Body Heat Regulating Herbs: Gui Zhi, Wu Zhu Wu, Fu Zi, and Shi Gao
By Daniel Cho, L.Ac. (email: [email protected])
This article will comprehensively overview body temperature control herbs in Sanghanlun formulas. Suppose a patient has other pain or discomfort along with symptoms of being particularly cold or hot. In that case, a practitioner can easily find the best prescription by first picking one of the herbs described below as monarch herbs and then looking up a Sanghanlun prescription formulated with the monarch herb.
Gui Zhi: Symptom Indicator Score+++, Frequency of Use+++
Main Symptoms
- Cold intolerance: Easily feels cold ☞ Body Temperature Scale: around 5.
- Parts of the body (i.e., hands or feet) are cold, and in severe cases, freezing/icy cold.
- Upper Heat (hot flushes) is often accompanied.
Possible Symptoms
- Body aches are aggravated by coldness. And pain is relieved by heat.
- After sleeping or shivering in a cold place or before the period, body aches accompanied by an aversion to wind and mild fever may occur.
- Headaches.
Tip: Consider Gui Zhi after ruling out Wu Zhu Yu and Fu Zi. Cold intolerance and coldness of the limbs combined with Upper Heat highly indicate Gui Zhi.
Wu Zhu Wu: Symptom Indicator Score +++, Frequency of Use +++
Main Symptoms
- Frequently feels colder than others. (cold intolerance) ☞ Body Temperature Score: Above 5.
- Parts of the body (i.e., hands or feet) are cold and, in severe cases, freezingly cold.
- Cold pain in the lower abdomen (Cold Hernia).
Possible Symptoms: Headache, Chest fullness, Headache or menstrual cramps that accompany nausea and vomiting.
CAPE: Low stamina, Yin personality
Tip: Consider Wu Zhu Yu after ruling out Gui Zhi and Fu Zi. Cold intolerance and coldness of the limbs accompanied by cold pain in the lower abdomen highly indicate Wu Zhu Yu.
Fu Zi: Symptom Indicator Score +++, Frequency of Use ++
Main symptoms
- Cold intolerance ☞ Body Temperature Score (Cold) 5 to 10 (usually severe).
- Extreme coldness of hands and feet or other body parts.
Possible Symptoms
- Freezing pain of the hands, feet or specific body parts.
- Numbness or insensitivity in certain parts of the body.
- In rare cases, heaviness and immobility (or impaired movement) of certain body parts.
CAPE: Usually used for older people (in their 30s or older) with weak stamina.
Cautions: You should be careful when using Fu Zi for younger patients (under 30) or those with heat intolerance and strong stamina.
Tip: You can consider using Fu Zi after ruling out Gui Zhi and Wu Zhu Yu. (Extreme) aversion to cold, cold limbs, combined with numbness or immobility in certain body parts, highly indicates Fu Zi.
Shi Gao: Symptom Indicator Score+, Frequency of Use++
Possible Symptoms
- Localized redness and heat due to acute inflammation.
- Thirst.
- Psychotic symptoms due to elevated body temperature and excitement of cranial nerves.
- Excessive Heat Pattern: energetic, with a reddish face and an aversion to heat. (heat intolerance)
TIP: Only Possible symptoms exist. Shi Gao’s Indicator Score is low, which means its clinical tips are obscure and hard to find.
