INDIVIDUAL HERBS
| Pharmaceutical Latin: | Rhizoma Gastrodiae |
| Common English: | Gastrodia Rhizome Celestial Hemp Corm Tall Gastrodia Tiber |
| Taste | Temperature | Entering Meridians | Dosage |
Sweet |
Neutral (Lukewarm) |
Liver (Pericardium) |
3-10g Powder: 0.9-1.5g Tincture: 2-4ml |
| Actions | Indications/Syndromes |
Extinguishes Wind, calms the Liver and stops spasms and tremors |
Liver Wind due to either Heat or Cold with headache, dizziness, childhood convulsions, epilepsy, tonic-clonic spasms, opisthotonos, tetany and Wind-stroke |
Extinguishes Wind, subdues Rising Liver Yang and alleviates pain |
Wind-Phlegm patterns with headaches, dizziness and migraines Wind-stroke with hemiplegia, dizziness and numbness in the extremities Can be used for both Excess and Deficiency conditions |
Disperses Wind-Damp Bi |
Pain and numbness of the lower back and extremities due to Wind-Damp Bi |
CONTRAINDICATIONS |
INCOMPATIBILITIES |
HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS |
|
Ram. cum Uncis Uncariae |
Ram. cum Uncis Uncariae |
|
Calms the Liver and extinguishes Wind. |
Headaches, dizziness, blurred vision and tingling numbness of the extremities from Wind-Phlegm Attacking the Upper body and Internal Stirring of Wind. |
Wind-stroke with hemiplegia and difficult speech. |
Ram. cum Uncis Uncariae |
Arisaema cum Bile |
|
Childhood convulsions or epilepsy in adults with spasms and convulsions with irritability and restlessness. |
Childhood convulsions from Wind-Phlegm. |
Tetany and opisthotonos. |
Ram. cum Uncis Uncariae |
Rz. Pinelliae Preparatum |
Rz. Chuanxiong |
Dizziness and headache due to Liver Yang Rising. |
Headaches and dizziness from Wind-Phlegm. | Overwhelming attacks of Wind leading to migraines and dizziness so severe that the person feels as if they are about to fall over. |
Rx. Scrophulariae |
Rx. Gentianae Macrophyllae |
Hb. Ephedrae |
Difficulty in movement and deep-seated pain in the sinews and bones after Wind-stroke. |
Wind-Damp Bi with difficulty bending the joints. |
Wind-Damp leg Qi with pain in the sinews and bones and numbness of the skin. |
Ram. cum Uncis Uncariae |
Rx. Ginseng or |
Rx. Achyranthis Bidentatae |
Seizures. |
Chronic childhood convulsions. |
Numbness and weakness of the extremities. |
Rx. Gentianae Macrophyllae |
||
Bi pain with Blood Stasis. |
Damp predominant Bi pain. |
Acute infantile or childhood convulsions. |
Arisaema cum Bile |
Scorpio |
Arisaema cum Bile |
Tetany with spasms, twitching or opisthotonos. |
Stroke with facial paralysis and drooling. |
Stroke with hemiplegia, numbness and slurred speech. |
Ram. cum Uncis Uncariae |
Rz. Chuanxiong |
Rz. Pinelliae Preparatum |
Headaches. Dizziness. Hypertension. |
Migraine headaches. Blurred vision. |
Heavy feeling and a congested headache. |
Rz. Chuanxiong |
Hb. Ephedrae |
|
Migraine, temporal or frontal headache. |
Bi syndrome. |
|
- Depending on the other herbs, this herb can be used for problems due to Heat or Blood Deficiency.
- This is the primary herb for settling Liver Wind and is often mixed with heavy sedating agents such as Concha Haliotidis Shi Jue Ming, Concha Ostreae Mu Li, and Fossilia Ossis Mastodi Long Gu, to enhance its action.
- It is frequently used for headaches.
- This herb governs head Wind, headache, dizziness, vertigo, epilepsy with strong convulsions, spasms in the four limbs, difficult speech and all Wind-stroke and Wind-Phlegm conditions.
- This herb is traditionally believed to sharpen memory and promote strength.
- It would be more used if it were less expensive. New cultivation techniques are helping to bring the cost down.
- Some sources say that this herb disperses Wind-Damp Bi, stabilizes fright and moistens Liver Blood.
- This herb is capable of promoting circulation in the cerebral and coronary arteries.
- The principle treatment for Liver Wind is to nourish and move Blood.
- Tian Ma and Ram. cum Uncis Uncariae Gou Teng are similar. Both calm the Liver and extinguish Wind to treat dizziness, vertigo and headache and are often used together. Gou Teng is sweet and Cold and treats Heat-induced Wind while Tian Ma is sweet warm and dry and treats Wind-Cold with Phlegm Dampness.