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Starred/Top for easy accessNowadays, there are many exercise videos online, and some people have started to follow along, even running outdoors in the hot summer to sweat more. However, after a few days of practice, they feel unwell, their mental state worsens, and they easily become irritable and fatigued. Climbing stairs makes them feel breathless, and they may feel an increase in body temperature and thirst. This situation is a mild heat stroke caused by improper exercise in hot weather, classified as a Yang heat syndrome with Qi and fluid deficiency. One can try Wang’s Qing Shu Yi Qi Decoction. This Qing Shu Yi Qi Decoction is derived from Wang Mengying’s “Wen Re Jing Wei” and is indicated for the syndrome of Qi and fluid deficiency due to summer heat. Clinical manifestations include high body temperature, excessive sweating, thirst, irritability, short and red urine, fatigue, and a weak and rapid pulse, which are key diagnostic points.This formula differs from Li Dongyuan’s Qing Shu Yi Qi Decoction mentioned later, as Li’s formula emphasizes the patient’s constitution, particularly those who are generally Qi and Yin deficient and suddenly feel the invasion of summer dampness, leading to symptoms such as body heat, headache, thirst, spontaneous sweating, fatigue in the limbs, chest tightness, heaviness, loss of appetite, loose stools, short and red urine, greasy tongue coating, and a weak pulse.Reference dosage: 5g of Xi Yang Shen (American Ginseng), 15g of Shi Hu (Dendrobium), 9g of Mai Dong (Ophiopogon), 3g of Huang Lian (Coptis), 6g of Zhu Ye (Bamboo Leaves), 15g of He Geng (Lotus Stem), 6g of Zhi Mu (Anemarrhena), 3g of Gan Cao (Licorice), 15g of Jing Mi (Glutinous Rice), and 30g of Xi Gua Cui Yi (Watermelon Peel). Usage: Decoction in water, one dose per day, taken twice daily. The sweet and cool properties of Xi Gua Cui Yi clear summer heat and generate fluids, as stated in “Sui Xi Ju Yin Shi Pu”: “Xi Gua Cui Yi cools and clears summer heat.” Xi Yang Shen has sweet and bitter flavors, is cool in nature, benefits Qi, clears heat, and generates fluids. According to “Ben Cao Cong Xin”: “It tonifies the lungs, reduces fire, generates fluids, and alleviates fatigue. It is suitable for those who are deficient with fire.” These two herbs together serve as the monarch herbs. Summer heat injures Yin, and He Geng can assist Xi Gua Cui Yi in clearing heat and relieving summer heat, while also regulating Qi and relieving chest tightness. Shi Hu and Mai Dong, both sweet and cold, help Xi Yang Shen to tonify Qi, nourish Yin, clear heat, and generate fluids, serving as ministerial herbs. To clear heat and relieve fire, Huang Lian, a bitter and cold herb, is used sparingly to enhance the heat-clearing and summer-heat-dispelling effects. Zhi Mu, also bitter and cold, not only clears fire but also nourishes Yin, making it a wonderful herb. Zhu Ye, being sweet and bland, clears heat and alleviates irritability, serving as an assistant herb. To tonify Qi and generate fluids, Jing Mi is used, while Gan Cao harmonizes the stomach and prevents cold herbs from harming the stomach, also harmonizing the properties of the herbs, serving as a guiding herb. The combination of these herbs allows for a balance of heat-clearing and Qi-tonifying properties, ensuring that the benefits do not leave residual pathogens, and that the expulsion of pathogens does not harm the body’s righteousness. The fluid-generating herbs are paired with moisture-drying herbs, ensuring that the generation of fluids is not turbid and that the drying does not harm the fluids, collectively achieving the effects of clearing heat, tonifying Qi, nourishing Yin, and generating fluids. However, Qing Shu Yi Qi Decoction is not solely attributed to Wang’s formula; Li Dongyuan also discusses it in his “Pi Wei Lun”. Li Dongyuan’s Qing Shu Yi Qi Decoction is found in “Nei Wai Shang Bian Huo Lun • Shu Shang Wei Qi Lun”, based on the “Suwen” stating, “Qi deficiency and body heat are caused by summer heat” and further points out, “During the long summer, damp heat prevails.” This formula targets individuals with pre-existing Qi deficiency who are affected by summer dampness and have fluid damage, with symptoms including fatigue in the limbs, poor spirit, chest tightness and shortness of breath, body heat and irritability, loose stools, yellow and scant urine, loss of appetite, thirst, spontaneous sweating, heaviness in the body, pale tongue with teeth marks, greasy or dry tongue coating, and a weak or rapid pulse. Reference dosage: 3g of Huang Qi (Astragalus), 3g of Cang Zhu (Atractylodes), 3g of Sheng Ma (Cimicifuga), 15g of Ren Shen (Ginseng), 15g of Ze Xie (Alisma), 15g of Shen Qu (Malt), 15g of Ju Pi (Tangerine Peel), 10g of Bai Zhu (White Atractylodes), 10g of Mai Men Dong (Ophiopogon), 10g of Dang Gui (Angelica), 6g of Zhi Gan Cao (Honey-fried Licorice), 10g of Qing Pi (Green Tangerine Peel), 10g of Huang Bai (Phellodendron), 10g of Ge Gen (Kudzu), and 10g of Wu Wei Zi (Schisandra). This formula is derived from the modified Bai Zhong Yi Qi Decoction with added Chai Hu (Bupleurum), and it also has the effects of clearing summer heat, transforming dampness, and generating fluids, with a greater emphasis on tonifying Qi and strengthening the spleen. Li advocates treating summer diseases with methods that clear dryness, thus this formula, while treating summer season illnesses, contains fewer heat-clearing herbs, with its main efficacy being to strengthen the spleen and dry dampness. Characteristics of Summer Heat Pathogenic FactorsSummer heat is a Yang pathogenic factor with distinct seasonality, primarily occurring after the summer solstice and before the beginning of autumn. Thus, the “Suwen • Re Lun” states: “Illnesses occurring before the summer solstice are termed warm diseases, while those occurring after are termed summer heat diseases.” The pathogenic characteristics include: Summer heat is a Yang pathogenic factor with a hot nature. Summer heat is generated from fiery and hot Qi, which belongs to Yang, thus summer heat is classified as a Yang pathogenic factor. Therefore, its pathogenic effects often manifest as a series of symptoms such as high fever, thirst, flushed face, and a rapid pulse, indicative of Yang heat. Summer heat rises and easily disturbs the spirit, injuring fluids and depleting Qi. In summer, we can observe the heat rising from a scorching playground, which is a manifestation of summer heat ascending. Hence, it easily disturbs the spirit or invades the head, leading to symptoms such as chest discomfort, restlessness, and dizziness. We can also see that when water is poured onto a hot iron plate, a portion of the water instantly evaporates, indicating that summer heat is a Yang pathogenic factor that can cause the pores to open and lead to excessive sweating, easily injuring fluids. Since Qi and fluids are closely related, both originating from the transformation of food and water by the spleen and stomach, and both circulating throughout the body via the San Jiao, Qi and fluids can transform into each other; that is, Qi can generate fluids, and fluids can also transform into Qi. Therefore, if one of them is damaged, the transformation of the other will correspondingly decrease. Moreover, fluids are also one of the carriers of Qi. Thus, when summer heat causes illness, it depletes fluids while Qi also escapes in large amounts. Clinically, in addition to symptoms of thirst, dry lips, and dry tongue, indicating insufficient fluids, one may also observe shortness of breath and fatigue. In severe cases, there may be sudden fainting or loss of consciousness due to the failure to nourish the clear orifices. End of text. Thank you for your patience in reading. If you find it helpful, please click “▼Previous Highlights▼Is TCM about changing oneself or maintaining oneself? 6 Medicinal Uses of Rehmannia, Nourishing the Liver and Kidneys. Eating Ginger in Summer Has Great Benefits, but There Are Also Considerations.
