Chinese herbs produce both synergies and conflicts when you put them together in a package.
This article shows how to create synergies and how to avoid conflicts.
Why do we need synergy in an herbal package? oOne single herb is too mild to produce significant effect.
oEvery illness has a host of associated problems.
One single herb cannot deal with them all.
oMultiple herbs can deal with multiple problems at the same time.
oMultiple herbs can enhance the effects of the package in both strength and breadth.
Why should we worry about conflicts in an herbal package? oHerbs have different effects, some Hot, some Cold, some Neutral (See my articles on "Hot and Cold").
oThey may cancel each other out.
oThe mixture may produce unintended consequences.
oMore herbs do not necessarily mean a better package.
oToo many herbs make the package difficult to apply or modify.
How to create synergies? oEach herb has multiple effects.
Try to grasp the main one.
oEach illness presents a host of symptoms and root causes.
They are not independent of each other.
Some are in fact derivatives or secondary to others.
oAll the symptoms and root causes can be boiled down to just a few primary ones.
oYou must be clear that the package should fix the primary root causes and symptoms, not the secondary ones.
oThe herbs in the package should always complement each other.
oUse the optimal number of herbs in the package.
Ten to fifteen herbs are about right according to my experience.
How to avoid conflicts? oBe careful when mixing Hot and Cold herbs together.
oHot and Cold herbs are supposed to restrain each other in a package, not canceling each other out completely.
oYou have to know which direction the package should go.
If the package should be Hot, you should use more Hot herbs as a general rule, and vice versa.
oDon't put too many herbs in the package to avoid complications.
Illustration using the flu as an example: oFlu is a temporary problem.
It will go away if the "expel heat" and "cleansing" approaches are employed (See my article on "Basic Healing Approaches").
oIf the flu lasts for more than a week, it may have degenerated into more severe bronchitis or pneumonia.
Then it's not a temporary problem anymore.
oThe herbal package should contain predominantly Cold herbs, giving a clear Cold direction.
oPossible symptoms: fever, headaches, cough, phlegm, dry throat, constipation, tiredness, aches and pains, no appetite, etc.
These require multiple herbs to be applied.
oTiredness, aches and pains, and no appetite are secondary problems only.
They will automatically go away when the primary problems are fixed.
oThe root cause for the flu is low immunity.
Once you catch the flu, it's too late for prevention.
The flu has to run its natural course that will last for a few days.
oThe frequency of catching the flu can be reduced by better immunity.
In Chinese medicine, this means strengthening the body to fix the root cause, which will take some time by using Hot herbs.
oHot herbs for the root cause and Cold herbs for the symptoms present a conflict.
oThis conflict is basically a priority problem.
We should fix the temporary symptoms of the flu first.
After the flu passes in a few days, we can then address the root cause of low immunity.
oPlease see my article on "Flu" for more information.