Uncle Wen says Let Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) be more beautiful, interesting, and closer to life.
Summer is in full swing.
If you ask who suffers the most during summer, it must be those with a damp-heat constitution. Summer is the time when the weather and the earth’s energy collide most intensely, making it the hottest and most humid time of the year. Those with a damp-heat constitution already have an excess of dampness in their bodies, and with the added humidity from the environment, they suffer greatly.
While others sweat water, those with a damp-heat constitution sweat oil, sticky and greasy. Some have reported to Uncle Wen that they have to shower more than ten times a day, feeling like they are living in a steamer, enduring a life of misery. They have heard that Dali is cool and refreshing, vowing to buy a house there to escape the summer heat.
Many others are troubled by various skin diseases, as summer is the peak season for skin issues, most of which are caused by damp-heat. Common summer skin diseases include eczema, the mysteriously itchy urticaria, the frightening shingles, as well as prickly heat, athlete’s foot, and inexplicable skin itching.
In short, summer skin diseases primarily attack those with a damp-heat constitution, and they do so mercilessly.
Fortunately, you have Uncle Wen. Uncle Wen is here to help you tackle various skin diseases, especially the rampant eczema.
A few days ago, a college student from Hubei said that after eating too much meat and drinking too much alcohol during a reunion with high school classmates, he experienced a large outbreak of eczema that evening. Uncle Wen analyzed that both meat and alcohol are damp-heat inducing substances, and with the high humidity in summer, the eczema was definitely caused by damp-heat. He advised him to buy a TCM formula called Dang Gui Ku Shen Wan (Angelica and Sophora Decoction) and to boil 100 grams of mung beans in water to drink, making it strong.
Guess what happened? The next morning, the eczema had significantly reduced, and by evening, it was almost gone. The young man exclaimed that this medicine was incredibly effective.
Indeed, Dang Gui Ku Shen Wan is particularly effective for treating skin diseases caused by damp-heat, blood deficiency, and wind dryness, including acne, eczema, urticaria, shingles, and folliculitis, especially for eczema and urticaria, where results are immediate.
What is added to Angelica? It is Ku Shen (Sophora). Today, Uncle Wen is excited to introduce this skin disease nemesis—Dang Gui Ku Shen Wan.
This formula is incredibly simple, consisting of just two ingredients: Dang Gui (Angelica) and Ku Shen (Sophora).
Uncle Wen has immense respect for simple yet effective formulas.
The monarch herb in this formula is Ku Shen, while Dang Gui serves as the minister herb. What is a minister herb? A minister herb may have properties similar to or opposite to the monarch herb; it may align with the monarch herb’s actions or not. In certain situations, it may assist you or may not, but regardless of its actions, its ultimate purpose is for your benefit. This is the essence of a minister herb. Unlike the minister herb, the minister herb must always align with the monarch herb; if the monarch herb goes west, the minister herb cannot go east.
Since Ku Shen is the monarch herb, we must not neglect it; let’s discuss Ku Shen first.
Ku Shen belongs to the category of ginseng, but compared to the high-end and prestigious Ren Shen (Ginseng), Ku Shen is indeed humble. Ku Shen is not a tonic and has little nourishing effect; its greatest function is to expel evils. Ren Shen is a tonic, while Ku Shen excels in expelling evils.
Ku Shen has a bitter taste, which primarily enters the heart, providing good regulation for the heart. It can expel heat and damp toxins from the heart. Currently, Western medicine is researching Ku Shen to extract effective substances to combat myocarditis and rheumatic heart disease.
How does Ku Shen treat skin diseases?
Skin diseases manifest on the surface, but their root lies within our bodies. External diseases must be treated from the inside; this is the fundamental approach. Skin issues arise from two main causes: one is deficiency, and the other is excess. When the righteous qi is deficient, the evil qi can invade.
What is excess? It means there is waste in your body. Ask yourself, which person troubled by skin diseases does not have a mountain of waste accumulating inside? Acute skin diseases indicate temporary waste in the body, while chronic skin diseases suggest that waste has not been cleared for a long time.
What is within must manifest without; remember, this is an eternal truth.
Our two main types of waste are: one is damp turbidity; the other is food residue, also known as food stagnation or retained stool.
If we do not clear these two types of waste, our bodies will develop eczema, urticaria, shingles, psoriasis, and so on. Ku Shen can effectively clear these two types of waste; it can dry dampness, promote urination, and clear the bladder. Ku Shen can also cleanse our large and small intestines, expelling all damp-heat and turbid substances.
Thus, the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing states that Ku Shen is used for abdominal distension, qi stagnation, and water retention, highlighting its heat-clearing and damp-expelling properties, as well as its ability to promote bowel movements. Many people experience mild diarrhea after taking Ku Shen, which is a sign of detoxification.
Without toxins, one feels light; Ku Shen can be considered a master of detoxification.
Moreover, Ku Shen can treat various itching conditions because it enters the heart. Remember? All sores and itching belong to the heart. Therefore, to treat itching, one must treat the heart. The discomfort from various skin diseases is primarily due to itching. Thus, a decoction of just Ku Shen can be used externally to treat various types of itching.
For men who find it hard to discuss scrotal itching and women who are embarrassed to mention vaginal itching, using Ku Shen boiled in water for external washing is far better than using chemical products. One is natural, the other is chemical; which is better is self-evident. Plus, it will save you a lot of money.
While Western medicine may say it is a bacterial infection, TCM does not refer to bacteria but rather to parasites. Why do you experience itching and parasites? Whether it is parasites or bacteria, they thrive in damp and humid environments. Your body’s damp-heat provides a nourishing bed for these bacteria and parasites, so if not you, then who?
It seems that changing the damp-heat environment of the body is the fundamental way to treat various itching conditions, vaginitis, and cervical erosion.
Ku Shen can assist you in this regard, but you must also change your lifestyle and dietary habits to alter your damp-heat constitution. Women’s damp-heat is often related to consuming fruits and sweets, while men’s damp-heat is usually associated with drinking alcohol and eating meat.
By the way, some skin diseases are caused by allergies, and Ku Shen is a natural anti-allergy remedy.
Having discussed Ku Shen, let’s talk about Dang Gui.
Dang Gui, you should be quite familiar with it; it is a great herb for gynecological issues and is known as the holy herb for blood. Any disease related to blood cannot do without Dang Gui.
Dang Gui, Dang Gui, what a beautiful and somewhat melancholic name, it embodies a gentle longing of a beautiful woman. It is said that a young woman would wait under a big tree at the village entrance, hoping for her husband to return from his errands, gazing longingly. When her husband was delayed, she developed menstrual disorders. A skilled doctor used Dang Gui to cure her condition.
Dang Gui, Dang Gui, should return but has not, thus causing gynecological issues that can be treated with Dang Gui. Perhaps Dang Gui cannot bring back the person you long for, but it can restore your qi and blood.
Some may weakly ask, “Uncle, why use Dang Gui for skin diseases?”
Skin diseases can be triggered by wind evil; wind is the leader of all diseases, adept at infiltrating and causing unbearable itching. Why does wind evil occur? Because of blood deficiency, which leads to wind dryness. Thus, TCM teaches that to treat wind, one must treat blood; when blood flows, wind is dispelled. This means that as long as the qi and blood are sufficient, wind evil will naturally disappear. This is the fundamental approach.
Dang Gui is known for nourishing and invigorating blood, and it can also promote qi and blood circulation, making it a dual tonic for qi and blood.
Why do many elderly people experience inexplicable skin itching? Why do many people feel fine during the day but itch at night? Why do some people itch after bathing? These are all results of blood deficiency and wind dryness, and Dang Gui is effective in these cases.
Dang Gui has many other benefits in this formula: Ku Shen is bitter and cold, and excessive use can harm yin, while Dang Gui can nourish yin; Ku Shen primarily expels evils, which may harm the righteous qi, while Dang Gui can nourish blood and replenish righteous qi; Ku Shen is cold, while Dang Gui is warming, which can counteract the expelling nature of Ku Shen.
One cold, one warm; one nourishing, one expelling; one expelling evils, one supporting the righteous; Dang Gui Ku Shen Wan effectively treats your skin diseases without damaging the righteous qi—how wonderful!
Remember, Dang Gui Ku Shen Wan treats skin diseases caused by two factors: blood deficiency and wind dryness, and damp-heat.
This medicine is a ready-made formula available in many pharmacies, so stop asking Uncle about the dosage.
However, Uncle Wen is a bit ambitious and is not satisfied with Dang Gui Ku Shen Wan only treating blood deficiency and wind dryness and damp-heat skin diseases. Now, let’s build upon Dang Gui Ku Shen Wan.
If you have poor spleen and stomach, you can add Bai Zhu (Atractylodes) and Fu Ling (Poria). Remember, the spleen and stomach are the sources of dampness; eczema, as the name suggests, is caused by damp evils, whether cold damp or damp-heat, the key is dampness. Therefore, we must cut off the source of dampness, as all dampness and swelling belong to the spleen. Using Bai Zhu and Fu Ling can fundamentally address the source of dampness, allowing the spleen and stomach to function properly. Thus, this formula becomes Dang Gui 6g, Ku Shen 12g, Bai Zhu 12g, Fu Ling 30g.
If you primarily have blood deficiency and experience skin itching in winter nights, you can add Sheng Di (Rehmannia) to this formula, which can cool and nourish the blood, and reduce the amount of Ku Shen. Thus, this formula becomes Dang Gui 6g, Sheng Di 30g, Ku Shen 6g.
If you have heavy dampness but not much heat evil, and experience severe itching, what should you do? You can add Tu Fu Ling (Smilax) to expel dampness and Wu Gong (Centipede) which is specifically for treating itching. Thus, this formula becomes: Dang Gui 6g, Ku Shen 10g, Tu Fu Ling 30g, Wu Gong 2 pieces.
If you have general dampness but significant heat evil, what should you do? You can add Bo He (Mint), Jin Yin Hua (Honeysuckle), and Jing Jie Sui (Schizonepeta) to this formula. Thus, this formula becomes: Dang Gui 6g, Ku Shen 12g, Jin Yin Hua 9g, Jing Jie Sui 9g, Bo He 9g.
If you have both constipation and skin diseases with dry stools, what should you do? You can add Da Huang (Rhubarb), the top herb for promoting bowel movements, thus this formula becomes: Dang Gui 6g, Ku Shen 12g, Da Huang 9g.
If you are too lazy to buy and brew the herbs, just take Dang Gui Ku Shen Wan directly.
Remember, this is a medicine, not a health supplement, so do not take it casually. Generally, you will see results in three days; if there is no effect after three days, it means it is not suitable, so stop taking it. You must learn to be flexible. Pregnant women should not use it.
Wishing everyone a refreshing skin this summer.
Special Reminder: A beautiful day begins! I hope Uncle Wen’s article brings you a good mood for the day. If you like the article, don’t forget to share it so that more people can benefit from TCM health preservation. Due to limited energy and ability, I cannot reply to all messages; please forgive me.
Benefits are here!: Open the public account dialogue box and enter “irregular menstruation”, “cold”, “hair loss”, “cold hands and feet”, “stomach pain”, “liver qi stagnation”, “injured essence”, “upper heat and lower cold”, “spleen and stomach”, “insomnia”, “dampness removal”, “qi and blood”, “weight loss”, “constipation”, “diarrhea”, “kidney deficiency”, “acne removal”, “cough”, “rhinitis”, “cervical vertebrae”, “depression” to get the corresponding conditioning formula.
