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Body constitution and herbal therapy
As a TCM
doctor, you should know that some herbs work better in some body
constitution than in others. When we mean the body constitution,
we mean that a body can be slim constitution, strong-looking
constitution, overshape constitution, fire, or phlegm
constitution, just as example.
(1). Guizhi
constitution
Slim
constitution is also called Guizhi constitution. It means that
some people have better healing reaction to herb formula that
contain herb Guizhi.
Person with
a slim constitution is slim in body shape. They are thin and
have no worry about overweight. However, what bother them are
frequent sweating, easy getting cold to cough, to sneeze, to
have running nose, e.g. the whole picture of their body is easy
sweat plus frequent “allergic reaction”. There are some herbs
more suitable for this group of people. They are Guizhi-containing
herb formula, such Guizhi Tang, Guizhi jia Longgu Muli Tang. It
does not mean that these herbs are only used to this group of
people, neither that this group of people will definite need
these group of herbs no matter what clinic condition they have.
But it does mean that when you see people with slim body shape
and when you know that they have frequent sweat, cough, running
nose, etc, you should remember that they may need such Guizhi-containing
herbs, at least try such Guizhi-containing herbs first. This is
very important clinic tip and it has been described in Shang Han
Lun 2000 years ago, but you never learn it from your textbook
TCM. I am sure.
Guizhi
constitution can be more seen in models, young girls, students
who prefer learning but physical exercise. They look weaker
among crowd.
(2). Chaihu
constitution
People with
Chaihu constitution show stronger and tight muscle.
They are sensitive to variation of emotion stimulation,
and environment physical or chemical changes. They are easy to
be disturbed by others emotional express to feel anxiety or
stress. They can feel hot or cold easily. They pay much
attention to what happens to their body. They want to know
anything about health, asking doctor more questions, and tell
doctor more and in detail story about their body. They are easy
to feel discomfort in their throat, bloating in stomach, bad
taste in mouth, or dizzy feel too. They have more chance to have
tight feelings on their shoulders, between shoulder blade and
jaw (TMJ) too. They have more emotional trouble, stress or
anxiety.
These group
of people tend to have better healing effect to herb formula
that contain herb Chaihu, so that it is called Chaihu
constitution. Examples for such herb formula are Xiao Chaihu
Tang, Chaihu jia Longgu Muli Tang, Si Ni San, Chaihu shugan Wan…
Chaihu
constitution can be seen in people such as labor workers and
office staff too. They are operating people.
(3). Dahuang
constitution
People with
Dahuang constitution look red in face with oil tint on it
(oil-red in color). Their lips are thick and dark red in color.
They are much stronger than in muscle than those with Chaihu
constitution. They tend
to have strong odor in their mouth or urine, have constipation,
bloating in whole stomach area. In TCM, it means more “Fire” in
the body, but the Fire is deeper in the stomach-intestine cavity
(Huangliang constitution is also with Fire but its Fire
relatively on surface level, more on head, eyes, gum, emotion).
They are more tolerance to outside stimulations, emotionally or
physically. They have good appetite and like to drink ice-cold
water. Their mouth tends to be dry, and have less sweat. They
are those who tend to have higher blood cholesterol level or
higher blood pressure. When touch, their stomach is tight and
feels resistant. When sleep, they tend to produce loud noise –
loud snooze. All in all, you should pay much attention to their
tongue that is more typical for Dahuang constitution: tongue
looks “Old”, since it looks thick, narrow on tip, dark red in
color with thicker tongue covering. You can find more people
with Dahuang constitution in those of patients with acute
infection diseases.
You can find
people with Dahuang constitution in middle-aged persons, man is
more. Herb formula contain Dahuang are Da Chengqi Tang, Xiao
Chengqi Tang, Tiaowei Chengqi Tang,
Fangfen Tongsheng Wang,
or most of l herbs formula for lose weight.
(4).
Huanglian constitution
People with
Huangliang constitution also look red in face but it is more
drier, not as the oil-red color face as in Dahuang constitution.
They have no big stomach as those with Dahuang constitution
either. Their tongue look also “old” but not as older as those
seen in Dahuang constitution. The tongue is red or dark red in
color. The tongue covering tends to be dry, and yellow in color
but usually not thick.
People with
the Huangliang constitution also have more “Fire” in their body.
They feel more anxiety, irritable, nervous too. They have higher
chance to have poor sleep, early wake-up. They also tend to have
bloating feelings in stomach area. You see, the burning of the
Fire in brain causing emotional trouble; in stomach, causing
stomach pain, bloating and nausea; in gum, causing infection
there (pain, bleeding, and even abscess); in eye, causing dry
eyes with red color; and so on. They are all caused by “Fire”.
Huangling
constitution seems more in people with blood type A. They tend
to make everything in order. They hate un-organized work or
environment. They expect things “exactly”. Their less
“tolerance” makes them irritable to environment stimulation.
(5).
Ganjiang constitution
People with
Ganjiang constitution are those people opposite to people with
Dahuang constitution. Dahuang constitution is more “Fire”, where
as the Ganjiang constitution is more “Cold”. But there is
another constitution called Fuzi constitution, which is also
“Cold”, but it is relatively “Dry Cold”, whereas the Ganjiang
constitution is more “Water Cold” in its nature.
People with
the Ganjiang constitution show lower level of body metabolism.
Any liquid out of their body (such as saliva, urine, stool,
phlegm) tends to be as thin as water. They do not feel thirsty;
prefer warm and hate cold. They are less active and have less
interest to outside environment. The most typical mark for those
people is also their tongue. The tongue is light red in color
with thick and white tongue covering. Note: the white tongue
covering is usually over whole tongue.
(6). Fuzi
constitution
Fuzi
constitution is also a “Cold” constitution, but much colder than
Ganjiang constitution. People with the Fuzi constitution is
almost as a “cold stone”, whereas the Gangjiang constitution can
be understand as a “Cold water”. This is their difference. Fuzi
constitution shows much
less emotional and physical activity than the Ganjiang
constitution (so the whole person reacts as a “stone”). They
feel much cold in hands and/or feet; more prefer to warm and
hot; no energy to handle daily life (always in a drowsy
condition); feel drowsy day and night. Their pulse is typical:
it feels deeper, weaker and thinner. Their tongue could be thin,
small, wet with purple in tint.
The herb
formula containing Fuzi are, as example, Sini Tang, Fuzi lizhong
Wan, and Zhenwu Tang.
In modern
life, there are more and more people show such Fuzi constitution
and Ganjiang constitution. Our experience, they can account up
to more than 60% to 70% of our clients. Therefore, the use of
herb formula contain Fuzi and Ganjiang is very common in our
clinic. It is interesting that the herbs, Fuzi and Ganjiang, are
actually our Chinese daily vegetables! As a TCM doctor, you must
know how and when to use the Fuzi-containing herbs.
(7). Huangqi
constitution
If you know
someone, who looks overweight, have sweat easily, have swelling
in legs. You have to suspect that they are Huangqi constitution.
These people have white skin color, tend to have numbness in
hands, have less physical energy. The whole body looks as a
water-containing bag. If there is ulcer in skin, it is hard to
close to cure. They don’t like strong air-conditioning
environment, similar to Guizhi constitution. But the body of
Guizhi constitution is thinner than the Huangqi constitution.
There is no typical tongue or pulse indicating the Huangqi
constitution.
Typical
herbs containing Huangqi is the famous Buzhong Yiqi Tang, which
is normally used to nourish Qi in the body. Most of TCM students
have learn it in school, but you should know that, it may not
work properly in people who is thin in body shape and is dry in
skin. This is a tip.
Other
Huangqi containing herb formula is Yupingfen San, used for over
sweat condition; Fangji Huangqi Tang, for chronic arthritis in
knees (with sweat in the knees especially); Huangqi Guizhi Wuwo
Tang (for limb numb, sour, and weak); Huangqi Jianzhong Tang
(for chronic gastric ulcer, but the patient likes to eat warm
food, the stomach pain can be released after eating); and Buyang
Huangwu Tang (for paralysis).
(8). Banxia
Constitution
Banxia is
used to clear Phlegm in the body. The concept of the Phlegm is a
broad concept. It includes but much more than the phlegm that
comes out of the throat after cough. Phlegm can move and stay in
any part of the body. If it is in head, causing headache; in
joints, causing arthritis; in stomach, causing nausea; in heart,
causing coronary heart disease; in throat, causing tingling
feeling in throat; in uterus, causing stop of period, more
discharge, and infertility; in skin, causing mass under the
skin, that feels no pain, no itch, no skin color change…
People with
the Banxia constitution tend to be sensitive to odors and taste
to have nausea. It is very hard for them to drink herb tea or
eat whatever they dislike. Their faces look darker: no bright
tint on the face. Their tongue covering is more typical for the
diagnosis: the tongue covering is white and as oil. (the tongue
covering for Ganjiang constitution is also white but thicker).
Depending on if there is Fire or Cold in the body, the color of
the tongue covering can be either yellow-white and dry or white
and wet.
Most
commonly used herb formula containing Banxia is Xiao Banxia Tang
(for nausea caused by Phlegm accumulation); Ercheng Tang (for
nausea and stomach bloating, or cough); Wendan Tang (for phobia,
scare feeling, insomnia, dizziness, etc.); Da Banxia Tang (for
vomiting, the content of the vomiting is that person eat in
previous meal); Banxia Houpu Tang (for irritable feelings in
throat); Banxia Baizhu Tianma Tang (for dizziness); and Banxia
Xiexing Tang (for stomach bloating feelings).
(9). Shigao
constitution
Person with
Shigao constitution is as they are in summer: they feel hot,
have heavy sweat, feel very dry in mouth and drink lots of cold
water. Their tongue is dry and pulse feels big. The Shigao
constitution is similar to Dahuang constitution, but the Dahuang
constitution shows much more in the stomach area: person feels
bloating and pain in stomach, has constipation. The tongue for
the Dahuang constitution is red and the tongue covering is thick
and dry. Whereas the Shigao constitution has less typical tongue
color or tongue covering change. The Shigao constitution is also
needed to be separated with Guizhi constitution since both have
sweat, hot and bigger pulse. But the Guizhi constitution hates
wind or strong air-conditioned environment, whereas the Shigao
constitution hate hot and like wind and cold. Shigao
constitution is more in acute disease, whereas the Guizhi
constitution is more seen in chronic disease process. The Shigao
constitution is also similar to Huanglian constitution in that
both belong to “Fire” condition in the body. But the Huanglian
constitution is more affecting the emotion and stomach per se,
causing pain and bloating feelings in the stomach; whereas the
Shigao constitution shows more the hot feeling and sweat (the
skin temperature may not be high, due to sweat).
Famous herbs
that contain Shigao is Shigao Tang, and Shigao jia Renshen Tang.
The former is used mostly in clinic conditions similar to acute
infection condition; and the later can be more used in the later
stage of the acute infection diseases. In our hands, we use the
later formula more in post menopause condition for women with
hot flash. It works very well. It is also used for the treatment
of type II diabetes in the TCM, but patient should show hot
feeling and dry mouth. If you use it in patients who have higher
blood sugar level but no such hot feeling and dry mouth, it
doesn’t work and also dangerous. When you use Chinese herbs, you
should follow its own indications. If you use it according to
the disease condition diagnosed by conventional medicine, you
may make the patient’s condition worse. You cann’t feed the
grass, that is supposed to feed cow, to rat. Those both are
animal. If you modify the TCM and make it not works, I recommend
that you should not call yourself TCM doctor. You can name
yourself whatever instead.
Other
popularly used herbs that contain Shigao is Zhuye Shigao Tang
(for dry mouth, chronic fatigue); and Xiaofeng San (for skin
diseases).
(10). More
constitutions
There are
more body constitutions indicating the use of individual herbs
as the main ingredient in a formula. It is not the aim for this
article here to introduce all of them. Also, readers have to
know that, in a person, various constitution can happen at the
same time. For example, person with basic Guizhi constitution
may have stronger hot feeling. We may add Shigao in the formula
of Guizhi Tang. This is a common sense. Also, not all herbs have
their specific body mark to tell a constitution. But the summary
of the above constitution is enough to help a herbalist settle
down most of clinic conditions.
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