Aidus & E-Fong Herbal Solution- Herbal Medicine for relieving Exterior Symdromes
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Chapter 18
Herbal Medicine for Astringents
Herbs used chiefly for ceasing or alleviating excessive loss of the vital essence and body fluid are called astringents.
Most herbs of this category are sour or astringent in flavour and have the effects of astringing the lung and the bowel,
preserving kidney essence, reducing urination, curing metrorrhagia and leukorrhagia, stopping perspination, etc.
Astringents are indicated mainly for deficiency of genuine Qi which is dispersing without gathering, puffing without
consolidation, manifested by chronic cough due to deficiency of lung qi, chronic diarrhea due to hypofunction of the
spleen, spermatorrhea because of deficiency of the kidney, metrorrhagia and metrostaxis, protracted leukorrhagia,
spontaneous perspiration, and night sweat, etc.
Most of astringents function mainly in inducing astringency rather than in replenishing essence and are thus used for
relieving symptoms. Therefore, they are usually used in combination with tonics to treat both the principal and the
secondary aspects of a disease at the same time. For example, in treatment of spontaneous perspiration due to
deficiency of Qi, tonics for invigorating Qi and strengthening the superficial they are employed as well; in treatment of
night sweat because of Yin deficiency, Yin-tonics for nourishing Yin to stop sweat are added; to treat sinking symptoms
resulting from Qi deficiency, drugs for supplementing Qi and elevating spleen yang are added; for chronic cough and
asthma, herbs for reinforcing the lung and the kidney are supplemented; and for debility of the lower jiao, herbs for
strengthening the kidney and nourishing the liver are used in combination.
Being astringents, they have the side effects of retaining pathogens, so they should not be used in case of both exterior
syndrome and interior pathogenic factors of excess type or cough at the beginning stage. For patients in a state of
extreme weakness and on the point of prostration, remedies for replenishing Qi and relieving collapse should be used as
a main resort.
Aidus & E-Fong Herbal Solution
Herbal Medicine for Astringents
Herbal Medicine for Astringents
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