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Arisaema Pill

天南星丸 〔天南星丸〕 tiān nán xīng wán

Source: Shèng Jì Zǒng Lù 圣济总录

Ingredients

Actions: Dispels wind and sweeps phlegm; opens the orifices and frees the network vessels.

Indications: Wind stroke with signs of the exuberant wind and phlegm signs such as hemiplegia and numbness and tingling, and loss of speech. Tongue fur: White and slimy. Pulse: Slippery and floating.

Method: Grind to a powder and form into pills with honey.

Rationale: Tiān nán xīng is harsh and pervasive, and is used specially for wind-phlegm in the channels. Hence, it is the main agent in this formula. Jiāng cán helps the Tiān nán xīng transform phlegm and free the network vessels. Fáng fēng, Qiāng huó, and Dú huó and Bái zhǐ dispel wind and overcome dampness. Phlegm-damp is yīn, so the channel-warming cold-dispersing agents Gān jiāng and Xì xīn are used. These help the Tiān nán xīng to eliminate phlegm. Bīng piàn and Shè xiāng open the orifices and free the network vessels to help return the power of speech. Tiān má, Gān cǎo, Chuān xiōng, and Bái sháo regulate and nourish qì and blood, and by the principle that when blood moves, the wind naturally disappears, they extinguish wind and check tetany.

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