6. Syndrome of Lung-Yin deficiency
Manifestations
Main symptoms
Dry cough, dry throat, dry nasal cavities, hoarseness, afternoon fever, warm palms and soles.
Secondary symptoms
Emaciation, red cheeks, scanty and sticky sputum or coughing of blood.
Tongue
Red and dry.
Pulse
Thready and rapid.
Associated disorders in western medicine
Pulmonary tuberculosis, chronic bronchitis, convalescence of acute pneumonia, chronic pharyngitis and bronchiectasis.
Analysis of the syndrome
The Lung is located in the Upper-Jiao. It is a light and delicate organ that is particularly unable to bear heat and dryness.
• When the Yin is too weak to nourish the Lung and its gateway, dry cough, dry throat, dry nasal cavities and hoarseness present.
• If the empty-heat is generated by the Yin deficiency, the heat may consume the Yin and injure the blood vessels, and scanty phlegm and coughing of blood may occur.
• As the cheeks correspond to the Lung, pinkish cheeks often indicate Lung-Yin deficiency. In a severe or chronic case, the empty-heat of the Lung may cause afternoon fever and warm palms and soles.
• If the Yin and essence are both weakened, emaciation may occur.
• A red and dry tongue and a thready and rapid pulse both indicate Yin deficiency.
Treatment principle: Tonify the Lung-Yin
Herb selection principles and formula composition strategies
• First, herbs that are sweet and cold, enter the Lung meridian and are able to nourish the Lung-Yin are selected.
• Second, herbs that are sweet and cold, enter the Kidney and Stomach meridians and are able to nourish the Kidney-Yin, which is the source of the Lung-Yin, are selected, along with herbs that can nourish the Stomach-Yin, which is the mother organ of the Lung. It is equally important to select herbs that tonify the Lung-Qi and Spleen-Qi in order to promote Yin generation.
• Thirdly, herbs that moisten the Lung, regulate the Lung-Qi, eliminate phlegm and soothe the Stomach-Qi are selected.
Structure of the formula and selection of herbs
Chief: Nourish the Lung-Yin
Bai He ( Lilii bulbus)
Bai He is sweet, bland and slightly cold, and enters the Lung and Heart meridians. It has a moistening and lubricating property and can directly moisten the Lung and nourish the Yin. It is suitable for treating all kinds of dryness caused by Yin and body fluid deficiency of the Lung. It is particularly suitable for use in the condition where the Lung-Yin and Heart-Yin are both deficient as it can also nourish the Heart-Yin, which is often injured along with the Lung-Yin in febrile disease as the Lung and Heart are both located in the Upper-Jiao. It is also used for depression and sadness due directly to Lung-Yin and Lung-Qi deficiency. This herb can be used for a reasonably long period of time and can be added to the diet as it is a gentle herb with few side effects.
Bei Sha Shen ( Glehniae radix)
Bei Sha Shen is sweet, bland and slightly cold. It enters the Lung and Stomach meridians. It tonifies the Yin of the Lung in direct and indirect ways as it can nourish both the Lung-Yin and the Stomach-Yin. It can slightly tonify the Lung-Qi and is better used for conditions in which heat injures both the Yin and Qi.
Deputy: Nourish the Kidney-Yin and Stomach-Yin and tonify the Lung-Qi and Spleen-Qi
Sheng Di Huang ( Rehmanniae radix)
Sheng Di Huang is sweet and cold, and enters the Kidney, Heart and Liver meridians. It can quite powerfully nourish the Yin of these organs and in this way can nourish the Lung-Yin indirectly. In addition, as it is quite a cold herb, and the fresh herb is bitter in taste, it can also reduce heat sufficiently. Sheng Di Huang is an excellent herb for use in conditions where the heat is injuring the Yin of the body. Another characteristic of this herb is that it can cool the blood and stop bleeding; because of this it is selected to treat the coughing of blood in conditions of Lung-Yin deficiency.
Tian Men Dong ( Asparagi radix)
Tian Men Dong
Buy Membership for Complementary Medicine Category to continue reading. Learn more here
