Aromatic dampness-transforming agents

Also dampness-transforming agents. Aromatic dampness-transforming medicinals transform dampness and arouse the spleen in the treatment of damp turbidity obstructing the center.

Arousing the spleen (or arousing the spleen and transforming dampness) is a therapeutic action that improves splenic movement and transformation when the spleen is encumbered by dampness. Because most aromatic dampness-transforming medicinals have a strong aroma, they are called aromatic dampness-transforming medicinals.

Spleen encumbered by dampness is a condition that arises through contraction of external dampness, excessive consumption of raw, cold foods, or excessive consumption of rich, sweet, and/or fatty foods. It is characterized by discomforts in the stomach duct (i.e., the stomach cavity) and abdomen such as glomus (localized sensation of distension and blockage), fullness, distension, or pain. Other signs are vomiting and acid upflow, thin sloppy stool, reduced eating and fatigue, a sweet taste in the mouth, copious drool, and a slimy white tongue fur.

In addition to spleen encumbered by dampness, aromatic dampness-transforming medicinals also treat damp-warmth or summerheat warmth.

Dampness transforming medicinals are generally warm in nature. They are generally acrid and aromatic in flavor. Some are bitter, and these have a more powerful action that is called drying dampness.

Properties

Nature: Mostly warm.

Flavor: Acrid and aromatic; in some cases, bitter. Please note that in most source texts, aromatic agents are not explicitly listed as aromatic under the heading of nature and flavor.

Channel entry: Most enter the spleen and stomach channels.

Actions

Transforming dampness and moving the spleen: Aromatic dampness-transforming medicinals eliminate center burner damp evil by transforming dampness and moving the spleen. They achieve these effects in two ways:

• Dispersing damp turbidity: These agents are acrid, aromatic, and sometimes bitter in flavor and mostly warm and dry in nature. Acridity and aroma transform damp turbidity; bitterness and warmth dry dampness. These properties directly cause damp turbidity to disperse.
• Arousing the spleen: The spleen is averse to dampness; it is said that earth likes warmth and aroma. Acridity and aroma not only move and disperse the dampness, they also regulate the qì of the center burner and enhance splenic movement and transformation. Thus, aromatic dampness-transforming medicinals both transform dampness and arouse the spleen.

Transforming dampness versus drying dampness: Medicinals with a strong acrid aroma are said to transform dampness. Those that are also warm and dry are said to dry dampness; the stronger dampness-drying medicinals are also bitter.

Resolving summerheat: Because aromatic dampness-transforming medicinals can also resolve summerheat, they treat damp warmth and summerheat-warmth patterns involving damp-heat obstructing the center.

Other actions: Most aromatic dampness-transforming medicinals have additional actions such as resolving the exterior, moving qì, opening the stomach, checking vomiting, and warming the center.

Indications

Aromatic dampness-transforming medicinals are indicated for two basic patterns.

Dampness Obstructing the Center Burner

Pathomechanism: Dampness is usually of internal origin, but may also be of external origin. When, owing to constitutional vacuity, dietary irregularities, or enduring illness, the yáng qì of the spleen becomes insufficient and fails to move and transform fluids, water-damp collects internally. This process is encouraged by contraction of external dampness, by excessive consumption of raw, cold foods; or by excessive consumption of rich, sweet, and/or fatty foods. It is important to understand that spleen yáng vacuity (or spleen qì vacuity) and dampness are mutually exacerbating. Dampness is a yīn evil that damages yáng qì. Yáng qì vacuity causes water-damp to arise internally.

Dampness has a tendency to develop in conjunction with cold or heat. This is called dampness forming with cold and dampness forming with heat. In patients with insufficiency of yáng qì, which is the main factor in internal dampness, the tendency is toward dampness forming with cold; this gives rise to a pattern of cold-damp obstructing the center. For cold-damp obstructing the center, aromatic dampness-transforming medicinals are generally the first choice. For dampness forming with heat, which gives rise to a pattern of damp-heat, they can also be used. Here, however, the first choice is usually medicinals that clear heat and dry dampness (a subcategory of heat-clearing agents).

Signs: Glomus and fullness in the stomach duct (i.e. the stomach cavity) and abdomen, vomiting and acid upflow, thin sloppy stool, reduced eating and fatigue, a sweet taste in the mouth, copious drool, and a slimy white tongue fur.

Treatment method: Transforming dampness and moving the spleen.

Damp warmth and summerheat warmth

Pathomechanism: Damp warmth is a febrile disease occurring in the summer or autumn that is attributed to the contraction of damp-heat. Summerheat warmth is the name given to summerheat-heat in warm disease theory.

Signs: Damp warmth is characterized by persistent heat effusion, heavy-headedness, generalized pain, glomus and oppression in the chest and stomach duct, poor appetite, thirst with no desire to drink, diarrhea with sloppy stool and frequent ungratifying defecation, short inhibited voidings of reddish urine, a white or yellow slimy tongue fur, and a soggy pulse.

Summerheat warmth is characterized by vigorous heat effusion or unsurfaced heat (heat in the flesh felt only after prolonged palpation), spontaneous sweating that brings no resolution, thirst, a red facial complexion, shortage of qì, and a pulse that is large and surging.

Treatment method: Transforming dampness and resolving summerheat.

Combinations With Other Categories

Qì-moving medicinals: Dampness is a yīn evil. It is sticky and slimy in nature, and it easily obstructs the qì dynamic, giving rise to patterns of damp obstruction and qì stagnation. These patterns present with distension and fullness in the stomach duct and abdomen. In such situations, dampness-transforming medicinals have a much better effect when combined with qì-moving medicinals. Examples include chén pí (Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium), mù xiāng (Aucklandiae Radix), and zhǐ shí (Aurantii Fructus Immaturus).

Interior-warming medicinals. When damp turbidity combines with cold and congeals severely, the result is cold-damp obstructing the center, which often presents with cold abdominal pain. For this pattern, interior-warming medicinals are combined with dampness-transforming medicinals to warm and transform cold-damp. Examples include gāo liáng jiāng (Alpiniae Officinarum Rhizoma), gān jiāng (Zingiberis Rhizoma), fù zǐ (Aconiti Radix Lateralis Praeparata), and huā jiāo (Zanthoxyli Pericarpium).

Heat-clearing dampness-drying medicinals. Sweet, fatty, and rich foods can clog the spleen and cause intense stomach fire. Stomach fire causes dampness to form with heat to create damp-heat. In this case, aromatic dampness-transforming medicinals can be combined with heat-clearing dampness-drying medicinals to clear and transform damp-heat. Examples include huáng lián (Coptidis Rhizoma) and huáng qín (Scutellariae Radix).

Qì-supplementing spleen-fortifying medicinals. When dampness patterns are accompanied by signs of severe spleen-stomach vacuity, there will be signs such as lassitude of spirit and lack of strength, and glomus in the stomach duct with poor food intake. In such cases, medicinals that supplement qì and fortify the spleen can be added, so as to fortify the spleen and eliminate dampness. Examples include bái zhú (Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma), fú líng (Poria), and bái biǎn dòu (Lablab Semen Album).

Water-disinhibiting dampness-percolating medicinals. When damp obstruction is severe, water-disinhibiting dampness-percolating medicinals can be combined with aromatic dampness-transforming medicinals for a stronger effect. Examples include fú líng (Poria), zhū líng (Polyporus), and yì yǐ rén (Coicis Semen).

Warnings

Use with care in yīn vacuity and blood dryness. Dampness-transforming medicinals are acrid, warm, aromatic, and dry. They can easily damage qì and yīn.

Do not boil for too long. The active constituents of aromatic medicinals are mostly volatile oils that are easily lost in the decoction process. Therefore, they should be added at the end when making decoctions.