I’m offering it on the new membership only learning platform White Pine Circle. This is an outgrowth of Sharon Weizenbaum’s White Pine Graduate Mentorship program and is a rich resource for all students of East Asian Medicine. Learn at your own pace or join a course. Take advantage of the free lectures.
A special area of interest of mine is the architecture of Chinese Formulas. Throughout history, we see herbal friends: medicals that are used in combination over and over in a range of formulas. I have found through teaching that if students can learn these core building blocks, understanding the actions of a formula instantly becomes more transparent.
Learning to identify key herbal combinations is a foundational building block to understanding a formulas actions and applications. This lecture examine the Wen Bing Formula Zeng Ye Tang- Humor Increasing Decoction.
We’ll analzyne the formula construction, how it’s different from other yin supplementing formulas and Then we’ll look at other formulas that include this combination. You’ll learn that this trio was used included in formulas centuries earlier.
I’m listing the formulas that I will discuss below:
Here’s a map:
Zeng Ye Tang Systematic Humor Increasing Decoction
Differentiation of Warm Diseases (Wēn Bìng Tiáo Biàn, 温病条 辨) 1798
| 玄參 | Xuan Shen | Radix Scrophulariae ningpoensis | 30 g |
| 麥門冬 | Mai Men Dong | Tuber Ophiopogonis japonici | 24 g |
| 生地黃 | Sheng Di Huang | Radix Rehmanniae glutinosae | 24 g |
Zeng ye cheng qi tang
Humor-Increasing Qi-Coordinating+ Decoction
| 生地黃 | Sheng Di Huang | Radix Rehmanniae glutinosae | 24 |
| 玄參 | Xuan Shen | Radix Scrophulariae ningpoensis | 30 |
| 大黄 | Da Huang | Radix et rhizoma rhei | 9 |
| 芒硝 | Mang Xiao | Natrii Sulfas | 4.5 |
| 麥門冬 | Mai Men Dong | Tuber Ophiopogonis japonici | 24 |
Xin Jia Huang Long Tang
Newly Supplemented Yellow Dragon Decoction
| 生地黃 | Sheng Di Huang | Radix Rehmanniae glutinosae | 15g |
| 玄參 | Xuan Shen | Radix Scrophulariae ningpoensis | 15g |
| 大黄 | Da Huang | Radix et rhizoma rhei | 9g |
| 芒硝 | Mang Xiao | Natrii Sulfas | 3g |
| 海参 | Hai Shen | Stichopus | 2 (pc?) |
| 人蔘 | Ren Shen | Radix Ginseng | 4.5g |
| 甘草 | Gan Cao | Radix et Rhizoma Glycyrrhizae | 6g |
| 當歸 | Dang Gui | Radix Angelicae sinensis | 4.5 |
| 麥門冬 | Mai Men Dong | Tuber Ophiopogonis japonici | 15g |
Qing Ying Tang
Ying Level Heat-Clearing Decoction
| 水牛角 | Shui Niu Jian | Cornu Bubali | 30-120 |
| 生地黃 | Sheng Di Huang | Chinese foxglove root, rehmannia (fresh),Rehmannia root | 15 |
| 玄參 | Xuan Shen | ningpo figwort root, scrophularia | 9 |
| 麥門冬 | Mai Men Dong | Ophiopogon tuber | 9 |
| 金银花 | Jin Yin Hua | Flos Lonicerae Japonicae | 9 |
| 连翘 | Lian Qiao | Fructus Forsythiae | 6 |
| 黄连 | Huang Lian | Rhizoma Coptidis | 4.5 |
| 淡竹叶 | Dan Zhu Ye | Herba Lophatheri | 3 |
| 丹参 | Dan Shen | Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae | 6 |
Tian Wang bu xin dan
Celestial Emperor Heart-Supplementing Elixir
Corrections and Annotations to Fine Formulas for Women (Jiào Zhù Fù Rén Liáng Fāng, 校注妇人良方) Jiào Zhù Fù Rén Liáng Fāng 校注妇人良方 Xue Ji 薛己 (Styles: Xue Xin-fu 薛新甫, Xue Li-zhai 薛立斋) 1237 (Southern Song)
| 生地黃 | Sheng Di Huang | Radix Rehmanniae glutinosae | 120g |
| 玄參 | Xuan Shen | Radix Scrophulariae ningpoensis | 15g |
| 麥門冬 | Mai Men Dong | Tuber Ophiopogonis japonici | 30g |
| 天门冬 | Tian Men Dong | Tuber Asparagi | 30g |
| 人蔘 | Ren Shen | Radix Ginseng | 15g |
| 茯苓 | Fu Ling | Sclerotium Poriae | 15g |
| 五味子 | Wu Wei Zi | Fructus Schisandrae chinensis | 30g |
| 當歸 | Dang Gui Wine Washed | Radix Angelicae sinensis | 30g |
| 丹参 | Dan Shen | Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae | 15g |
| 柏子仁 | Bai Zi Ren | Semen Platycladi | 30g |
| 酸枣仁 | Suan Zao Ren | Semen Ziziphi spinosae | 30g |
| 远志 | Yuan Zhi | Radix Polygalae tenuifoliae | 15g |
| 桔梗 | Jie Geng | Radix Platycodi Grandiflori | 15g |
Bai Zi Yang Xin Wan
Arborvitae Seed Pill to Nourish the Heart
| 柏子仁 | Bai Zi Ren | Semen Platycladi | 120g |
| 枸杞子 | Gou Qi Zi | Lycii Fructus | 90 |
| 麥門冬 | Mai Men Dong | Tuber Ophiopogonis japonici | 30g |
| 當歸 | Dang Gui | Radix Angelicae sinensis | 30g |
| 石菖蒲 | Shi Chang Pu | Rhizoma Acori Tatarinowii | 30g |
| 茯 | Fu shen | Sclerotium Poriae | 30g |
| 玄參 | Xuan Shen | Radix Scrophulariae ningpoensis | 60g |
| 丹参 | Dan Shen | Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae | 15g |
| 熟地黄 | Shu Di Huang | Radix Rehmanniae Praeparata | 60g |
| 甘草 | Gan Cao | Radix et Rhizoma Glycyrrhizae | 15g |
Bai he gu jing tang
Lily Bulb Metal-Securing Decoction
Writings for Posterity of [Zhou] Shen-zhai (Shèn Zhāi Yí Shū, 1573
| 生地黃 | Sheng Di Huang | Radix Rehmanniae glutinosae | 9g |
| 熟地黄 | Shu Di Huang | Radix Rehmanniae Praeparata | 9 |
| 百合 | Bai He | Bulbus Lilii | 4.5 |
| 玄參 | Xuan Shen | ningpo figwort root, scrophularia | 2.4 |
| 麥門冬 | Mai Men Dong | Tuber Ophiopogonis japonici | 4.5 |
| 桔梗 | Jie Geng | Radix Platycodi Grandiflori | 2.4 |
| 貝母 | Bei Mu | Bulbus Fritillaria | 4.5 |
| 當歸 | Dang Gui | Radix Angelicae sinensis | 9 |
| 白芍 | Bai Shao | Radix Paeoniae Alba | 3 |
| 甘草 | Gan Cao | Radix et Rhizoma Glycyrrhizae | 3 |
Yang yin qing fei tang
Yin-Nourishing Lung-Clearing Decoction
Jade Key to the Secluded Chamber (Zhòng Lóu Yù Yào, 重楼玉钥) Zhòng Lóu Yù Yào 重楼玉钥 Zheng Han 郑翰 (Styles: Zheng Ji-yuan 郑纪元, Zheng Mei-jian 郑梅涧) 1838 (Qing)
| 生地黃 | Sheng Di Huang | Radix Rehmanniae glutinosae | 6 |
| 玄參 | Xuan Shen | ningpo figwort root, scrophularia | 4.5 |
| 牡丹皮 | Mu Dan Pi | Cortex Moutan | 2.4 |
| 白芍 | Bai Shao | Radix Paeoniae Alba | 2.4 |
| 麥門冬 | Mai Men Dong | Tuber Ophiopogonis japonici | 3.6 |
| 薄荷 | Bo He | Herba Menthae | 1.5 |
| 川貝母 | Chuan Bei Mu | Bulbus Fritillaria | 2.4 |
| 甘草 | Gan Cao | Radix et Rhizoma Glycyrrhizae | 1.5 |
