| Healthy living | |
| DECEMBER |
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Winter Melancholy and Winter Blues This month, we would like to familiarize you with three Chinese herbs which help to heal winter melancholy and the corresponding symptoms such as fatigue, aggressiveness, lack of self control, fear and sadness. Winter depression or winter melancholy is a seasonal depression (SAD) that occurs and returns each year during the winter months (when the daylight, warm and mostly relaxed summer months are over, the work starts getting more and more again and the often stressful Christmas season is about to start). During this time, the patients complain about n feeling of exhaustion, loss of energy and sadness. They usually eat more, especially candy and sweet food, and hence gain weight. Further symptoms are an increased feeling of tiredness, lack of motivation, headaches, dizziness and tinnitus. A more harmless and weaker condition is the winter blues. The concerned person is usually unmotivated, listless and bad tempered, even though they are not depressive. Among experts, the winter blues is also called subsyndromal SAD (s-SAD). According to TCM, the cause of this emotional condition is located in the liver which is responsible for the flow of the life energy, the Qi. Sorrows over a longer period of time, pondering in infinite loops and inner anger disturb the function of the liver and let the energy stagnate. This leads to a liver or Qi stagnation which is the root cause of depression. Furthermore, blood stagnation can occur as the qi regulates the blood flow throughout the body. The following herbs are single components of decoctions and may only be used according to the instructions of a doctor. Chinese senega root or Polygalae Radix (Yuan Zhi 远志)  Yuan Zhi is a bitter-tasting root that mainly grows in China and that is a popular remedy for anxiety, bad memory, agitation and insomnia. According to Li Shizhen (1518 – 1593), this herb boosts intelligence and willpower – that is the reason why it was named Yuan Zhi („far-reaching will“).
The above-ground part and the root of this plant constitute two different drugs. Formerly, the above-ground part used to be applied with similar indications as the root and was called Xiao Cao („smal herb“). Nowadays, this is not done anymore.
Yuan Zhi belongs to the family of the Polygalaceae. Her peculiarity to grow in sandy and rocky soil is expressed in its dry nature. Within TCM, the herb has a warming effect on the body; its taste is bitter/spicy. Its effective direction is downwards with a beneficial effect on the lung, the heart and the kidney. The plant has a Yang lowering effect which means that this herb is used to treat sleeping disorders, inquietude, fear, disorientation and forgetfulness. The herb leads away phlegm and opens the meridians. This is why it is used in the treatment of blackouts and cramps. Generally, Yuan Zhi nourishes the heart and the calms the soul and therefore you can find it in many decoction for winter depression and winter blues. Mimosa Tree Bark or Albiziae Cortex (He Huan Pi 合欢皮)  The Mimosa Tree belongs to the family of Mimosacae. Its Chinese name He Huan Pi can be translated as „Collective Happiness Bark“. Similar to the lily, He Huan Pi is seen as lucky in China. This, as well as its name can be tracked back to its function as a shady tree. In Southern China where the tree grows, it often gets hot in summer so that shady trees are very popular. The conduct of its precious leaves and blossoms also seem to have influenced the name of the tree - since people used to compare the interfolding of the leaves of the tree in the evening with the homecoming of the family members from work. The name of the plant also is a direct hint to its function to banish depression. The blossom (He Huan Hua) and also the bark (He Huan Pi) are sweet, they enter the meridians of the heart, the liver, the spleen and the stomach. Their temperature is neutral and their effective direction is downwards. The characteristics of the blossom and the bark are very similar. They are usually used for the same indications. When treating psychological disorders, most doctors prefer the blossoms because they can soften up Qi stagnation, since those have more effect on the heart and mainly operate on the Qi level. Because of its main characteristics to calm down the heart and the soul and to loosen up Qi stagnation, He Huan is used in case of agitation, crankiness, extreme mood swings, depression and insomnia. He Huan acts nourishing and moving at the same time. He Huan also fosters the natural wound healing after injuries. It is also said to have a spleen strengthening effect. Through its blood stimulating impact, blood stagnations are also dissolved. Moreover, He Huan supports the healing of bones after fractures. He Huan is also a medical herb that can be used for inner as well as for outer illnesses and that takes effect both on the Qi as well as the blood. Turmeric tuber or Curcumae Radix (Yu Jin 郁金)  The turmeric tuber or Curcumae belongs to the family of ginger plants. India, precisely the region of Bihar, is said to be the original country of the Cucumae. India is still the main area of cultivation for this plant, but it also grows in other tropical parts of Asia such as China.
The generic name Curcuma can be tracked back to the ancient Indian name ‚kunkuman’ (= Safran) which the modern Indian transforms to ‚kurkuma’. Also in Arabic, ‚kurkum’ means saffron. The name hence refers to the distinctive saffron-yellow color of the rootstock (rhizome) and is deduced through the epithet xanthorrhiza, from the Greek xanthos (= yellow) und ‚rhiza’ (= root). Its temperature is cold, its taste is bitter/spicy. Its functional circuit relates to the liver, the heart and the lungs. Yu Jin moves the Xue and can therefore be used to treat posttraumatic pains and heavy feeling in the abdomen. Moreover, it loosens Xue stasis and alleviates amenorrhea, painful menstruation, uncomfortable feeling of tension in the breast area and the abdomen, dysmenorrhea, stagnation of the Qi as well as depression. It also cools the heat within the functional circuit of the heart and is used against bleedings, hot phlegm, consciousness disturbance, blackout, cramps and tendency to bleed. Generally, Yu Jin is a blood regulating, Xue moving and stagnation loosening remedy. According to new scientific findings, it is also an effective treatment against arteriosclerosis and hepatitis. If you have questions about these herbs and the treatment with herbal remedies in general, please feel free to contact us. We are very happy to assist! |
