Previously we've learned herbs that can be used for both food and medicine that mainly act to remove pathogenic factors. Now let's move on to another type... herbs that mainly act to regulate the body. Regulation includes two aspects: remove pathogenic factors and regulate the bodily functions, or tonify the body. In this type, I'll mainly introduce three regulating herbs that can be used for both food and medicine. First one, Shan Zha (Fructus Crataegi). I'm sure you are all familiar with Shan Zha. Let's take a look. You may have eaten Shan Zha cake or Shan Zha piece. Ice-sugar gourd may remind you of your childhood. This is one aspect. Another aspect, we can eat Shan Zha as a fruit. Sometimes we can buy fresh Shan Zha in a grocery store, or supermarket. As a fruit, fresh Shan Zha tastes sour and sweet. So it can be medicine, food and fruit. In Chinese medicine, Shan Zha mainly acts to promote digestion and is mainly used to treat food retention. From meridian tropism, Shan Zha enters the spleen and stomach meridians. We just mentioned it's sour and sweet in flavor, warm, slightly warm in property. Therefore I summarize its functions into four words: dispersing, resolving, unblocking and circulating. Let's take a look. First, it promotes digestion. Undoubtedly, it falls under the category of digestion-promoting herbs. Its core and key action is to promote digestion. What's the characteristic of promoting digestion? First, Shan Zha has strong effect in promoting digestion. In terms of usage, Shan Zha is extensively used for all kinds of food retention, including retention of meat, flour or grains. Comparatively speaking, It is best indicated for food retention due to overeat of high-fat or high-protein food. Retention of meat is not limited to meat only but includes retention of other high-fat or high-protein food, which can be treated with Shan Zha. So, undoubtedly the first aspect is about problems due to food retention. We know that food retention is related to the spleen and stomach. Symptoms include epigastric fullness, distension and frequent hiccups coupled with a foul odor, whic is called belching with fetid odor and acid reflux. Shan Zha can also be used to treat diarrhea or abdominal pain due to overeat, because it has strong digestion-promoting effect. This is its first function. The second characteristic in promoting digestion is that it can stimulate appetite. Some people experience poor appetite because of poor digestion even if they only eat a little amount of food. Shan Zha can promote food digestion and stimulate your appetite. As a result, it can be used for both food retention and poor appetite. Thirdly, it can protect the spleen and stomach in terms of prevention and treatment. It can also strengthen the spleen and stimulate appetite. On one hand, it can be used in the treatment of weakness of the spleen and stomach. On the other hand, it can be used to prevent possible damage to the spleen and stomach. So we can say Shan Zha can directly promote digestion increase appetite, strengthen the spleen and protect the spleen and stomach. So Shan Zha has very good effect in this regard. This is about its dispersing and resolving. It also acts to unblock and circulate. Shan Zha can circulate qi, invigorate blood and has strong effect in circulating blood and resolving stasis. So it can be used to treat blood stasis. We know that blood stasis can be seen in all body parts and in all clinical subspecialties. Let's take pain for example, headahce, pain in the hypochondriac region, abdominal pain, joint pain, or pain following traumatic injuries can all be treated with Shan Zha. Why? Shan Zha can circulate blood and resolve stasis. In addition, Shan Zha is now also used to treat cardiac pain due to chest impediment, because it can circulate blood, resolve stasis, unblock collaterals and stop pain. Consequently, for cardiac pain due to obstructed flow of heart blood, Shan Zha combined with San Qi (Radix et Rhizoma Notoginseng) and Dan Shen (Radix et Rhizoma Salviae Miltiorrhizae) can get a good effect. Of course, it can also be used for gynecological conditions due to blood stasis. Dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, or irregular menstruation due to stagnant blood can all be treated with Shan Zha. Shan Zha can also be used to treat lochia. So Shan Zha is now extensively used in clinic because of its blood-circulating function. Since it can promote digestion, and circulate blood, no matter as food or medicine, Shan Zha has the following new applications. First, it can be used for treatment and prevention of high blood fat, overweight and obesity. Some people just use Shan Zha alone, a couple of hawthorn fruits (Shan Zha) every day or dried hawthorn fruit or drink like tea. It tastes good and works well. Secondly, it can be used to treat high blood viscosity and cardio-cerebrovascular diseases, coronary artery disease, and ischemic cerebral diseases. So Shan Zha is a good and cheap product for both food and medicine. Now, let's move on to next product in this type... Ju Pi (Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae), I'm sure you are more familiar with it. Ju Pi means the tangerine pericarp. We know that for Ju Pi, the older, the better. That's why Chen (means old) Pi is more common. The older Ju Pi is better. This is the first aspect. Some of you may have found that in herbal prescriptions, sometimes Chen Pi is written Guang Chen Pi, because Chen Pi is available in many places in China; however, Chen Pi from Guangdong province is better. Sometimes you may have found that it's written as Xin Hui Pi, i.e., Chen Pi from Xin Hui, Guangdong province. You can buy Chen Pi and remember the older, the higher price. There are many products related to Chen Pi in our daily life, for example, Chen Pi duck, Chen Pi candy, and Jiu Zhi Chen Pi, meaning processed Chen Pi with 9 procedures. We've all seen and eaten these products and we all love its good taste. This is one aspect. As Chinese medicine, it falls under the category of qi-regulating type. Since it can regulate qi, it must be pungent and dispersing; and it's warm in property. You may know that I love tangerine but I do not eat too much. Why? Because it's warm. In this regard, Chen Pi is warm and dry. It's also a little bitter. Warm, dry and bitter, Chen Pi mainly works for the middle and upper jiao, including the spleen, stomach and lung. Li Shizhen summarized its characteristics in Ben Cao Gang Mu (The Grand Compendium of Materia Medica). He desribed that it reduce, dry, disperse and harmonize and can be used for many diseases. Its treatment effect is related to its function in regulating qi and drying dampness. Therefore he further summarized its combination in clinical practice. It reinforces when used in combination with reinforcing herbs; it reduces when used in combination with reducing herbs; it ascends when used in combination with ascending herbs; it descends when used in combination with descending herbs. So I say Chen Pi can reinforce, reduce, ascend and descend. However, it mainly benefit the lung and spleen. Now let's take a look at its first function: regulates qi and strengthens the spleen. Since it regulates qi, it is often used to treat disorders of qi circulation, called Qi stagnation. What kind of qi stagnation? Qi stagnation of the spleen and stomach. Chen Pi can be used to treat qi stagnation of the spleen and stomach due to all kinds of reasons. For qi stagnation due to cold-dampness, Chen Pi can warm and circulate qi. In this case, Chen Pi can be used in combination with other herbs that can dry dampness, such as Cang Zhu (Rhizoma Atractylodis). Let's talk abouot manifestations of qi stagnation briefly. Stagnation can cause distension, l fullness, pain and oppression. Where? The spleen and stomach. Functional disorders of the spleen and stomach may manifest as gastric fullness, distension, oppression and pain, a poor appetite or vomiting due to cold dampness. We've just mentioned a digestion-promoting product. In case you overeat and experience qi stagnation due to food retention. You need to promote digestion and circulate qi by combining digestion-promoting product, such as Shan Zha. For qi stagnation due to weakness of the spleen and stomach, you can combine with spleen-strengthening and qi-tonifying herbs, such as Huang Qi (Radix Astragali) and Bai Zhu (Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae). For vomiting due to ascending of stomach-qi, you need to down-regulate qi and combine with other herbs such as Ban Xia (Rhizoma Pinelliae). This is the first function of Chen Pi... simply regulates qi and strengthens the spleen. The spleen and stomach are very important and qi stagnation of the spleen and stomach is quite common. Chen Pi can be used for qi stagnation of the spleen and stomach due to all kinds of reasons. This is its first function. Now let's come to its second function dries dampness and resolves phlegm. In Chinese medicine, phlegm is a very special pathogenic factor. Phlegm can cause a variety of problems. Chen Pi is of great significance in treating complicated phlegm. How to treat phlegm? Let's take a look. In terms of the source, phlegm mainly results from dampness, we say phlegm is accumulation of dampness. To treat phlegm, you need to resolve dampness first, we call dry dampness and resolve phlegm. Chen Pi is warm and dry, and can dry dampness and resolve phelgm, targeting the source and root of phlegm. This is the first aspect. Secondly, in terms of the formation of phlegm and affected body parts, in Chinese medicine, there are two classical sayings, one is 'the spleen is the source of phlegm'. Why? Because phlegm results from dampness, which is related to dysfunctions of the spleen. Why? Because the spleen governs transportation and transformation. What does it transport and transform? It transports and transforms water dampness. Dysfunctions of the spleen in transporting and transforming water dampness can cause dampness, which may in turn accumulate and result in phlegm. As a result, you have to strenghten the spleen to resolve phlegm. We've mentioned that Chen Pi enters the spleen and stomach meridians; and it is warm, dry and bitter and can strenghten the spleen. Phlegm may first attack the lung, causing cough with profuse sputum. Then you have to resolve phlegm and relieve coughing. Chen Pi can resolve phlegm. This is the pathomechanism of phlegm in terms of the location. From the pathogenesis, an important point is that phlegm is tangible and qi is intangible, circulation of intangible qi can be obstructed by tangible phlegm, resulting in qi stagnation due to phlegm. In this case, you need to resolve phlegm and circulate qi. As a typical qi-regulating product, Chen Pi can circulate qi. Finally, in terms of symptoms, the most common and recognized symptom of phlegm is coughing, cough with profuse phlegm. Chen Pi can also stop coughing. So we say Chen Pi can dry dampness and resolve phlegm. We can see its role in the treatment of phlegm from the source, location, pathogenesis and syndrome of phlegm. Consequently there is a basic formula for phlegm, called Er Chen Tang (Two Matured Substances Decoction), which only contain four ingredients. Er means two. One of them is Chen Pi. So we can say that Chen Pi is really good in life, diet and clincal prescriptions. Next, I'm going to introduce the third regulating product... Yi Yi Ren (Semen Coicis). I believe you may know its another name Mi Ren, the first word Mi means rice and the second word Ren means seeds. Why does it get such a name? It is white in color and small in volume, like white rice and therefore got such a name. Actually Yi Yi Ren is very common in our daily life. In terms of flavor, it is bland and slightly sweet. So sometimes Yi Yi Ren is cooked in porridge, especially in summer with heavy dampness. Porridge containing Yi Yi Ren can resolve dampness. This is one aspect. As medicine, it is bland and often used to promote diuresis and resolve dampness. It is cold in property and enters the spleen, stomach and lung meridians. Its major function is to resolve dampness and treat dampness-related problems. In addition, for damp-related problems, Yi Yi Ren can treat both the symptoms and root cause. We know dampness is mainly associated with the spleen, since the spleen governs tranportation and transformation of water-dampness. We've previously mentioned that, Dysfunctions of the spleen or spleen deficiency may cause disturbance of transportation and transformation, leading to dampness. Yi Yi Ren can strengthen the spleen. The second aspect... for damp-related problems, we need to resolve dampness. Yi Yi Ren has very good effect of promoting diuresis. So Yi Yi Ren mainly acts to strengthen the spleen and drain dampness, targeting both the symptoms and root cause. First let's have a look at its application in strengthening the spleen and draining dampness. Many disorders are related to dampness. First, Yi Yi Ren can strengthen the spleen, promote diuresis and resolve edema. Undoubtedly, in this regard, it is often used to treat edema and dysuria due to retention of water dampness. Yi Yi Ren alone can help with edema and dysuria. This is the first aspect. Secondly, by strengthening the spleen and draining dampness, Yi Yi Ren can stop diarrhea. We've mentioned many times about the relationship between dampness and diarrhea. Dampness is often caused by spleen qi deficiency, further leading to retention of water dampness. We can imagine that dampness in the intestine can cause diarrhea. What should you do? To remove dampness. How? By draining dampness and removing water dampness to stop diarrhea. Resolving dampness alone is not enough, because dampness may reoccur as a result of spleen deficiency. In terms of the root cause, the normal transporation and transformation of the spleen has to be recovered. Yi Yi Ren can directly drain dampness, stop diarrhea and also strenghten the spleen. That's why we say it targets both the symptoms and root cause. It is really effective for diarrhea due to spleen deficiency with internal dampness. We can cook Yi Yi Ren in porridge or in combination with rice, Shan Yao (common yam rhizome) and Bian Dou (hyacinth bean). This is its function in stopping diarrhea. Thirdly, it can be used to treat leucorrhea by strengthening the spleen and draining dampness. We've mentioned previously that major attibuting factor of leucorrhea is dampness, and dampness is associated with the spleen. So Yi Yi Ren can strenghten the spleen, drain dampness and treat leucorrhea. What's the difference between Yi Yi Ren and Bai Zhi (Radix Angelicae Dahuricae) in the treatment of leucorrhea? It can be used to treat all kinds of leucorrhea due to dampness, such as white leucorrhea, yellow leucorrhea and red leucorrhea. The last point, Yi Yi Ren can also be used to treat stranguria by strengthening the spleen and draining dampness. The stranguria here results from damp-heat in the urinary bladder and is clinically characterized by frequent, urgent and pain urination, coupled with fever. This is about its function in treating stranguria. Its second major application is also related to its damp-resolving function. In what aspect? It can relax muscles/tendons and allevaite pain. Why? Dampness within joints or muscles can cause spasm, or joint deformity. How? Dampness affected the meridians and joints. To treat this condition, we need to first get rid of dampness, and relax muscles/tendons. Yi Yi Ren can resolve dampness and relax muscles/tendons, and therefore can be used to treat muscle spasm due to dampness. This is its second major application. Thirdly, it can clear heat and drain pus. Cold in property, Yi Yi Ren can resolve dampness and remove pathogenic heat. In this regard, it's mainly used in two aspects: one is to clear the lung and drain pus. It is cold in property and enters the lung meridian, and can therefore clear lung heat, accelerate pus draining and treat lung abscess. We have a famous classic formula by Sun Simiao called Qian Jin Wei Jing Tang (Valuable Phragmites Stem Decoction), 'Wei Jing' here is Lu Gne (reed rhizome). This decoction contains Yi Yi Ren. The second aspect: it clear the intestine and drain pus, mainly for intestinal abscess, which is similar to appendicitis. For treatment of intestinal abscess, it is often used in combination with Fu Zi (Radix Aconiti Lateralis) and Bai Jiang Cao (Herba Patriniae). A famous formula by Zhang Zhongjing called Yi Yi Fu Zi Bai Jiang San (Coix seed, monkshood and patrinia powder) is specially used for intestinal abscess. So Yi Yi Ren is very effective for both food and medicine. Based on what we have learned, I'd like to summarize its characteristics: it can reinforce and reduce, mainly reduce; it mainly reinforce the spleen, promote diuresis, resolve dampness, clear heat and drain pus; it can treat both the upper and lower body, but mainly the lower body. We mentioned that it can be used to treat the lung, however, mainly the lower body. It can regulate both interior and exterior, but mainly the interior. In this class, I've introduced three regulating herbs that can be used for both food and medicine. So much for this class.
