Combining Chinese herbs

[flowconduit]

Is this a safe combination to eat every morning?

 

- A handful of goji berries

- 30 schizandra berries

- 2-4 grams of He Shou Wu

[SecretGrotto]

I eat 100g goji berries in cinnamon tea per day and a heaped teaspoon of He Shou Wu as tea per day.

 

I'd like to eat 200g goji berries but then it gets too expensive.

 

He Shou Wu is a mild laxative, but after 2 weeks of daily use the body regularizes. Ceasing use of He Shou Wu then would cause mild constipation with fast regularization after a couple of days.

 

My question is why these TCM medicinal ingredients are special compared to a five-flavour diet approach. To clarify, sour foods like pickles astringes like Schizandra, but why is Schizandra medicinal and what percentage of its Qi storage power can be gained from ordinary sour food like pickles?

[Orion]

Schisandra is quite astringent and holds stuff in. We use it for "leakage". I'd say if you have a clean diet and lifestyle, it shouldn't be a problem. If there is any dampness or internal heat, schisandra will mess you up by holding it in and compressing it.

 

He Shou Wu lubricates the bowels and can be damp forming. Schisandra astringes and holds fluids in. Goji berries are very yin producing.

 

I'd say the combo you're using is good if you have a yin or body fluid deficiency. Otherwise you're just going to create a lot of internal dampness for yourself.

Edited June 27, 2015 by Orion

[SecretGrotto]

That's why I use cinnamon with Goji, since cinnamon is a Kidney Yang tonic that provides the Yang needed for the body processes of heating, generation and transformation.

 

Kidney Yang steams the Kidney Yin, and when they are in balance no damp will form.

 

That's why you should use cinnamon when you use Kidney Yin tonics like Goji.

 

Sour foods also astringe, but in general you have to make sure your body is not unbalanced or sick when you use an astringent, to prevent locking in the unwanted condition.

[Orion]

Schisandra is *very* astringent though, so much so that it's classified under the astringent category. Sour can astringe but nothing like schisandra. I think the only herb more astringent would be wu mei (sour plum).

 

All I'm saying is that if you use a strong astringent, be sure there's not excess, especially heat. Don't use it if you're sick, it'll retain the pathogen in your body. Schisandra will compress heat conditions which can cause a lot of internal damage. I speak from personal experience from ignorantly abusing this herb.

 

True cinnamon generates lifegate fire. It also directs the effects of herbs there, in small doses. Is your intention to send all of the herbs you're taking to the life gate? Do you have a deficiency there? If not, you'll might just create excess internal heat, which schisandra will hold there.

 

Herbs can be a tricky business.

Edited June 30, 2015 by Orion

[flowconduit]

Have you heard of anyone being successful in stopping nocturnal emissions with schizandra?

[Orion]

^ Yes.

[flowconduit]

That's cool, I've been celibate and trying to overcome that problem for nearly 240 days now 

 

Maybe this weird tasting berry will finally fix the problem

 

What time of the day should it be eaten? Morning or before going to bed?

[SecretGrotto]

That's cool, I've been celibate and trying to overcome that problem for nearly 240 days now 

 

Maybe this weird tasting berry will finally fix the problem

 

What time of the day should it be eaten? Morning or before going to bed?

 

Schizandra does have an affinity for all five meridians, including the Kidney meridian and can help with a Qi deficiency.

 

However, think of Schizandra as a lock. What do you want to lock into the body?

If there is nothing good or sufficient to lock in then locking is pointless.

 

So the usual recommendation is to first replenish Kidney Yin (with Goji), then Kidney Yang (with Cinnamon), balance Yin and Yang with He Shou Wu, only then do you use Schizandra to support Kidney Qi and to lock in the Qi.

 

Locking the Qi makes it harder to lose the Qi frivolously by the body, hence the stopping of nocturnal emissions and premature ejaculation by using Schizandra.

 

The Qi can be thought of as a primary energy source that 'locks' in the Jing, thus saving the prenatal and postnatal Jing from being spent, because the body first utilizes the available Qi which is constantly replenished through breathing that roots in the Kidneys.