2006-01-23
Herbal Training Formulas in the Taoist Tradition
by Henry Mc Cann
From: Hot_Springs
From the beginning of time in Chinese history there have been mystic shamans who, living as hermits in remote mountains, danced the Dance of Yu and sought the ways of Immortality. In their search for the Elixir of Immortality the shamans experimented with herbs and other medicinal substances that eventually became the basis for Chinese Herbal Medicine. These shamans, who later collectively were known as the first Taoists, looked for a combination of herbs that would enhance their longevity and lead them to the court of the Mother Empress of the West, Hsi-wang Mu.
Sometime during the Tang Dynasty (618 - 960 C.E.) the distinction between Inner Alchemy (Nei Dan) and External Alchemy (Wai Dan) become more pronounced as royal and wealthy patrons secured the services of Alchemists. Wealthy patrons too lazy to practice meditation thought they could pay for immortality but in the process ingested pills composed of cinnabar, lead, mercury and other poisonous substances. Many died in the process, not realizing that the true Pill of Immortality is inside the body of the Taoist Yoga practitioner. The true Alchemists looked inside for all the elements of immortality.
Inner Alchemists used the Dan tian as the crucible in which the "herbs" were gathered and purified. The Kan and Li , or Kidney Water and Heart Fire were mixed to produce the Immortal Fetus inside the Yogin's body. However, although Inner Alchemists looked down on external pills or elixirs, there still remained a tradition of using Chinese medicinal herbs as adjuncts to meditative or Qigong cultivation practices. In particular, tonic herbs and formulas to aid cultivation have always been popular and widely utilized.
Most of the training formulas use herbs that are commonly known in Chinese medicine as tonic herbs. Perhaps the best example is Ginseng (Ren shen, Panax Ginseng C.A. Mey). It is a sweet and slightly bitter herb. Also, it is warm and nontoxic, entering the Lung and Spleen Channels. First mentioned in the Shen Non Ben Cao Jing, it is perhaps the best known herb the world around. In Taoist formulas Ginseng is used to tonify the Yuan Qi and Dan tian and it is believed to be closest in overall energy to man's. Thus, it can be particularly useful for people training in Qigong who need extra and balanced energy.
In combination, Ginseng is used with other tonic herbs such as Lu Rong, or deer antler. These two provide strong tonification of vital energy. Along with Shu di, or Rehmannia, Ginseng is used to tonify the lungs and the kidneys. In other combinations Ginseng can be used to remedy problems encountered in training, such as excessive sweating during practice due to vital energy deficiency. In this case Ginseng is combined with Astragalus (Huang qi), Paeonia (Bai shao), and Schizandre (Wu wei zi).
Another tonic herb commonly used in training formulas is Gou qi zi, or Chinese Wolfberry (Lycium barbarum L.). Wolfberry is a sweet and neutral herb that enters the Liver, Lung and Kidney Channels. Also first mentioned in the Shen Non Ben Cao Jing, Wolfberry is used particularly to nourish and tonify the Liver and Kidneys. Furthermore it is utilized in tonifying sexual energy, thus being particularly useful for practitioners of Sexual Alchemy. Yet another reason Wolfberry is employed by Qigong practitioners is that it can strengthen internal damage from stagnant or blocked energy.
A third herb that was prized in tonic formulas was tiger bone (Panthera tigris L.). Although still available from unscrupulous herb dealers, the use of tiger bone is now rare as tigers are a protected and endangered species. Tiger bone is commonly replaced with white stallion or ox bone. It is an acrid, sweet and warm herb that enters the Liver and Kidney Channels. Tiger bone was traditionally used to disperse wind and damp, although it was also used by Shaolin boxers in formulas to strengthen the body. Tiger bone along with Ginseng in alcohol was a secret Taoist martial arts liqueur devised by the physician Shie Jien Pao to strengthen the Wei Qi, internal organs, muscular endurance and bone strength.
Other herbs were added to complete formulas to enhance tonification. For example, Taoists favored using sea horse to help tonify vitality and sexual energy, and to also promote brain activity and spiritual development. Sea horse, or Hai ma (Hippocampus kelloggi Jordan et Snyder) is known as "Fallen baby of dragon" in folklore. It is a sweet, salty and warm herb that enters the Kidney and Liver Channels and is a Yang tonifier. Sea horse can be added to formulas containing Ginseng, Morinda or Psoralea to enhance overall tonification effect.
While it is enlightening to examine commonly used tonic herbs individually, it is even more interesting to examine entire formulas. Just as the use of individual herbs vary, the use of formulas can range from the very martial to entirely spiritual. One example of a simple Taoist martial formula is the aforementioned Tiger Bone and Ginseng Liqueur developed by Shie Jien Pao. As tiger bone can expel wind and damp, it strengthens a martial artist's sinews and bones. Also, tiger bone can aid in Yang energy restoration. Ginseng is an overall tonifier, and when old Ginseng is used this formula becomes hotter and more energizing. Thus Tiger Bone and Ginseng Liqueur can strengthen the overall body, especially the internal organs, muscles and tendons, and improve the Wei Qi for protection. Other formulas are less oriented directly with improving fighting techniques and are more appropriate for spiritual cultivation. One such example is "Yuan Qi Elixir." The entire formula is composed of nine herbs, the first and one used in the largest quantity is Shu di (Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch.). Alone, it is a blood tonifier. Also it can nourish the Yin and Jing. The second herb in the formula is Ginseng, which as previously mentioned, can enhance overall vitality and, together with Shu di, can strengthen the Lung and Kidney.
Shan yao (Discorea opposita Thunb.), the third herb, tonifies the Qi, especially of the Spleen, Stomach, Lung and Kidney. Still other herbs in "Yuan Qi Elixir" are blood tonifiers. These include Dang gui (Angelica sinensis Diels) and Gou qi zi, which also tonifies the Yin and the Kidney. Two other herbs in the formula, Lu rong (Cervus Nippon Temmiinck) and Du zhong (Eucommia ulmoides Oliv.) are Yang tonifiers. Lu Rong is also a powerful tonic for the Kidney, Uterus and Dan tian. Suan zao ren (Ziziphus spinosa Hu.) in the formula nourishes the heart and calms the spirit, and the last herb, Gan cao (Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fischer), harmonizes the effects of the other ingredients.
The entire "Yuan Qi Elixir" strongly invigorates the Dan tian, Jing and Shen. It also moves and augments the Blood and Qi, especially of the Lower Warmer. Another important aspect of the formula is that it mixes the Fire and Water energies. Therefore it can be used by most Qigong practitioners or Taoist meditators to enhance practice. Students of Kan and Li meditations would also particularly benefit from "Yuan Qi Elixir."
One other formula is the "Two Immortals Wine." According to Taoist lore, the tortoise and the deer, the "Two Immortals," are symbols of longevity and vitality. This formula is used to strongly invigorate the Jing, Qi, Blood and Marrow. It is a very hot and Yang tonifying formula as it is composed of Lu rong, and Ginseng. The other two components of the formula are Gou qi zi and Gui ban (Chinemys reevesii Gray, turtle shell). All together the herbs are soaked in rice wine or vodka for a minimum of four months, further enhancing the heating and moving qualities of the herbs. This formula should not be taken by Yang deficient practitioners unless it is modified.
The demands of serious Qigong or meditation practices are high. Often times practitioners, for one reason or another, come to training lacking a surplus in energy or needing extra help. For example, many people are drawn to Taoist meditation or Qigong late in life, after years of depleting Qi and Jing. In these cases herbal training formulas can be an necessary adjunct by endowing the student with ample energy to begin serious practice. Also, as already mentioned, herbal training formulas can remedy problems encountered in the normal course of training.
Thus in conclusion, although centuries ago in the Tang Dynasty there arose a schism between the Internal and External seekers of Immortality, the Inner Alchemists never fully left behind their external roots. Inner Alchemists who use herbs as an adjunct to training may thus be closest in actual training methodologies to the Alchemists of antiquity who saw no difference between meditation and drinking herbal decoctions. Just as Yin and Yang can never be separated, and the Sun and Moon are eternally entwined in a celestial dance, the external and internal methodologies should always walk a path hand in hand.
Bibliography
Bensky, Dan and Gamble, Andrew. Chinese Herbal Medicine : Materia Medica.
Seattle: Eastland Press, Inc., 1993.
Ramholz, James. Shaolin & Taoist Herbal Training Formulas for Ch'i Kung,Meditation, the Internal Martial Arts & Longevity. Chicago: Silk Road Books, 1992.
Wong, Eva. The Shambala Guide to Taoism. Boston: Shambala, 1997.
meyamind at 10:32 p.m.
