Yang herbs bring heat and energy.
The yin and yang principles form the foundation of Chinese traditional medicine. They are opposite qualities like black and white, night and day, hot and cold, male and female. Chinese medicine categorizes conditions and the herbs used to treat them into yin and yang. A yang deficiency is treated with a yang herb to achieve the yin-yang balance associated with good health. It is advisable to consult a traditional Chinese medical practitioner rather than self-medicate with these herbs.
Tonics
Chinese medicine practitioners use tonics to correct imbalances. These have a similar purpose to Western nutritional supplements. Tonics are used regularly over a period of time rather than in intensive doses as this is considered more effective and safer. Yang qualities are present in the sun, heat, day and activity. A yang deficiency is associated with cold hands and feet, lower back pain and breathing problems, and the yang herbs used to correct these conditions have warming qualities.
Antler
Western medicine may not classify antler horn as a herb, but it is so considered in Chinese traditional medicine. Deer antlers are removed in summer or fall, boiled and dried, then soaked in white wine and cut into slices, or powdered. This yang herb has sweet, salt and warming properties and it tones deficient kidney yang, which is a key cause of coldness. Combined with ginseng, it relieves coldness accompanied by dizziness, infertility and a range of yang deficiency symptoms. Chronic ulcers are treated with antler horn combined with astragalus or cinnamon, which are also yang herbs.
Cardamom
Frequently found in the kitchen, black cardamom is a pungent, warming, yang herb. The fruit is gathered in summer, dried in the sun, then fried in sand before peeling. The herb generally tones the spleen and kidneys, and when combined with ginger it treats severe abdominal cramps and diarrhea, both of which are yang deficiency symptoms. Ginger features in many of the Chinese herbal combinations, which is perhaps not surprising as in Western herbal medicine it is also known for warming the digestion and easing stomach upsets.
Walnut Seed
Walnut seed, or kernel, plays an important role in toning the lungs and kidneys. Walnuts are harvested in the fall, dried in the sun and shelled before powdering for mixing with other herbs. Walnuts are combined with eucommia bark to treat lower back pain and knee problems associated with a yang deficiency. As a treatment for asthma or coughs it is combined with ginseng, another herb familiar to Westerners.
Tags: yang deficiency, combined with, associated with, yang herb, antler horn, back pain, Chinese medicine