Guizhi-alikes

This seems like an appropriate place to begin our discussion of particular herbs. I would like to generate a list of herbs which are similar to guizhi in various ways, undertake a comprehensive study each individually, and then make some comparisons. If anyone else would like to join me and apply their own preferred study methodology to one or more of these plants, that would be great.

First I want to make sure that I have a reasonably comprehensive list of guizhi-alike herbs.  I am thinking of guizhi as a warm, pungent, (sweet), diaphoretic, tonifying circulatory stimulant. Are there other properties of guizhi that I should be keeping in mind as I look for analogues?

Here are the herbs that I have identified so far, with some brief comments on the ways they are like or unlike guizhi: 

Cayenne - Probably the closest match to guizhi, this was a key herb in the Thompsonian / Physiomedical school, which has come down to us most clearly in the work of Dr. Christopher. In that school it was used primarily for the circulation and for “all forms of depression and atony.” Jeremy Ross uses it for “external wind-cold-damp.” It can also be used as a diaphoretic for colds, presumably including taiyang wind-strike. It is generally said to be hot, but I have tolerated it well even in times when the heat of guizhi was too much for me.

Rosemary - In the words of Peter Holmes, rosemary “permeates the whole organism with warmth and activity.” That sounds just like “yang out of the box” to me. This is a key herb in both traditional Arabic medicine and Anthroposophical medicine. Anthroposophical Medicine discovered the use of rosemary for diabetes (cinnamon is also used in western herbalism for diabetes, and for similar reasons if I understand correctly). Holmes lists a use as a diaphoretic for colds, but I haven't found anyone else describing such use. In fact, Ross states that rosemary’s action is specifically oriented toward the interior (as compared to sage). Rosemary seems to be less actively moving than Cayenne. Rosemary also seems to have some mild shaoyang properties.

Yarrow - Another heavy hitter. Yarrow is well known as a diaphoretic for colds. Matthew Wood further refers to Yarrow as the “master of the blood," saying that it regulates blood flow to and from the surface, in and out of the capillaries. This is perhaps less activating than the action of guizhi, but includes enough encouragement to circulation that I am happy to include it in this list. In fact, Wood likens Yarrow to Hong Hua, which is often paired with Tao Ren where classically one might use Gui Zhi. Yarrow also has some tonifying properties, but these seem to be more specific than we see with guizhi, cayenne, or rosemary.

Angelica Archangelica - I don’t have any experience with this herbs, and I have just started learning about it. It is a warm, pungent, sweet, diaphoretic that promotes blood movement. Wood reports that it substitutes adequately for Dang Gui; Michael Moore disagrees but suggests that with the proper paozhi that might change.

Sassafras - Another warm diaphoretic, circulatory stimulant that I don’t know much about. Sassafras is probably not suitable to serve as a general purpose guizhi-alike, but rather achieves a more pointed accentuation of a certain guizhi-like functions. Wood discusses it specifically for cases with thickened turbidity of the blood. Most other authors seem to consider Sassafras primarily as an herb for Bi syndrome, although it can also be used for colds.

Are there other herbs that should be on this list? Other thoughts on these herbs?

Individual relationship with herbs

Individual relationship with herbs is not much explored in Chinese Medicine, at least since the influence of ZZJ, whose goal was to create a system of medicine which would work reliably as long as it was applied correctly (ie if you got the diagnosis correct, the formula should work).
Indeed, one of the major reasons for using herbal formulas is that they stabilize the action of herbs, so that patient or practitioner idiosyncrasies will be less likely to derail the therapy.


I see interest in individual relationship coming from two places. First, it is part of the general interest in shamanic type work, which is part of our broader efforts to return to the wisdom of the earth, etc. Second, it may result in part from the chaotic state of western herbalism, in which almost every good practitioner ends up developing their own system out of a number historical traces. In such a situation, one will of course have their own way of working with herbs.


We should distinguish two different aspects to our relationship with herbs. The first aspect is our understanding of the herb. This refers to our ability to understand what an herb does and how it will affect a patient. This is certainly a kind of relationship, since herbs are subtle and complex, and our understanding of them can always deepen. Still, it seems that much this relationship can be shared with others by learning to verbalize and communicate our understanding of the herbs. The second aspect is the possibility that an herb might behave differently for one of us than for others because of our particular relationship with it.


As we go down this path of relationship with herbs, we should be careful with egoic reasons for fascination with our these relationships - an interest in finding our identity in the plants (rather than just allowing them to do their healing work) and/or developing the idea that we are someone special because we work with this-or-that plant.


One of my main reasons for want to work with local herbs is that I am interested in having more complete and direct relationships with the plants that I use. At the same time, I hope that this can be done without losing the systematic clarity of Han-style medicine.


Thoughts?

Two ideas on how to approach formula design

It seems clear to me that attempting to recreate ZZJ’s formulas with other herbs is a hopeless pursuit, and one that is overly limiting. There is no other Chai Hu, and if we are focused on recreating particular formulas, we will miss the special genius of the herbs we are working with. We need to go back to an understanding of physiology and pathology, learn to recognize how our herbs affect these, and build formulas based on this understanding.

I have two main ideas about how to start building formulas with these herbs. In the first project, after identifying the major (and minor) domains of physiology, we would identify an herb which most centrally represents, establishes, and restores each physiological function. An Ur-formula could then be defined as the combination of all those herbs. Other herbs would then be understood in terms of the way their function deviates from that of the core herbs. In building a custom formula, we would select the herbs which have the specific deviations appropriate to our patient’s condition and we would omit those herbs which are not needed. (We would probably want to refine this approach by identifying an Ur-formula for each aspect of physiology: identifying the sub-aspects of each of the major aspects of physiology and selecting an herb to establish that sub-function, etc.)


The second project is a little less systematic. In this approach we would just choose particular herbs that we are interested in, try to understand their actions, and then develop formulas which appropriately bring out that effect.


The first project takes its focus from the body; the second project takes its lead from the herbs that we have chosen to work with. If both projects could be carried out, we would have a reasonably complete system of herbalism. Ideas?

Here we go

This is a group blog for discussing the use of western and local herbs within the context of Chinese medicine. Share your ideas, discoveries, and experiences. If you would like to post here, send me an email.