Phlogisticlean

According to Chinese herbology, the lymph nodes and thyroid gland are sites where Dampness often accumulates, transforms and congeals into Phlegm (Tan He). Historically, in both Western and Eastern herbalism, the herb Scrophularia root was a specific herbal agent for dispelling Damp Heat and Phlegm. The congealing of Dampness into Phlegm arises from long standing stagnation of Wind, Heat, Cold and Du.

The association of congealed Phlegm with a lack of certain foods in the diet was observed in ancient times and led to the incorporation of salty flavored sea vegetables as effective agents for diluting and dispelling Phlegm.

The combination of Phlegm with Heat and Wind is a characteristic feature of patterns of both External and Internal Wind, Heat, Dampness and Phlegm. Due to the typical entanglements of Phlegm with Internal Heat and Wind, herbalists need to address these patterns with special herbal combinations that separate and then dispel each of the three.

A hypothesis offered by Subhuti Dharmananda, PhD, the founder of ITM in Portland, OR, proposes that modern descriptions of the lymphatic circulation often closely resemble the classical description of the Shao Yang System, which includes the functional network of the Gallbladder and the Triple Burner. As such, the lymphatic circulation may be thought of as a network of channels that exists in the region between the body’s exterior layers and its interior organs and cavities, just as the Xiao Yang System inhabits the terrain between the Tai Yang (Bladder and Small Intestine) and Yang Ming (Stomach and Large Intestine). Whether we determine that patterns of disharmony arise from external and/or internal influences, a consequence appears to be the accumulation of factors such as Heat, Dampness, Damp Heat, Blood Heat, Phlegm and Hot Phlegm in these regions of the body.