Introduction week 2

Question 0

Powders

Answer 0

Ingredients are finely or coarsely ground up and sifted into a relatively uniform powder, then ingested or applied topically.
Taking the powder as a draft: boil the powder for a short time in a relatively small amount of water, and ingesting the liquid that is strained from the dregs.
Applying powders externally/blown into the nose or throat for treating localized disorders, or as a means of reviving the patient from a coma.
+ Powders are convenient, they have the ability to store for long periods of time, and have a lower cost than decoctions.

Question 1

Decoction

Answer 1

Ingredients are placed in water, or a mixture of wine and water, boiled for a specified period of time, then drank.
+ Decoctions are rapidly absorbed, effects are strong and immediately perceived by the patient. Decoctions are easy to modify.
- Decoctions are relatively expensive, time consuming, difficult to prepare, and usually bad tasting.

Question 2

Pills

Answer 2

Ingredients are finely ground or pulverized, a liquid or other viscous medium is added, and round pills are formed.
Pills are absorbed slowly and over a long period of time.
+ more easily stored and ingested than decoctions, and are less expensive.
Most commonly used for treating chronic disorders associated with deficiency, but can also be stored for quick use in treating acute disorders when there is little time to prepare decoctions or powders.

Question 3

what are the most common types of pills

Answer 3

• pills made with honey: honey makes the pill moist and lubricating, and has a moderating effect on the actions of other ingredients in the formula. pills made from honey are usually tonics.
• pills made with liquids: ground herbs made with wine, water, vinegar, or a strained decoction.
• pills made with paste: ground herbs made with rice or wheat flour. absorbed more slowly than other pills and reduces irritation in the digestive tract.
• pills made from concentrate: made of a concentrate from the strained decoction of a formula with the addition of a filler, usually starch or dried and powdered dregs from the decoction.

Question 4

soft extracts

Answer 4

ingredients are simmered with water or vegetable oil until a concentrate with a syrupy or gummy consistency forms.
can be used internally or externally (skin plasters or for trauma).

Question 5

what are the three most common types of soft extracts that are taken internally?

Answer 5

• Syrups from prolonged decoction: made by repeatedly decocting the ingredients to a specified concentration, further concentrating the strained liquid, and finally cooking with the addition of honey or sugar to make into a syrup or gel-like extract. They are easy to take, sweet in flavor, and have the effect o enriching and tonifying.
• Liquid extraction:made by soaking the ingredients in a solvent to extract the active ingredients, and then heating the result to dispose of a specified percentage of the solvent. Similar to tinctures.
• Semi-solid extracts: made the same way as liquid extracts, except they are heated until all of the solvent is gone. The extracts are then made into tablets, pills, or capsules.

Question 6

what type of formula is made by taking the strained liquid from a decoction and adding a specified quantity of cane sugar?

Answer 6

syrups

Question 7

why are special pills “special”

Answer 7

because they are pills that contain a specially processed and/or expensive ingredient. also referred to as an elixir

Question 8

what are the properties of wine

Answer 8

wine is nourishing, it invigorates the blood, and unblocks the channels

Question 9

how is medicinal wine made

Answer 9

by soaking the ingredients in rice or sorghum wine or other spirits, using the alcohol as a solvent. the wine is warmed, the dregs are discarded and the resulting liquid can be used internally or externally.

Question 10

when are medicinal wines most often used

Answer 10

in treating chronic deficiency or the pain associated with wind-dampness or trauma

Question 11

what type of formula is made by grinding the ingredients into a powder which is formed into ingot-shaped tablets, sometimes with the addition of paste, honey, or other excipient?

Answer 11

lozenges

Question 12

what kind of formula can be easily coated? give examples when this would be applicable.

Answer 12

tablets

if the ingredients are especially bitter or malodorous, a sugar coating can be added; if the ingredients are adversely affected by the acidic environment of the stomach, an enteric coating can be added.

Question 13

how are most granules made

Answer 13

ingredients are decocted until a think, concentrated semi-liquid remains. a stabilizer is then added and thoroughly mixed with the concentrate. the resulting mixture is made into granules by sifting through a series of rollers, after which it is cut up or crushed. The granules are then dried.

Question 14

what are the benefits of the granules

Answer 14

they are more quickly absorbed and stronger-acting than most pills and tablets, and are more convenient and require less medicine per volume than decoctions or syrups.

Question 15

injections

Answer 15

made by extracting the active ingredients with modern methods and preparing a sterile solution that can be administered by injection.
they are injected subcutaneously, intramuscularly, or intravenously.

Question 16

what sort of cookware should be used for decoctions

Answer 16

pots that are ceramic or earthenware

Question 17

T/F, tap water is okay to use for decoctions

Answer 17

True, unless the water is highly polluted or has a high mineral content

Question 18

what is the general rule of thumb for amount of water to use when cooking decoctions

Answer 18

The water should generally cover the herbs by about one-half inch; ~200-300ml of water per every 30g of herbs.

Question 19

what type of heat should we cook decoctions with

Answer 19

usually the decoction is brought to a boil using a high flame, and then cooked on a lower flame.

Question 20

standard method of decoction

Answer 20

put herbs in pot and cover with appropriate amount of water.
once the herbs have come to a boil, turn down the heat; do not lift the lid often.
the most common method is to decoct the ingredients twice, using slightly less water the second time. both times the herbs are boiled down until only one cup of liquid remains. after the second cooking, the herbs are discarded. the two cups of liquid are then combined, and one cup is taken twice a day or two-thirds of a cup is taken 3x per day.

Question 21

standard decoction cooking time

Answer 21

most formulas are cooked or 20-30 minutes.
formulas that release the exterior, clear heat, or contain herbs with volitile oils should be cooked over a relatively high flame for a shorter period of time (10-15 min).
tonics and other formulas that contain rich, cloying substances should be cooked over a relatively low flame for a longer period of time (45-60 min) to extract as much from them as possible.
toxic substances should be cooked for at least 45 minutes to reduce their toxicity.

Question 22

T/F, most decoctions are taken after meals

Answer 22

False

they are taken before meals because this permits the maximum absorption to occur quickly.

Question 23

what is the special treatment for this set of herbs:
fu zi - radix lateralis aconiti carmichaeli
shi jue ming - concha haliotidis
long gu - os draconis
mu li - concha ostreae
ci shi - magnetitum
zhen zhu - margartia
dai zhe shi - haematitum
bie jia - carapax amydae sinensis
shi gao - gypsum fibrosum
shui niu jiao - cornu bubali

Answer 23

decoct first

Question 24

what is the special treatment for the following list of herbs:
bo he, mu xiang, sha ren, bai dou kou, qing hao, da haung

Answer 24

add near end

Question 25

what is the special treatment for the following herbs:

xuan fu hua, che qian zi, chi shi zhi

Answer 25

decoct in gauze

Question 26

what is the special treatment for the following herbs:

ren shen, xi yang shen, lu rong

Answer 26

separately decoct

Question 27

what is the special treatment for the following herbs:

e jiao, yi tang

Answer 27

dissolve in strained decoction

Question 28

what is the special treatment for the following herbs:

chuan bei mu, san qi, niu huang, zhu sha, zhu li

Answer 28

taken with the strained decoction

Question 29

1 qian = ? grams

Answer 29

3 grams

Question 30

what are the two major branch of traditional herbal medicine in present-day Japan

Answer 30

Gosei (later development)

Koho ( ancient formulas)

Question 31

what is the Koho school’s interpretation of Discussion of Cold-Induced Disorders?

Answer 31

There are 5 causes of disease: wind, cold, heat, dampness, and improper diet or overwork. When the body is affected by one or moreof these influences, the movement of qi, blood, or water is in turn affected.
There are 6 sections of this text: 3 for the yang stages of disease, and three for the yin stages.