https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/A4PeQB2Vq1CW8xtc-5KQOA
Everyone is welcome to share their own herbal trial experiences in the replies, which will help other students search and learn.
427. Goji Berries
430. Mulberries
Both are commonly used herbs at the fruit level, so I won’t describe the taste. One year, I ate 3 jin (approximately 1.5 kg) of mulberries continuously. Perhaps because fresh mulberries are too cold in nature, or maybe because the mulberry stems (the green parts) scratched my stomach, I felt pain near the pylorus for three days — this was my first time feeling awe towards food.
That said, the mulberry stems are really a stroke of genius. The “sour” taste in the sweet and sour flavor mainly comes from the mulberry stems, which are refreshing and sour with a hint of saltiness — very unique.
Traditional Chinese Medicine decoction: Mulberries 20g, Goji Berries 20g, Polygonatum odoratum (Yuzhu) 10g
Mulberries are responsible for adhering to damp turbidity, Goji Berries for warming Yang and transforming Qi, and Yuzhu for lubricating and gently draining.
The route of Goji Berries is quite special: it first collects the dissipated energy from the Ren meridian and the liver and kidneys back to the dantian, then projects it out through the Chong, Ren, and Du meridians. Therefore, it is said to draw Yang through Yin, supplementing both Yin and Yang simultaneously.
Regarding the meaning of “Yin and Yang,” you can refer to an early paper I wrote called “Discussion on Long-Term Withdrawal Symptoms from Rehmannia and Yin-Yang Essence and Qi” (roughly this title; at that time, I was somewhat vaguely unaware as a supporter of Yang supplementation). Recently, I also submitted a dedicated paper on Yin and Yang, but everyone will have to wait until next year to see it.
The “Shennong Bencao Jing” (Divine Farmer’s Materia Medica) states that Goji is bitter and cold, which should refer to Goji roots. By the time of Tao Hongjing’s “Bencao Jing Jizhu” (Collected Annotations on Materia Medica), a clear distinction was made between Goji roots and Goji berries.
Besides adsorbing damp turbidity from blood and tissue fluids and waiting for its elimination, mulberries themselves also have the effect of filling the blood vessels and nourishing body fluids, with particularly notable effects on the liver, spleen, and kidneys.
437. Raw Schisandra Fruit
Schisandra’s outer flesh is sour and sweet with a bit of saltiness, while the seeds inside are both bitter and pungent.
When steeped in water, the smell is bitter. Holding a sip in the mouth without swallowing, the initial zero-point-something seconds are bitter, followed by intense sourness, which has a bit of sweetness. After swallowing a little bit, the bitter, pungent aftertaste resurfaces.
From this, it seems the root of the tongue is indeed more sensitive to bitterness; a few days ago, when eating Huanglian (Coptis), the bitterness stuck to the root of the tongue as well.
This suggests that the “taste map” is not just a myth but has some scientific basis. The reason behind this phenomenon may be the concentration of circumvallate papillae at the root of the tongue.
Returning to effects, can Schisandra tonify? My view is that it cannot tonify Qi at all or generate any fluids.
Its action pathway is to strongly draw back the Qi from below the Philtrum and above the Juque point (including the arms) into the Huangting (the confluence of the diaphragm dome and Central Vessel). A small portion continues descending along the Central Vessel, warming and nurturing the kidneys, intestines, and urogenital system, while another part warms the heart, lungs, liver, and spleen near the Huangting (a passive effect).
At the same time, its pungent and bitter flavors provide a certain promotion and transformation of turbidity to these Qis — not strong, but existing (an active effect).
Of course, if these Qis are not gathered back to Huangting, they might dissipate along the limbs and meridians, possibly exacerbating local micro-inflammatory responses. So it makes sense to say it tonifies.
As for “generating fluids,” it’s straightforward: after drinking, does your mouth feel moistened? My impression is: everything is so sour, yet it still feels moist.
The above applies only when Schisandra is used alone. When combined with other herbs, the ways to use it are much more diverse.