Good TCM Doctors, Personally Tested Medicines—24 Traditional Chinese Medicine Institutions, A Five-Year Commitment Together
Everyone is welcome to share their experiences with these medicines in the replies, to facilitate other students’ search and learning.
46. Huang Bai (Phellodendron Bark)
The bitterness level is between Huang Qin (Scutellaria) and Huang Lian (Coptis). Its range of effects is smaller than that of Huang Qin and Huang Lian; it does not work on the whole body, but it can cover issues along the Du Meridian from Baihui (GV 20) to Huiyin (CV 1), mainly targeting the bladder, kidneys, and rectum. It can also radiate effects to the spleen (pancreas) and both livers (spleen and liver).
The so-called “elimination of bone steaming and tidal fever” is because it can extinguish the fire in the kidneys, whether it is yin fire (deficiency fire) or yang fire (excess fire). Therefore, when using it, one must apply it just enough; if the fire is extinguished but the medicine is still overused, it will damage the life foundation.
Huang Lian shares the same problem — excessive use damages the spleen, stomach, and digestive tract (Huang Bai also harms the spleen and stomach but has a more pronounced effect on the kidneys). Huang Qin is relatively safer.
Yesterday I took Huang Lian and went to sleep. The next morning my mouth was bitter; it was a bitter awakening. After breakfast (soy milk + yam), it got better. I wonder if anyone else has had similar experiences — so for patients complaining of “bitter mouth,” it really can be quite miserable.
From the Tibetan medicine perspective, bitter mouth mainly indicates an increase of bile-like liquids in the blood, which corresponds to the TCM concept of “liver qi stagnation and bile stasis,” and probably relates to the modern medical concept of “bilirubin.”
Back to Huang Bai, Da Huang (Rhubarb) combined with Huang Bai can treat various stages of anorectal diseases. A few days ago, I learned from Master Fan’s eldest son about using Huang Bai to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia; everyone can give it a try.
47. Long Dan (Gentiana)
Bitter, very bitter. Bear bile, snake bile, and various biles are bitter. It itself is nothing special, but the ancient people named it “dragon” gall, indicating its high status. Let’s assume it has the power of a divine dragon.
The magical thing is, unlike Huang Lian which is bitter every bite, Long Dan is bitter at the first taste, but after the second bite, the bitterness lessens — just like olfactory adaptation — and there is even a slight sweet aftertaste (although after the sweet, bitterness returns).
Confirmed effects: it can clear from the top of the head and the back of the head, along with the bladder meridian on the back and the gallbladder meridian at the sides of the body, as well as the entire liver meridian on the front side.
It also manages both yin fire and yang fire and must also be used just enough.
Some doctors apply Long Dan Xie Gan Tang (Gentiana Liver-Draining Decoction) creatively to treat hair loss, erectile dysfunction, and premature ejaculation.
Some students might ask: yin fire should be nourished with essence and blood; isn’t it “strengthening the master of water to control yang fire”?
Logically, there’s no problem, but in practice, the success rate is relatively low. Since the patient’s yin fire has already been ignited with various symptoms of yin deficiency and fire flourishing, how can we be sure that supplementing essence and blood won’t add fuel to the yin fire, making it burn longer?
Moreover, as the yin fire burns, it continuously consumes essence and blood, worsening an already insufficient “family estate” (bodily resources). At this time, compared with “source opening,” “throat regulation” (conservation) is also important.
This is the same principle taught in pulse diagnosis: to tonify the kidneys, first strengthen the spleen (source opening), and to replenish essence, first calm the mind (throat regulation).
Thus, purely nourishing, fire-defusing, or heat-clearing therapies alone are inadequate; all methods must be employed as appropriate.
Why do some patients with essence and blood deficiency show deficiency symptoms, while others have yin fire on top of deficiency (these people might not think they are deficient, or label themselves as having “heat above and cold below”)?
This relates to temperament, lifestyle, diet habits, trauma and illness history, and whether recovery after trauma or illness is complete.
For example, dietary habits: why do practitioners advise against consuming the Five Pungent Spices and chili peppers? Because these foods cause the qi and blood to float upwards, which is unfavorable to maintaining a quiet, deficient state. For ordinary people, these can easily ignite yin fire — for example, some patients cannot eat chili peppers because they will develop neurodermatitis all over their body.
48. Qin Pi (Cortex Fraxini)
Basically not very bitter, relatively mild.
Its clearing effect can be compared to Huang Qin but focuses mainly on the lower abdomen and the liver and gallbladder meridians, making it a special medicine for treating intestinal inflammation and gynecological inflammation.
It is said to treat glaucoma and cataracts. I have not tried it; glaucoma might be plausible, but I am skeptical about cataracts. If any expert has tried it, please share your experience with everyone.