Aromatic Orifice Openers: SUMMARY

(Summary adapted from the John and Tina Chen book, with additions from Bensky and Von Elgg notes.)

Aromatic herbs that open the orifices are used to resuscitate when there is a severe cardiac, respiratory, or central nervous system blockage. From a western standpoint, these herbs would treat disorders that include seizures, epilepsy, and stroke. From a TCM perspective, the conditions they are treating include febrile disorders, heat trapped in the PC, and phlegm obstructions of the sensory orifices. These are excess conditions. Herbs that open the orifices are not for deficiency conditions.

Deficiency conditions are "abandoned syndromes" or "open disorders" with signs and symptoms such as open mouth and hands and closed eyes, perspiration, incontinence, and a very faint pulse. Herbs that rescue the yang and tonify qi would be used in these cases.

Excess conditions are "bi zheng" or "closed disorders" with signs and symptoms such as clenched jaws, closed mouth, tight fists, and a forceful pulse. These closed disorders are those loss of consciousness disorders treated with orifice-opening herbs. These disorders come in two types - hot and cold, and therefore there are herbs that are warm and cold to treat.

Loss of consciousness due to cold is usually caused by poisoning and cerebrovascular accidents. Signs and symptoms of cold disorders include:

cold body
pale face w/ green or bluish hue
white tongue coat
slow pulse
sudden collapse
foaming at the mouth

Loss of consciousness due to heat is usually due to heat stroke, infectious disease, severe pneumonia, meningitis, septicemia, liver disease, or toxic uremia. Signs and symptoms of heat disorders include:

warm body
red face
yellow tongue coat
heavy breathing
high fever
delirium / irritability
rapid pulse

The aromatic herbs are combined with other herbs to treat these conditions. For cold conditions, they are combined with herbs that dispel cold and warm the interior. For heat conditions, they are combined with heat clearing herbs, and herbs that dispel toxins.

These are strong herbs that will consume qi (which is why they are to be used for excess conditions only). They revive consciousness, but do not treat the root cause. They are emergency medicine, used only for acute conditions in small dose in pill or powder form until consciousness is restored.

The herbs:

* are acrid and aromatic
* disperse obstructions to restore the five senses


She Xiang (Deer Musk) - WARM, acrid, aromatic; Heart, Spleen, Liver
Bing Pian (Borneol) - COOL, acrid, bitter; Heart, Spleen, Lung
Niu Huang (Cattle bezoar) - COOL, bitter; Heart, Liver
Shi Chang Pu ("flourishing reeds") - WART, acrid, aromatic, bitter; Heart, Stomach