We are working on a small article about Chinese herbs, the making of formulas and dispensing granules. This has led me to think of posting on the construction of herbal formula. Chinese herbs work best in the company of other Chinese herbs. A little bit like people? Working best when working together as a team!
You may hear us or someone talk about “Classical” Chinese formulas. These are formulas from the Classics of Chinese Medicine. Since the history of this medical approach certainly predates the written word, we can most assuredly think of this as a very ancient medicine indeed. And it continues to evolve and be repurposed today, for example new formulas were being written to treat Covid. It is a living medicine, and continues to morph and transform over time. But the “Classics” come from one of a couple very ancient Chinese medical texts, the main one being the Shang Han Lun, or “On Cold Damage”. This text has several dozen “Classical” herbal formulas and has been annotated and commented on for literally thousands of years. These are the classical formulas, like Gui Zhi Tang, that have been tried and true all this long time, and we know they work well if correctly applied. These seminal texts not only were collections of herbal formulas and their uses, but were careful delineations of ways to think about how disease manifests, how illness can change and transform through the energy layers of the body. So, Classical medical thought within Chinese medicine uses these strategies to both diagnose and treat illnesses.
But, let us return to the idea of a team. Remember this is from ancient Chinese culture, it is more a discussion of rank in society, or hierarchy and less of a “team”… this is how herbs interrelate. Though formulas vary widely and not all formulas have the cast of characters I will list below, this is a general idea of how a formula works.
Chief. (Monarch, Emperor). The herb of highest importance, chosen to treat the main disease.
Deputy (Minister), Aids the Chief, or treats a coexisting but lesser symptom. Basically, does a similar job to the Chief but less powerfully, like an Assistant Manager helps the Manager.
Assistant. Mainly, this function moderates any side effects of the Chief or Deputy herbs. For example, the Chief may be a hot or heating herb, but a Deputy might be slightly cooling instead, which moderates the Chief herb.
This is a little bit like the old “good cop bad cop” idea. Both cops are cops, with the same ultimate aim, but they go about their jobs of helping each other by each taking different approaches. One is a little more heavy-handed (“bad cop”) and one nicer and friendlier (“good cop”). The “good cop” moderates the harshness of the “bad cop”, and their team of two works very well. Just like the Chief/Deputy and Assistant work well together.
Envoy. This guides a formula to a certain area of the body, such as a physical structure (e.g., the low back) or an organ (e.g., the lung). Certain herbs are said to act powerfully on different areas of the body, and those are the envoys of a formula drawing the healing effects of the team to the area that most needs the help.
Next week, I will break down a formula using this nomenclature.
Kevin will be in Colorado for continued education in Core Synchronization this week.