典藏书目

Treats conditions of Liver Blood deficiency with hyperactive Fire, manifesting as headache, dizziness (Xuanyun), redness of the eyes, bitter taste in the mouth, fatigue, irritability and thirst, depression and unhappiness, pain in the hypochondrium, alternating chills and fever, a sensation of heaviness and bearing down in the lower abdomen, irregular menstruation in women, and a wiry, large, and deficient pulse.

Prescription: Shaoyao (Paeoniae Radix Alba, stir-fried with wine), Danggui (Angelicae Sinensis Radix), Baizhu (Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma, stir-fried), Fuling (Poria), Gancao (Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, honey-fried), Chaihu (Bupleuri Radix), each 2 qian. Decoct and take orally with 3 slices of ginger roasted in flour and a small amount of Bohe (Menthae Haplocalycis Herba).

Jiawei Xiaoyao San (Modified Free and Easy Wanderer Powder) is this formula with the addition of Danpi (Moutan Cortex) and Shanzhi (Gardeniae Fructus, stir-fried), each 5 fen.

[Collected Annotations] Zhao Yuhuang states: Regarding the "distress" (Ku) and "desire" (Yu) of the Five Viscera, and their tonification and purgation principles: It is said that "The Liver dislikes constraint; eat sweet flavors to relieve it." This is because the nature of the Liver is irritable and prone to anger; its Qi flows smoothly when ascending but becomes stagnant when descending. Stagnation generates internal Fire, giving rise to various diseases. Thus, if the pathology manifests above, there will be dizziness, tinnitus, or red eyes; if it manifests in the middle, there will be chest fullness, hypochondriac pain, or acid regurgitation; if it manifests below, there will be lower abdominal pain, hernia, or difficult urination; if it manifests externally, there will be alternating chills and fever, resembling malaria but not being malaria. Are all these syndromes not manifestations of Liver Qi stagnation? The reasons for the stagnation of Liver Wood are twofold: one is that Spleen Earth is deficient and cannot uplift Liver Wood; the other is that Blood is insufficient and cannot nourish the Liver. Since the Liver belongs to Wood Qi, it relies entirely on the nourishment of Earth and the irrigation of Water. If the Middle Jiao Earth is deficient, Wood cannot ascend and becomes stagnant. If Yin Blood is scant, the Liver lacks nourishment and becomes withered. The formula uses Baizhu and Fuling to assist the virtue of Earth to uplift Wood; Danggui and Shaoyao to enrich Ying Blood to nourish the Liver. Bohe resolves heat, and Gancao harmonizes the Middle Jiao. Only Chaihu serves as both the messenger herb for the Jueyin Liver channel and an agent to uplift Yang Qi. The Classic states: "When Wood is stagnant, it should be dispersed." By following the curving and straightening nature of Wood, it is named Xiaoyao (Free and Easy Wanderer). In cases of intense internal or external heat, add Danpi to resolve muscle-layer heat and stir-fried Shanzhi to clear internal heat; this is the rationale behind Jiawei Xiaoyao San.