Clear Dryness and Save the Lungs Soup

Clear Dryness and Save the Lungs Soup

Ginseng 1 qian, licorice 1 qian, black sesame 1 qian, gypsum 2 qian, gelatin 1 qian, apricot kernel 1 qian with the tip removed, ophiopogon 2 qian, loquat leaf grilled once, winter mulberry leaves 3 qian.

Yu Jiayan said: All conditions involving qi stagnation and oppression that affect the lungs are due to lung dryness, and throughout history, remedies for qi stagnation have focused on using aromatic herbs to move qi, but none have addressed lung dryness. Vomiting, wheezing, and weakness all fall under lung dryness as well. Historically, treatments for weakness and vomiting have focused on the stomach meridian, while treatments for wheezing have focused on the lungs, meaning that vomiting and weakness are treated in the middle and lower parts, while only wheezing is treated in the upper part. Therefore, no remedy has ever addressed lung dryness. For cases where wheezing affects the lungs, it’s not about moving qi, but about releasing qi; occasionally, some remedies use moisturizers, but they still fail to hit the mark (2). Now, this formula, called “Clear Dryness and Save the Lungs,” is primarily based on the stomach, as the stomach is the mother of lung metal. The asparagus and zhimu in the formula can clear metal and nourish water, using cool and bitter herbs. Bitter and cold medicines that reduce fire are especially discouraged, because lung metal is already dry, and the remaining yin energy is only a thin line. If you further use bitter and cold medicines to lower the qi, it will harm the stomach, and will there even be any physiological basis? Therefore, this formula is designed to adjust and supplement, aiming to save the lungs from dryness and prevent various complications, hoping to achieve success (3).

[Note] (1) Fen-yu: refers to symptoms of shortness of breath and chest tightness, often caused by lung disease. According to “Suwen·Zhi Zhen Yao Da Lun”: “All conditions of qi stagnation and oppression belong to the lungs.” (2) Ken-qing: originally referred to the joints of muscles and bones, later used metaphorically to mean hitting the nail on the head, also known as “being spot-on.” (3) Shu-ke-you-ji: “Shu” means “almost” or “roughly,” “ke” means “can,” and “you-ji” originally meant “to cross over,” later extended to mean “success.” “Shu-ke-you-ji” means “almost able to solve the problem.”

[Comment] This formula originates from “Yimen Fali.” The author agrees with Yu Jiayan’s view: for all cases of shortness of breath and chest tightness caused by lung dryness, the remaining yin energy is only a thin line, so treatment should focus on the stomach, emphasizing medicines that clear metal and nourish water, because the stomach is the mother of lung metal. At this point, bitter and cold medicines that reduce lung fire and harm the stomach should be avoided, in order to achieve the goal of clearing dryness and saving the lungs.