Women's Precious

Blood is a quality of energy. According to one of China’s oldest books (Ling Shu, chapter 18), “Blood and Qi are different in name but are of the same category.” Blood is not only a physical entity, but also the component that allows for structure, substance and form. It allows life to become embodied and have a physical and temporal location. Radiance, composure, presence, abundance, the accumulation of memory, contentment, self-esteem and calmness all derive from Blood.

Blood is also the power of cyclic and rhythmic transformation. It allows physical creation and procreation. Blood builds, maintains, moistens, repairs, replenishes, rejuvenates and allows for replication. It then allows for the awareness of accomplishment. Qi is Yang and Blood is Yin, both are necessary for life.

A woman’s life is disproportionately concerned with Blood, “male rules Qi and female rules Blood,” says Tang Zong-Hai in Discussions of Blood Patterns (section 1, 1885 A.D.). The menstrual cycle and the process of procreation are an additional burden and can easily deplete a woman’s Blood. Blood often becomes a central issue in a woman’s being. Whenever the Blood resources of life need to be replenished, whether from depletion or a constitutional tendency, Women’s Precious is the right balance.

PHYSICAL INDICATIONS

This formula is the classic preparation for deficient Blood and Qi patterns. Designed especially in consideration of women’s physiology, it is the most commonly used formula for deficient Blood and Qi. Women’s Precious creates abundance in the “Sea of Blood” (the Penetrating vessel) and the “Sea of Yin” (the Conception vessel). When these two meridians are bountiful, the uterus is luxuriant, menstruation can be regular and reproduction harmonious.

Women’s Precious can also be used as a supplementary formula for deficient Liver Blood patterns.

PSYCHOLOGICAL AND TRANSFORMATIONAL INDICATIONS

Tchu Hsi, the 12th century Chinese philosopher, said that “only after the bodily form has been produced can Spirit develop consciousness.” The human being’s capacity to be at home and comfortable within a physical form is dependent on what the Chinese call Blood. Blood allows human life to be embodied. It allows for place, location, time, regularity and the acceptance of definition. Women’s Precious addresses such issues for both women and men.

Whenever a person feels restless, irritable, anxious, uneasy, forgetful or unable to go with the flow, Women’s Precious can provide a subtle nourishment for the Heart’s Blood. If one becomes fragile, brittle, uneven or awkward, this formula can moisten this aspect of the Liver’s Blood. For a person who becomes unusually ill at ease, hesitant, timid or unsure in relationship to friends, family or society, Women’s Precious can be a delicate counterbalance for deficient Gallbladder Blood.

In general, Women’s Precious encourages the creation of a comfortable presence in the world, inviting its inhabitation and supporting its acknowledgment. It allows for self-esteem. Whether one feels like an outcast, deserted or out-of-place in relationship to the constant movement of life, nourishing the Blood can be a helpful herbal response.

Blood concerns the unfoldment, acceptance and embracing of the constant cycles of life. A person with abundant Blood has a radiance, luster, brightness and an inward sense of being at home in the world of ceaseless change.

ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT

The basic strategy of Women’s Precious (Ba Zhen Yi Mu Wan) involves combining the “Soup of Four Things” (Si Wu Tang) with a reduced dosage of the “Soup of the Four Gentlemen” (Si Jun Zi Tang). Both of these formulas are recorded in Dr. Chen Shi-Wen’s classic Song Dynasty 14 (1151 A.D.). These formulas continue to be the foundation of Chinese herbal tonification, and are among the best remembered of Dr. Chen’s 788 herbal combinations.

The “Soup of Four Things” is Chinese Herbology’s basic Blood tonic formula. It is comprised of Dong quai root, prepared Rehmannia root, White peony root and Sichuan lovage rhizome. Dr. Chen, in the ninth volume of his book, mentions this formula for addressing any deficiency, or harm to the Conception (Chong mai) and Penetrating (Ren mai) vessels. Prepared Rehmannia root and White peony root nourish and stabilize the Blood, while Dong quai root and Sichuan lovage rhizome tonify and move the Blood. The “Four Things” is itself actually a later version of a much earlier formula, recorded in Zhang Zhong-Jing’s Essential Formulas of the Golden Chest (220 A.D.) as “Ass Skin Glue Mugwort Soup” (Jiao Ai Tang) – the Ass skin glue, Licorice and Mugwort were removed to concoct the “The Soup of Four Things.”

The “Soup of the Four Gentlemen” is the basic Qi tonic of Chinese Herbology. Again, Dr. Chen derived this formula by changing one ingredient in an early well-known formula called “Regulate the Middle Pill” (Li Zhong Wan), which came from Zhang Zhong-Jing’s Discussion of Cold-induced Disharmonies (220 A.D.). Dr. Chen changed the original formula’s dried Ginger to Poria to create the “Four Gentlemen.”

Not long afterwards (in Chinese historical terms), Dr. Sha Tu-Mu thought to combine these two formulas for a joint Blood and Qi tonic. His renowned “Eight Precious Powder”(Shi Quan Da Bu Tang) is described in Experiential Formulas of the Auspicious Bamboo Hall in 1326 A.D. (volume 4). Other scholars modified the dosage to emphasize a gynecological application.

Not content with the standard “Eight Precious Powder”(Shi Quan Da Bu Tang), Dr. Zhang Jie- Bin made another refinement in his Complete Works of Jing-Yue in 1624 A.D. (volume 61). Adding Motherwort to further enhance gynecological usage, he called this formulation “Motherwort Eight Precious Pill” (Ba Zhen Yi Mu Wan).

Processed Polygonum multiflorum root and Lycium fruit were added to address the deeper, Blood-Essence (Jing) deficiency that often accompanies the deficient Blood patterns of Western women.

ABOUT THE HERBS

Dong quai root is used to tonify and move the Blood and regulate the menses. It is used for all deficient and stuck Blood patterns. It is sweet, acrid, bitter and warm, and enters the Liver, Heart and Spleen meridians.

Prepared Rehmannia root is a crucial herb to tonify and stabilize the Blood. Li Shi-Zhen, the Ming Dynasty’s most famous botanist, wrote in 1578 A.D. that Rehmannia “generates the Blood- Essence (Jing), tonifies the deficiencies of the five solid (Zang) organs, penetrates the blood vessels, benefits the ears and eyes, and blackens the hair.” It is sweet and slightly warm, and enters the Liver, Kidney and Heart meridians.

White peony root nourishes and stabilizes the Blood. Wang Ang writes in his Essentials of the Materia Medica (1694 A.D.) that Peony “tonifies Blood, disperses the Liver, benefits the Spleen, absorbs Liver Yin, and is used to address all deficient Blood patterns with stagnation.” It is also important for occasional irritability, edginess and mood swings. It is bitter and slightly cold, and enters the Liver meridian.

Processed Polygonum multiflorum root is our enhancement of Dr. Zhang’s version, and is a crucial herb to nourish the Blood and Essence (Jing). It is used for all deficient Blood and/or deficient Essence (Jing) patterns. Li Ao writes in Notes on Polygonum (813 A.D.) that Polygonum gives a “clear recognition of the principles of human life.” It is bitter, sweet and warm, and enters the Liver and Kidney meridians.

White atractylodes rhizome is the second ingredient in the “Soup of the Four Gentlemen.” A crucial herb to tonify the Qi and drain Dampness, it is sweet, bitter and warm, and enters the Spleen and Stomach meridians.

Poria is the third component of the “Four Gentlemen” and tonifies Qi, drains Dampness and comforts the Spirit (Shen). It is sweet and neutral, entering many meridians including the Spleen, Stomach, Heart, Lung and Kidney.

Chinese red ginseng root and rhizome is an important Qi tonic. Tonifying the Qi in order to nourish the Blood is an old Chinese strategy that was formalized by the Qing Dynasty scholar Zhou Xue-Hai, who stated: “Qi is needed to generate Blood.” Also, Qi is often tonified in order to regulate the Blood, which another Qing scholar, Tang Zong-Hai, formalized when he said “Qi is the commander of Blood.” Ginseng can be essential for the lethargy and fatigue that accompanies deficient Blood. It is sweet, slightly bitter and warm, and enters the Spleen and Lung meridians.

Siberian motherwort herb is an indispensable herb for moving the Blood and adjusting the menses. Motherwort is generally contraindicated during pregnancy, but Dr. Zhang, in “Eight Precious Powder”(Shi Quan Da Bu Tang), indicates that in this dosage and combination it is actually helpful. It is acrid, bitter and slightly cold, and enters the Liver and Pericardium meridians.

Sichuan lovage rhizome is described by Zhu Dan-Xi in 1347 A.D. as “the main herb to move the Qi portion of the Blood.” It is also an important herb for alleviating stagnation. Sichuan lovage rhizome combined with Dong Quai root was called the “Buddha’s Hand” by Xu Shu-Wei (c. 1132 A.D.). It is acrid and warm, and enters the Liver, Gallbladder and Pericardium meridians.

Lycium fruit is our second enhancement, another important herb to nourish the Blood and Essence (Jing). It is sweet and gentle, and enters the Liver and Kidney meridians.

Honey fried Chinese licorice root and rhizome is the fourth ingredient of the “Four Gentlemen.” It tonifies the Qi and integrates the formula. It is sweet and slightly warm, and enters all twelve meridians, but mainly the Spleen and Lung.