Warm Interior / Expel Cold: Fu Zi

fu zi

附子 radix laterialis praeparatus aconiti carmichaeli

Supposedly fu zi translates to "appendage" in English. When I look up the characters separately, it translates into "rely on seed."

One of the funniest parts of TCM school is the way people talk about the herb Fu Zi. They talk about it a lot because it's supposed to be really hot. And then someone will say casually, almost flippantly, "It's just aconite." Like they are saying, "It's just water" or some other commonly known, harmless substance. And the first person will then say (a little quietly, because of course they are the ONLY person in the whole universe who doesn't know what aconite is), "Um, what's aconite?" And the other person will look confused. "I don't know." They finally admit after a little pause.

Well, what the heck IS aconite, dammit!

According to Wikipedia:

Aconitum (pronounced /ˌækəˈnaɪtəm/ A-co-ní-tum^[1]), known as aconite, monkshood, wolfsbane, leopard's bane, women's bane, Devil's helmet or blue rocket,^[2] is a genus of flowering plant belonging to the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). There are over 250 species of Aconitum.

Since there are OVER 250 SPECIES of Aconite (and it's a plant, by the way!) no wonder no one knows what aconite is. Here is what Wikipedia says about aconite, the Chinese herb Fu Zi:

Aconitum carmichaelii is a flowering plant species of the genus Aconitum in the family Ranunculaceae. It is native to East Asia, particularly in China and Japan. It is commonly known as (traditional Chinese: 烏頭附子; pinyin: Wu-tou Fu-zi) in Chinese, and 鳥兜 (トリカブト Torikabuto) in Japanese. It is considered a medicinal herb by some and the root is most commonly used to effect circulation, restore yang and expel cold. It is sometimes used topically in Dit Da Jow liniment. If not prepared properly by a trained person, it is deadly when taken internally.

Aconite is pretty! That's what it is! And the Zi in "Fu Zi" means seed, but I think it should mean purple in this case!

So, now that THAT'S cleared up, the functions of Fu Zi:

It goes to the Heart, Kidney, and Spleen.
It is HOT, Acrid, and TOXIC.

IMPORTANT: Some say it is only hot if combined with Gan Jiang (dried ginger).

Bensky says Fu Zi is "pure yang" (though looking at the picture of it, I might refute that claim just a little - it sure is pretty!). It is also considered one of the strongest herbs in the pharmacopoeia, and can rescue and revive "devastated yang in cases of lesser yin disorders, for warming and tonifying seriously weak yang qi regardless of which organ is involved."

1. Revives Yang and Rescues from Rebellion:

* devastated yang with abundant cold yin (diarrhea, chills, faint pulse occurring after severe vomit, diarrhea, sweating)
* assists heart yang to unblock vessels, improves circulation, and tonifies KD yang to augment fire and avoid loss of primal yang

2. Warms fire, assists yang

* problems associated w/ weakness of Heart, Spleen, or Kidney yang

3. Disperses cold, warms channels, alleviates pain

* wind-cold-damp painful obstruction, especially when COLD predominates
* cold blocking organs, channels, sinews, bones, blood vessels
* yin-flat abscesses

CI: PREGNANCY; those who are yin deficient but have abundant yang; true heat & false cold!

In order to reduce its toxicity, pre boil it for thirty to sixty minutes, please. Overdose involves nervous system symptoms (burning, numbness of mouth and tongue, numb limbs, body; restlessness, dizziness, blurry vision, loss of vision (whoa!); DIGESTIVE symptoms: severe nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, salivation; and CIRCULATORY symptoms: palps, low blood pressure, hypothermia, arrythmias, circulatory failure, trouble breathing, shock and...DEATH!