Mu Gua
Chaenomelis Fructus
sour, warm
PRIMARY FUNCTION:
Dispel Wind-Dampness
CLASSICAL MANIFESTATIONS:
- Cramping
- Low back pain
- Muscle pain in lower extremities
- Abdominal pain
- Calf cramps
- Muscle spasms
- Indigestion
Mu Gua is sour and warm. It enters the spleen and the liver. Through the spleen we can see it effect on gastrointestinal disorders such as abdominal pain and indigestion. The warming quality is especially useful here. In the liver system, Mu Gua helps to nourish the tendons and ligaments by relaxing them and allowing for liver blood to normalize.
Channels: liver, spleen
COMMON APPLICATIONS AND CLINICAL POSSIBILITIES:
- Restless leg syndrome
- Antimicrobial
- Chronic cough
- Eczema
- Vomiting
- Dyspnea
- Arthritis
- Diuresis
Formulas:
- Bu Gan Tang
- Mu Xiang Liu Qi Yin
- Shi Pi Yin
- Wen Yang Bu Gan Jian
Contraindications: do not prescribe to patients that produce too much stomach acid of if they present with dark scanty urine due to internally constrained heat
Zoo Image: a seagull standing in puddle at an airport with painful cramping legs has a suitcase of harmony products, there is a liver man fighting with a spleen woman wearing leg braces, there is a candy machine in the background