Băi Hé Dì Huáng Tāng

Question 1

Actions

Answer 1

Moistens the Lungs, enriches the fluids, clears heat, and cools the blood

Question 2

Indications

Answer 2

Mental disorientation, irritability, insomnia, palpitations, and other transient cognitive, sensory, and motor dysfunctions.
Occur in the wake of an externally-contracted disorder.
Dark urine, bitter taste in the mouth.
P: slightly rapid or weak and rapid
T: little coating

Question 3

Diagnostic Pattern

Answer 3

Pathogenic heat entering the Lungs and penetrating into the nutritive or blood aspect.

Question 4

Chief

Answer 4

băi hé: sweet, slightly bitter, cooling
clear heat, drain, and direct downward
governs pathogenic qi and chills and fevers
slippery, moistening ability to open up areas of clumping, and its unblocking, facilitating, draining, and guiding out actions
tonifies the middle, augments the qi
quiets the spirit and strengthens the resolve: elimination of pathogenic heat and recovery of normal qi

Question 5

Deputy

Answer 5

xiān dì huáng: sweet, cooling
cools heat in the blood (disturbs the spirits)
enriches the yin fluids –> venting heat from the Ying and Xue levels back toward the qi level where it can be eliminated via the urine and bowels by the heat clearing actions of băi hé

together: eliminate heat without damaging fluids through drying, or impeding flow of qi through bitterness

Question 6

Cautions and Contraindications

Answer 6

No indicated for patterns presenting with excess fire in the Lungs and Heart, nor where yin deficiency is the main pathology.

Question 7

Spring Water

Answer 7

sweet and balanced
resolving heat and harmonizing the middle burner
facilitates downward-directing of heat to be cleared via the urine