Finding A Guiding Herb Makes Easier to Find the Most Efficient Formula ⑪ Long Gu and Mu Li ①

Long Gu and Mu Li Have A Role In Controlling Ca Level

Insufficient Amount of Ca Causes Hypocalcemia, Decreasing Serotonin, and Melatonin

By Hyunchang Cho, L.Ac., Ph.D ([email protected])

■ Pharmacological Hypothesis of Long Gu and Mu Li

1. Long Gu and Mu Li seem to selectively treat some symptoms caused by hypocalcemia:

• Coarse hair, alopecia
• Digestive symptoms: increase in bowel movement, diarrhea
• ☞ A decrease in calcium absorption at the intestines will enhance smooth muscle contraction, which in turn will cause diarrhea.
• Nervous and muscular symptoms: tremors of wrists, feet, face, and larynx. In severe cases, muscle spasticity and seizures (focal, absence, grand seizures, and such)
• Neurological symptoms and signs: Parkinson’s symptoms, choreoathetosis, Chvostek’s sign, emotional instability, aggressiveness
• Mental symptoms: confusion, disorientation, delusional and psychotic symptoms

1. Hypocalcemia has been reported to cause prolapsed uterus and anus in cows and other animals. Urinary dysfunctions such as frequent urination, urinary incontinence, urgency, and prolapsed uterus or anus seen in Long Gu and Mu Li patients also seem to be caused by similar mechanisms of over-relaxation of bladder smooth muscles and sphincter muscles.
2. Limbic system and amygdala are the backbones of fear. Amygdala is known to control fear and is closely associated with PTSD. The main emotions of Long Gu and Mu Li are fear and anxiety, and the symptoms accompany PTSD-like onset history. Long Gu and Mu Li can alleviate emotions of fear and anxiety and treat symptoms with PTSD-like onset history by elevating calcium levels in our bodies.
3. Serotonin can make us happy. It’s the happiness-inducing neurotransmitter. If serotonin level drops, we feel unhappy, depressed, or emotionally numb. Long Gu and Mu Li can elevate calcium levels in our body, thereby promoting serotonin secretion. Long Gu and Mu Li can treat unhappy, depressed, and emotionally numb patients whose symptoms are caused by low serotonin levels.
4. Melatonin, secreted from the pineal gland, induces sleep and controls the biological clock in our body. Reduced secretion of melatonin can cause disturbance in sleep and the biological clock. Long Gu and Mu Li can treat insomnia caused by low serotonin levels, especially disturbance in the biological clock, such as working night shifts and sleeping during the day. Long Gu and Mu Li can raise the calcium levels in our body, thereby assisting in synthesizing melatonin, which is derived from serotonin.
5. Calcium is known to regulate muscle contraction and relaxation. Low calcium level in our body means muscle contraction and relaxation will not be properly controlled. Decreased dopamine secretion will also induce unregulated muscle movements, as we can see in Parkinson’s disease. This may be the underlying mechanism behind the limb tremors seen in Long Gu and Mu Li patients.

(1) Long Gu, Mu Li, and hypocalcemia

The main ingredients (up to 80 to 90%) of Long Gu and Mu Li are calcium compounds. There are other minerals, but we can say that the therapeutic effects of these herbs are mostly derived from the actions of calcium compounds. When calcium compounds are inside our body, they work as calcium ions (Ca²⁺). The actions of calcium ions can teach us many things about the therapeutic effects of these herbs.

This is how the hypocalcemia model was chosen to explain the therapeutic effects of Long Gu and Mu Li.

There are many clinical symptoms of hypocalcemia. I am not suggesting that Long Gu and Mu Li can treat all hypocalcemia symptoms. Rather, they seem to have selective therapeutic effects on some symptoms of hypocalcemia, as listed below.