Winter herbal healing & toning
Greetings!
Winter officially began with the Winter Solstice on December 22nd.
In Chinese medicine, the Winter season is associated with:
the element Water
the yin yang paired organs and meridians of the Kidneys and Urinary Bladder
the salty flavor
the colors dark blue and black
the low back, knees, bones, teeth, and thickness and luster of hair on the head
the emotion of fear
the virtue of wisdom
and the spirit of the Will
Some foods that are particularly nourishing for the Kidneys and the Water element within us are black beans, sesame seeds, walnuts, and seaweed. Sesame seeds specifically tonify the Kidney Yin, while walnuts tonify the Kidney Yang. An excellent kitchen medicine Kidney tonic is a walnut-sesame-honey paste. It is simple to make and is delicious!
Blend together equal parts of walnuts and sesame seeds (i.e. - one cup of each)
Add enough honey to make into a paste consistency (in a separate bowl to avoid the blender getting very sticky!) Eat one Tablespoon daily. Keep refrigerated.
Seaweed is a Kidney tonic because it is salty, and the salty flavor has a natural affinity for the Kidneys and Urinary Bladder. Seaweed is an excellent source of iodine and vitamin B6, and it's a good source of potassium and iron. An excellent company for quality seaweed is Maine Coast Sea Vegetables. Their products are certified organic, and they are tested for chemicals, heavy metals, fuel oil, radiation, and bacteriological pollution. The website iswww.seaveg.com.
Essential oils that are great for affecting the Kidneys are black spruce and vetiver. Putting a drop on the bottom of the foot, in the center of the ball of the foot, is a direct way of nourishing the Kidney Qi. This part of the foot is where the Kidney meridian begins.
There are stones that influence the Kidneys and the Urinary Bladder. For disease in these two Water organs, the following stones are helpful: cuprite, prehnite, jade, and smoky quartz.
Stones that help with fear are: angelite, golden yellow calcite, orange calcite, jet, kunzite, lepidolite, sunstone, and tiger's eye. The stones can be carried, worn, or kept in one's vicinity to be effective.
In acupuncture, there is a Yuan Source point on every meridian. It is where the Yuan (Original/Primordial) Qi is activated, accessed, and accumulated. These points connect to the internal organ for which the meridian is named. Empirically, they are powerful points for directly communicating with the deepest aspect of our Qi. On the Water meridians, the Yuan Source points are Kidney 3/ Tai Xi/ Great Ravine, and Urinary Bladder 64/ Jing Gu/ Capital Bone. Kidney 3 is the Earth point on the Water meridian, and it tonifies Kidney Yin and Yang, strengthens the low back, and relieves heel and ankle pain. Urinary Bladder 64 dispels wind, clears the brain, and calms the heart and the Shen(the spirit of the Heart.)
The famous classical Chinese herbal formula for supporting the Kidneys and Urinary Bladder is called Six Gentlemen/ Liu Wei Di Huang Wan. It is so named because of its elegant(gentleman-like) composition of six herbs that are perfectly balanced. The treatment principle of the formula is to enrich Yin and nourish the Liver and the Kidneys.
The six herbs are:
Shu Di Huang, prepared rehmannia root
Shan Zhu Yu, dogwood fruit
Shan Yao, wild yam root
Ze Xie, alismatis root/ great water plantain
Mu Dan Pi, peony root bark
Fu Ling, poria mushroom/hoelen
The functions of the herbs are as follows:
Shu Di Huang- nourishes Blood and Essence, tonifies Kidneys
Shan Zhu Yu- nourishes Liver, restrains leakage of Yin and Essence
Shan Yao- tonifies Spleen and Kidneys; astringes Essence
Ze Xie- clears heat, promotes urination, clears turbidity from Kidneys
Mu Dan Pi- clears Liver Fire, cools Blood
Fu Ling- strengthens Spleen, expels damp, promotes urination
The elegance of the formula is understood in realizing that the first three herbs are tonics being counterbalanced by the gentle draining action of the latter three herbs. While Six Gentlemen is a Kidney tonic, it is thus by having mild draining as part of the tonification strategy. The principle of Yang within Yin is demonstrated by this dualistic approach. Symptoms addressed with Six Gentlemen include: sore and weak low back, vertigo and dizziness, tinnitus, diminished hearing, and night sweats.
The Chinese New Year will be here on January 23. Look for a blog entry on the White Pine website commemorating this event in a few weeks!
Wishing you happy, healthy, thriving Water energy in this time of Winter.
Winter officially began with the Winter Solstice on December 22nd.
In Chinese medicine, the Winter season is associated with:
the element Water
the yin yang paired organs and meridians of the Kidneys and Urinary Bladder
the salty flavor
the colors dark blue and black
the low back, knees, bones, teeth, and thickness and luster of hair on the head
the emotion of fear
the virtue of wisdom
and the spirit of the Will
Some foods that are particularly nourishing for the Kidneys and the Water element within us are black beans, sesame seeds, walnuts, and seaweed. Sesame seeds specifically tonify the Kidney Yin, while walnuts tonify the Kidney Yang. An excellent kitchen medicine Kidney tonic is a walnut-sesame-honey paste. It is simple to make and is delicious!
Blend together equal parts of walnuts and sesame seeds (i.e. - one cup of each)
Add enough honey to make into a paste consistency (in a separate bowl to avoid the blender getting very sticky!) Eat one Tablespoon daily. Keep refrigerated.
Seaweed is a Kidney tonic because it is salty, and the salty flavor has a natural affinity for the Kidneys and Urinary Bladder. Seaweed is an excellent source of iodine and vitamin B6, and it's a good source of potassium and iron. An excellent company for quality seaweed is Maine Coast Sea Vegetables. Their products are certified organic, and they are tested for chemicals, heavy metals, fuel oil, radiation, and bacteriological pollution. The website iswww.seaveg.com.
Essential oils that are great for affecting the Kidneys are black spruce and vetiver. Putting a drop on the bottom of the foot, in the center of the ball of the foot, is a direct way of nourishing the Kidney Qi. This part of the foot is where the Kidney meridian begins.
There are stones that influence the Kidneys and the Urinary Bladder. For disease in these two Water organs, the following stones are helpful: cuprite, prehnite, jade, and smoky quartz.
Stones that help with fear are: angelite, golden yellow calcite, orange calcite, jet, kunzite, lepidolite, sunstone, and tiger's eye. The stones can be carried, worn, or kept in one's vicinity to be effective.
In acupuncture, there is a Yuan Source point on every meridian. It is where the Yuan (Original/Primordial) Qi is activated, accessed, and accumulated. These points connect to the internal organ for which the meridian is named. Empirically, they are powerful points for directly communicating with the deepest aspect of our Qi. On the Water meridians, the Yuan Source points are Kidney 3/ Tai Xi/ Great Ravine, and Urinary Bladder 64/ Jing Gu/ Capital Bone. Kidney 3 is the Earth point on the Water meridian, and it tonifies Kidney Yin and Yang, strengthens the low back, and relieves heel and ankle pain. Urinary Bladder 64 dispels wind, clears the brain, and calms the heart and the Shen(the spirit of the Heart.)
The famous classical Chinese herbal formula for supporting the Kidneys and Urinary Bladder is called Six Gentlemen/ Liu Wei Di Huang Wan. It is so named because of its elegant(gentleman-like) composition of six herbs that are perfectly balanced. The treatment principle of the formula is to enrich Yin and nourish the Liver and the Kidneys.
The six herbs are:
Shu Di Huang, prepared rehmannia root
Shan Zhu Yu, dogwood fruit
Shan Yao, wild yam root
Ze Xie, alismatis root/ great water plantain
Mu Dan Pi, peony root bark
Fu Ling, poria mushroom/hoelen
The functions of the herbs are as follows:
Shu Di Huang- nourishes Blood and Essence, tonifies Kidneys
Shan Zhu Yu- nourishes Liver, restrains leakage of Yin and Essence
Shan Yao- tonifies Spleen and Kidneys; astringes Essence
Ze Xie- clears heat, promotes urination, clears turbidity from Kidneys
Mu Dan Pi- clears Liver Fire, cools Blood
Fu Ling- strengthens Spleen, expels damp, promotes urination
The elegance of the formula is understood in realizing that the first three herbs are tonics being counterbalanced by the gentle draining action of the latter three herbs. While Six Gentlemen is a Kidney tonic, it is thus by having mild draining as part of the tonification strategy. The principle of Yang within Yin is demonstrated by this dualistic approach. Symptoms addressed with Six Gentlemen include: sore and weak low back, vertigo and dizziness, tinnitus, diminished hearing, and night sweats.
The Chinese New Year will be here on January 23. Look for a blog entry on the White Pine website commemorating this event in a few weeks!
Wishing you happy, healthy, thriving Water energy in this time of Winter.