In my office, I make different teas each week, with variations based on the weather and whatever acute health issues I see arising. The intention is to offer strengthening, preventive treatment during the cold and flu season. The teas also act to strengthen the effect of the acupuncture treatment.
One formula that I am currently using I have named Rou Gui Si Zi Tang – Cinnamon Bark Four Seed Decoction. The Four Seed is in reference to the formula Wu Zi Yan Zong Wan, or Five Seed Powder, which was created by the Chinese doctor Wang Ken-tang in the text entitled Standards for Syndromes and Treatments, written around 1500 A.D. This formula has been used for almost 600 years to strengthen the supplement the Kidneys, Essence (Jing) and both the Yin and Yang Qi of the body.
Si Zi means “four seeds.” I have modified the original formula by adding additional herbs to make this formula even stronger and more suitable for general tonification of the Kidneys, Qi, and Blood, and to make the formula more warming for use in cold weather. It has components of other well-known Chinese formulas: Four Ingredients Soup (Si Wu Tang), Four Gentleman Soup (Si Jun Zi Tang), and Kidney Qi Pills from the Golden Cabinet (Jingui Shenqi Wan).
In the modern West, we use supplements like vitamin C and Zinc, or herbs like echinacea and goldenseal, to try and strengthen the immune system and prevent illness. These substances are all energetically cold, damage the Spleen and Stomach, and cause harm with long-term use. In contrast, Chinese herbal formulas are based on approaches that have been in use for centuries and millennia. They are much more effective and safer than commonly used products from the health food store and internet.
Ingredients: Cinnamon Bark (Rou Gui), Cuscuta (Tu Si Zi), Chinese Raspberry (Fu Pen Zi), Schizandra Berry (Wu Wei Zi), Lycii Berry (Gou Qi Zi), Angelica Root (Dang Gui), Codonopsis (Dang Shen), White Peony (Bai Shao), Dioscorea (Shan Yao), Cornus (Shan Zhu Yu), Poria (Fu Ling), Atractylodes (Bai Zhu), Ophiopogon (Mai Men Dong), Mulberry Misteltoe (Sang Ji Sheng)
Here is a picture of herbs in this formula. This formula can be ordered through the office via Stems and Branches Herbal Pharmacy.
