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Precipitation
下法 〔下法〕xià fǎ
One of the eight methods. The stimulation of fecal flow to expel repletion evils and remove accumulation and stagnation. Precipitation involves the drawing out [of evils]
and lodging is treated by attack.
Precipitation involves different methods, which can be classified as follows:
- Draining fire: a) precipitating gastrointestinal heat bind (used to treat yáng brightness (yáng míng) bowel patterns); b) precipitating heat toxin (used to expel evil fire and heat toxin through the bowels); c) precipitating depressed upper body fire (used to treat liver fire flaming upward and depressed heat in the lung and stomach).
- Expelling cold accumulations.
- Expelling water.
- Moistening the intestines.
In addition, precipitation may be combined with other methods of treatment such as transforming phlegm, transforming static blood, dispersing food accumulations, and expelling parasites. Precipitation is an important method of expelling evils and may be used when the evils binding in the interior give rise to interior repletion patterns. In clinical practice, careful evaluation of the relative strength of right qì and the evil is necessary to ensure that a formula appropriate for the patient’s condition is chosen. Different forms of precipitation are listed above, and draining-precipitation medicinals are listed below.
Etymology
Chinese: 下 xià, descend, to cause to descend, precipitate.
Note: Chinese medicine expresses the idea of discharging fecal matter from the bowels as downward movement, which is one of the four movements (inward, outward, upward and downward). Purge, a natural English equivalent of xià, means to cleanse.
Draining-Precipitation Medicinals
Attacking precipitants (攻下药)
- 大黄 (dà huáng) rhubarb (Rhei Radix et Rhizoma)
- 生大黄 (shēng dà huáng) raw rhubarb (Rhei Radix et Rhizoma Crudi)
- 玄明粉 (xuán míng fěn) refined mirabilite (Sulfas Natrii Exsiccatus)
- 朴硝 (pò xiāo) impure mirabilite (Mirabilitum Non-Purum)
- 芒硝 (máng xiāo) mirabilite (Natrii Sulfas)
- 番泻叶 (fān xiè yè) senna (Sennae Folium)
- 芦荟 (lú huì) aloe (Aloe)
- 巴豆 (bā dòu) croton (Crotonis Fructus)
- 巴豆霜 (bā dòu shuāng) croton frost (Crotonis Semen Pulveratum)
Moist Precipitants (润下药)
Water-Expelling Medicinals (逐水药)
- 甘遂 (gān suì) kansui (Kansui Radix)
续随子 (xù suí zǐ) caper spurge seed (Euphorbiae Semen)- 大戟 (dà jǐ) euphorbia/knoxia (Euphorbiae seu Knoxiae Radix)
- 芫花 (yuán huā) genkwa (Genkwa Flos)
- 牵牛子 (qiān niú zǐ) morning glory (Pharbitidis Semen)
- 白丑 (bái chǒu) white morning glory (Pharbitidis Semen Album)
- 黑丑 (hēi chǒu) black morning glory (Pharbitidis Semen Atrum)
- 商陆 (shāng lù) phytolacca (Phytolaccae Radix)
续随子 (xù suí zǐ) caper spurge seed (Euphorbiae Semen)