some people may feel better at first but generally it's damaging over the long term.

 

[blob69]

Not to mention that the first doctor was coughing like his lungs were already on the verge of death (and smoking accordingly) and the second one was so terrified of covid that he was hardly able to breathe through his silly N95 mask...

 

[BlueEyeWolf]

Accunpunture is amazing to me. I had hereditary bone on bone hip joints and accunpunture provided immediate relief. Once I had the surgery recovery was amazing king because of accunpunture. It is good for mind body and soul if you are open to it. My thigh was numb after hip replacement and I was told probably permanent. Right now with Accupunture I have almost entire feeling back.
Working on computer a lot I also have neck stiffness. Accunpunture gets the blood flowing and solves this too.
So many health benefits with Accupunture if you are open to it. Like all treatments you need to follow healthy diet and exercise. I love Accunpunture and it has enchanted my life. I am on no medicines at 60 and continue to use Accunpunture and tips from this site to enhance my quality of life.

 

[babz]

Not to mention that the first doctor was coughing like his lungs were already on the verge of death (and smoking accordingly) and the second one was so terrified of covid that he was hardly able to breathe through his silly N95 mask...

I don’t think based on your experience you can throw the baby out with the bath water so to speak. Sorry for the analogy. There are many things in life that affect one‘s health. Sometimes we attribute our symptoms and health to one thing when it is most likely a combination of factors. That said, Acupuncture and TCM aren’t always the only answer for everyone or at least maybe the timing is off for it. It will NOT put someone into early menopause. I have been treated by many different practitioners for years before I became one. I understand the medicine from a deeply personal perspective and experience. It is a modality that can add to the healing of the mind, body, spirit but for many people it is an adjunct to therapies needed. If you have a diet that doesn’t suit you, you are continuing stressful behaviors, not getting adequate sleep, water etc, Acupuncture may not work for you. Or it might be just the thing you need. It all depends on the individual situation. TCM is wholistic. Acupuncture is only part of that medicine.