Prosperous Farmer

Prosperous Farmer is for people who have the capacity (on either a physical, mental or spiritual level) to be hard-working, open, embracing, sincere, trustworthy, responsible, down-to-earth and nurturing, but instead find themselves weak, drained, clumsy, stubborn, compulsive, stuck, dependent and unable to creatively transform aspects of their lives. Spleen energy is said to extract the “pure essence” of the environment. When this energy is weakened or becomes bogged down, the correct response may be the Prosperous Farmer formulation.

The Chinese classics speak of the Earth element’s “style of government,” its basic qualities, as hard working and careful. Earth expends effort, likes to nurture, tends to store, and in the body is responsible for the transformation of food into an abundance of energy or Qi. Qi empowers and supports all activities, sensations, thoughts and desires. Earth Qi builds the muscle power of our life. Prosperous Farmer addresses this power in two ways. First it strengthens, making the Earth energy more capable of transformation and growth; it is a strong tonic for basic Qi. Secondly, Prosperous Farmer checks the tendency of Earth to become bogged down in itself, to over-accumulate because it has become too weak or over-meticulous.

PHYSICAL INDICATIONS

Prosperous Farmer empowers the Spleen’s energy so that, at the most physical level, it can extract the nutritive essence of foods and fluids, transforming them into the basic building blocks – the “pure essences” – which become both the energy and form of life. When the Spleen’s energy is weak, or becomes sluggish or stagnant, the basic digestive activities of life become impaired.

Because the Spleen activity is said to build the muscles and flesh, this preparation is generally useful in giving strength to the limbs and for creating more endurance and physical strength. Prosperous Farmer potentiates the energy inherent in food and, in so doing, addresses occasional tiredness, fatigue and weakness.

 

PSYCHOLOGICAL AND TRANSFORMATIONAL INDICATIONS

Psychologically, Prosperous Farmer works in two ways. First, when the Earth energy is weak, one feels unable to move or get involved with self or others. One may be unable to undertake a project, pessimistic about completing one, or lacking in perseverance. Prosperous Farmer adds a basic power that addresses this weakness.

Secondly, the Spleen’s energy involves the ability to transform, to separate pure from impure. It is a down-to-earth energy: stable, honest, with a willingness to embrace self and others. When this transforming ability is obstructed, the Spleen can easily become stuck in a receiving mode, without the capacity to transmute; this over-accumulation is often described as “Dampness.” One then tends to become overly self-conscious and unable to make a move that risks exposure. One may ruminate over endless possibilities or obsess over ideas, often developing a mental flabbiness or dullness that inhibits the possibility of constructive movement. Numerous options, rather than serving as possibilities for growth, become a cause of indecision and lack of clarity, nurturing capacities become an excuse for being a victim, dependability becomes an inability to discern or think critically and stability becomes stagnation. All of these situations are also addressed by the Prosperous Farmer formula.

Spleen types are often good at “being present,” but can easily lose the ability to be either firm or moving. They can see the many, but often have trouble seeing the one. People in this situation can have trouble fully embracing life because being open necessarily involves transformation, and embracing means narrowing one’s focus, becoming decisive and honestly selective.

When an Earth type cannot reach the full potential of becoming strong while remaining nurturing, of being open yet continuing to change, Prosperous Farmer may be helpful. In this deeper level of Earth energy lies the recognition that stability can be wedded to change, options to clarity, pensiveness to decision and nurturance to firmness.

 

ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT

The basic idea of Prosperous Farmer (Liu Jun Zi Tang) has been discussed and used by many Chinese herbalists throughout the ages. The core formula is the “Soup of the Four Gentlemen” (Si Jun Zi Tang), compounded by Dr. Chen Shi-Wen in his Professional and Popular Formulas from the Taiping Era (1151 A.D.). Its major focus was tonifying the Spleen Qi and eliminating Dampness, but there have been many modifications to the original preparation.

The most famous change was the “Soup of the Six Gentlemen” (Liu Jun Zi Tang), from Xue Ji’s Ming Dynasty annotations of Chen Zi-Ming’s Complete Book of Good Formulas for Women (1237 A.D.). Zhang Jie-Bin, the Ming Dynasty scholar, created another famous version in 1624

A.D. The early Qing scholar, Zhang Lu-Zhuan also had a version in 1695 A.D., as did Wu Qian, the compiler of the Golden Mirror (1742 A.D.). Examining this historical unfolding and reflecting on our own experience in an industrial and post-industrial setting, we have continued to fine-tune this important traditional formula.

The original “Four Gentlemen” are Chinese red ginseng root and rhizome, White atractylodes rhizome, Poria and Chinese licorice root and rhizome. Xue Ji added Tangerine dried rind of mature fruit and Ginger cured pinellia rhizome to create “Soup of the Six Gentlemen.” We have also adopted Zhang Jie-Bin’s use of the Chinese amomum fruit and Ginger rhizome, Zheng Lu-Zhuan’s use of Saussurea root and Wu Qian’s use of Astragalus root and Magnolia bark, as well as our own additions of Chinese yam rhizome and Chinese hawthorn fruit to further enhance this formula.

ABOUT THE HERBS

White atractylodes rhizome is used to tonify the Spleen and benefit the Qi. It is used for all patterns of deficient Spleen energy. White atractylodes rhizome has a second property that makes it ideal for this formulation: besides strengthening the Spleen, it dries Dampness and assists bogged-down transformative energy. It increases clarity and precision so that things can be kept in place or allowed to move as needed. It is sweet, bitter and warm, and enters the Spleen and Stomach meridians.

Poria is a crucial ingredient in this formula and is used to both eliminate accumulated Dampness and to tonify the Spleen’s transforming energy. It is one of the main drying herbs and is also used to clarify and create stability (different from stagnation). Poria is commonly used for occasional insomnia, muddled thinking, dim-wittedness and ponderous or obsessive thoughts. It is sweet, insipid and neutral in temperature, and enters many meridians, including the Spleen, Stomach, Heart, Lung and Kidney.

Astragalus root is a crucial herb for stabilizing what needs to be firm and activating what needs to be dynamic. It is used to strengthen the Spleen and tonify the Qi. It is sweet and slightly warm, and enters the Spleen and Lung meridians.

Ginger cured Pinellia rhizome is the main Chinese herb for drying Dampness, eliminating Phlegm and removing sluggishness and floundering. It is always indicated when there is a thickly coated tongue, and is also commonly used for mental turbidness, dullness, lack of firmness, sluggishness or lack of self-respect. It is acrid and warm, and enters the Spleen and Stomach meridians.

Chinese yam rhizome is commonly used to tonify the Spleen and benefit the transforming powers of the body. It also tonifies and moistens the Lung and Spleen, and prevents the rest of the formula from being excessively drying. It can help one recover from an occasional worn and beaten mental state. It is sweet and neutral, and enters the Spleen, Lung and Kidney meridians.

Tangerine dried rind of mature fruit is used to move the Qi and strengthen the Spleen. Whenever there is deficiency and Dampness, it is likely that the Spleen’s Qi has become stuck. Tangerine dried rind of mature fruit moves this stagnation. It dries Dampness, transforms Phlegm and contributes to the formula by awakening and quickening the transformative power of the Spleen. It also contributes to mental and emotional clarity. It is acrid, bitter and warm, and enters the Spleen and Lung meridians.

Chinese amomum fruit is an important adjunctive herb that moves Qi and strengthens the Spleen and Stomach. It is used whenever the digestive Qi is stagnant. It also eliminates Dryness. It is acrid and warm, and enters the Spleen, Stomach and Kidney meridians.

Saussurea root is an important herb, similar to Chinese amomum fruit. It is used with stagnant Spleen-Stomach Qi patterns. Saussurea root is also used for Liver and Gallbladder stagnation. It is acrid, slightly bitter and warm, and enters the Spleen, Stomach, Large Intestine and Gallbladder meridians.

Magnolia bark is an important herb for moving the Qi and transforming Dampness. It is bitter, acrid and warm, and enters the Spleen, Stomach and Lung meridians.

Chinese red ginseng root and rhizome tonifies the forces that activate human life. This formula’s combination directs the Ginseng’s energy to unite with the transformative powers of the body. It is sweet, slightly bitter and slightly warm, and enters the Spleen, Lung and Kidney meridians.

Chinese licorice root and rhizome tonifies the Spleen and benefits the Qi. It also harmonizes the other herbs in the formula. It is sweet and slightly warm, and enters primarily the Spleen and Lung meridians.

Ginger rhizome warms the Spleen’s transformative energy. It is acrid and warm, and enters the Lung, Spleen and Stomach meridians.

Chinese hawthorn fruit is most often used to help digest stagnant food and to support digestion in general. It is sour, sweet and slightly warm, and enters the Spleen, Stomach and Liver meridians.