Finding A Guiding Herb Makes Easier to Find the Most Efficient Formula ⑩ Xiang Chi(香豉) and Zhi Zi
Insomnia, Chests Discomfort, and Upper Heat of Yin-Natured Patines Are the Clues for Using the Herb
By Hyunchang Cho, L.Ac., Ph.D ([email protected])
|
★Xiang Chi + Zhi Zi Symptom Indicator Score+++ Frequency of Use++ Main Symptoms ① Yin-natured, insomnia w/ difficulty to fall asleep combined with chest fullness and Upper Heat
CAPE ② Xiang Chi + Zhi Zi patients are Yin-natured and are generally slow, reserved, quiet, patient, inexpressive, static, mild-tempered, emotionally down, and/or depressed. ③ The main emotions are sorrow, oppression, and sometimes depression and anxiety. TIP ④ Since Xiang Chi + Zhi Zi’s clinical signs are similar to those of Huang Lian, in such cases, Personality (Yin/Yang) would be the only distinguishing quality. |
- Pharmacological Hypothesis of Xiang Chi + Zhi Zi
|
Xiang Chi |
Chest pain of non-cardiac origin due to stress |
→ |
Chest fullness Heart palpitations Chest pain Chest burning Frequent sighing |
→ |
Chest discomfort, mainly chest fullness (anguish in the heart) |
|
|
Hwa-byung: A Korean cultural, psychological syndrome that is common among middle-aged women who had to internalize their emotions under a conservative, patriarchal, and repressive atmosphere |
→ |
→ |
||||
|
↓ |
||||||
|
Emotions of sorrow, oppression |
→ |
Easily saddened Easily cries Doesn’t express anger and internalizes negative feelings instead of letting them out |
→ |
Yin-natured Sorrow Oppression |
||
|
+ |
||||||
|
Zhi Zi |
Insomnia which is triggered/aggravated by chest discomfort |
→ |
Difficulties to falling asleep before an important event, under stress or anxiety, or when sleeping in a different place Frequent awakening Difficulty falling back asleep after waking up |
→ |
Insomnia w/ difficulty falling asleep |
|
|
Increased body heat |
→ |
Menopausal hot flushes due to the excitement, nervousness, or heat |
→ |
Upper Heat |
Xiang Chi treats chest discomfort due to emotional causes, for example, Hwa-byung. Xiang Chi is rarely used alone. Xiang Chi + Zhi Zi are used together to treat difficulty to fall asleep and Upper Heat (hot flushes). Xiang Chi’s chest discomfort, mainly chest fullness, will also appear. With Xiang Chi + Zhi Zi, difficulty to fall asleep and chest discomfort (mainly chest fullness) are often accompanied by Upper Heat.
Xiang Chi treats chest discomfort. Patients complain of symptoms described as ‘My chest is full, and my heart beats fast, ‘My chest feels blocked/burning…’, or ‘I feel pain.’
Non-cardiac chest pain or NC/CP due to stress may explain the mechanism of Xiang Chi’s chest discomfort.
Xiang Chi’s chest discomfort seems to be caused by emotional issues such as depression and anxiety.
Hwa-byung is a cultural syndrome that can be found only in Korea. It is known to occur in middle-aged Korean women who had to internalize their feelings for a long time in the conservative, patriarchal, and repressive Korean society. It is also known to occur in people who are reserved and soft-willed. Hwa-byung can explain the emotional issues behind Xiang Chi’s chest discomfort.
|
Common symptoms of Hwa-byung are “heat or burning sensation,” “anguish,” “bouts of anger,” “frequent sighing,” and such. Psychological symptoms include anger, oppression, resentment, feeling like I always have to accept the unfairness of life, wanting to complain a lot, hateful, regret, depression, anxiety, etc. Physical symptoms include chest fullness, frequent sighing, heat or burning sensation, heart palpitations, chest obstruction, heat intolerance, and the need to open windows, undress, go outside, or thirst. |
As I said, Hwa-byung patients are mostly repressed middle-aged women or people who keep to themselves. They match the description for Personality and Emotion of Xiang Chi + Zhi Zi as Yin-natured, reserved, with a long history of internalizing emotions and main emotions of sorrow and oppression.
As mentioned above, it is unclear whether emotional issues cause NC/CP or the other way around. And coronary heart diseases often accompany mental depression. As such, chest discomfort and emotional issues are often closely related in correlated/causal relationships. Depression or anxiety may lead to chest fullness or heart palpitations, and vice versa.
