https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/A4PeQB2Vq1CW8xtc-5KQOA
Everyone is welcome to share their own experiences with medication trials in the replies, to facilitate other students’ search and learning.
6. Schizonepeta (Jing Jie)
Plants in the Lamiaceae family aren’t hard to tolerate; peppermint contains menthol, and Schizonepeta contains pulegone. They smell, taste, and feel somewhat similar.
If peppermint is cooling, Schizonepeta is somewhat better—at worst, it’s slightly cool, definitely not warm or hot. So why can it be acrid-warm and release the exterior?
If you’ve attended pulse diagnosis classes, you might remember that the distinction between wind-cold and wind-heat colds is essentially a false proposition. In other words, classifying drugs as dissipating wind-cold or wind-heat is also a false distinction, so don’t get too caught up in it.
Basically, only a few drugs truly release the exterior; other drugs assist in the process.
The confirmed effect of Schizonepeta is “clearing heat and relieving restlessness,” so it can be used to alleviate cold symptoms (palliative). When a cold is just starting, and using classical formulas to expel pathogens outward, Schizonepeta is not suitable because it is cooling, can distract the “spirit of healing,” and may weaken the strong righteous Qi that unites to expel the pathogen outward.
Here, a new concept is introduced. Many diseases are not cured by doctors but rather doctors help awaken the patient’s own “spirit of healing”—which can be likened to the modern medical concept of “self-healing,” or the “human soul” (ren hun) in the traditional 三魂七魄 (Three Souls and Seven Spirits) theory.
Similarly, for treating blood heat (as discussed in pulse diagnosis classes, blood heat mostly results from inflammation or low-grade inflammation) causing rashes, acne, ulcers, etc., Schizonepeta acts by clearing heat and transforming turbidity.
This is also why it has a charred form, which, after carbonization, is used for astringing and stopping bleeding.
7. Wild Ledebouriella (Wild Fang Feng) (like before, just filling space, no need to read twice)
It smells, tastes, and drinks with an oily resin odor, unpleasant. Cultivated Ledebouriella, if stored properly, doesn’t have the oily resin smell, but its efficacy is somewhat weaker. When harvested at the right time, wild Ledebouriella can also be free of the oily resin scent, but I’ve only eaten it once. Recently, the supply from various herbal pieces companies all has the oily resin smell, so you have to make do.
The flavor is mainly bitter, slightly spicy without clear cold or hot tendencies. The confirmed effect is “consolidating the exterior.” After taking it, it can establish a temporary barrier on the body’s surface (the Wei Qi layer, also associated with the Golden Light Spell layer).
It should have some efficacy for symptoms caused by external pathogens, including headache and muscle pain, but it doesn’t have the ability to expel pathogens outward itself; it needs to be combined with ephedra (Ma Huang), cinnamon twig (Gui Zhi), etc.
I usually use 15g; if decocting separately, I’ll increase it to 30g.
8. Notopterygium (Qiang Huo)
Looking at its shape and smelling it, it feels similar to Ledebouriella; indeed, both belong to the Apiaceae family.
It basically doesn’t have an oily resin smell. Eating it raw is a bit bitter, but steeped in water, it tastes very good.
It instantly awakens the head. Unlike Ledebouriella, which forms a protective barrier around the body (mainly the upper body), Notopterygium is specialized for the head region (above the diaphragm and below the head, also covering that area)—no wonder it’s called “Umbrella,” implying a protective umbrella.
Due to its specialized function, Notopterygium has effects of repairing and dredging blocked meridians. It is very effective for cluster vascular headaches caused by wind-cold-damp stagnation, regardless of how long the illness has lasted. It’s also effective for secondary head congestion caused by internal deficiency.
Confirmed functions: consolidating the exterior (specialized for the head and upper burner), somewhat stronger at expelling pathogens outward than Ledebouriella. Secondary effects include treating headaches, neck and nape pain, shoulder and back pain, and rib pain above the diaphragm caused by internal deficiency and external pathogens.
9. Angelica Dahurica (Bai Zhi)
Just smelling it stimulates appetite; it’s reminiscent of the scent of potato chips. Before modern technology and advanced processing, Angelica Dahurica was the most commonly used spice, considered the “one-drop fragrance” of farming civilization.
Eating it raw is a disaster—unpalatable and tongue-burning—possibly because the concentration of this “one-drop fragrance” is too high. Even additives in junk food taste bad if their concentration is too high.
Also belonging to the Apiaceae family, Angelica Dahurica specializes in the Ren meridian and functions similarly to Notopterygium, but on the anterior midline.
Combining Angelica Dahurica with White Peony Root (Bai Shao) can expand its range of action, and then using Notopterygium to guide Qi upwards to the head forms the strongest herbal combination for beauty and skin nourishment, directly brightening the complexion by guiding Qi to the face, extremely effective.
Of course, in practice, this should be based on formulas that help generate Qi, blood, and transformation; I often use Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang and Shen Ling Bai Zhu San, as also taught in pulse diagnosis classes—Sheng Ma in Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang has other special uses, to be discussed later.
Confirmed functions: consolidating the exterior (Ren meridian specialization), secondary effects: opening nasal passages, transforming dampness and harmonizing the middle, warming the uterus to stop leukorrhea (when used with uterine warming formulas), resolving carbuncles and draining pus, erupting rashes and healing sores.
For treating frontal headaches, Angelica Dahurica is more effective than Notopterygium; Notopterygium works better for the sides and back of the head.
A classic topical formula, Qi Bai Ting Zi Gao, in case someone doesn’t know, is quoted here: one liang (about 30g) each of Angelica Dahurica, Rubia (Bai Lian), Atractylodes Macrocephala (Bai Zhu), half liang of Bletilla Rhizome (Bai Ji), and three fen (about 9g) each of Aconite (Bai Fu Zi), Poria (Bai Fu Ling), and Asarum (Xi Xin)—every herb has its function, none are idle. The original formula uses egg whites as a base; modern people can directly use hyaluronic acid.
But the most important for beauty and skin is still sleep. Sleep is 1, everything else is the zero after the 1—it’s auxiliary. Without 1, all the zeros don’t matter.