Description

For those skin conditions that are dry yet have may pale red macules, scaling, itching etc. Gets worse in dry or hot weather or in the winter months. 

Dry skin usually has 3 components: lack of fluids, “blood deficiency” and often a component of heat. The fluids in this case is rolled in with the blood. The lack of fluids often causes a heat- in this case we would call it a “deficient heat”. Think of it as a radiator that has run out of water and now is overheating. (Versus a “full heat” which is running an old car and 90 MPH across a hot desert highway.) Not exactly classical Chinese thought but there you go.  :-)

I spent a month or so at the “1st Hospital of TCM” in Beijing in the dermatology department watching the doctors writing formula after formula. Their “style” was to use a lot of flower herbs to help the skin. And they would use the three principles of “tonify blood”, “clear heat” and “nourish fluids” in cases where there was dryness. (Sometimes there is damp heat involved in skin conditions so the strategy is different.)

Below are the herbs we use for this particular formula and what each does – very briefly.

Zi Hua Di Ding Radice Violae – clear heat

Pu Gong Ying Herba Taraxaci – clear heat

Shu Di Radix Rehmanniae Prepared – nourish fluids

Sheng Di Radix Rehmanniae “fresh” – clear heat nourish fluids

Xuan Shen Scropulariae – clear heat nourish fluids

He Shou Wu Polygoni Multiflori – nourish blood

Dang Gui Radix Angelicae – nourish blood

Zhu Ling Polypori Umbellati – promote urination to drain heat

Chi Shao Paeoniae Rubrae – clear blood heat

Bai Shao Paeoniae Alba – nourish blood

Ku Shen Sophorae Flavescentis – stop itching, clear heat

Dan Shen Salviae Miltiorrhizae – move blood

Tu Fu Ling Smilacis Glabrae – promote urination to drain heat

Qing Pi Pericarpium Citri – move qi

With the head of the Beijing TCM Dermatology Department – 2002