"What Are the Advantages and Roles of Fuzi in Chinese Herbal Medicine?"

The traditional Chinese medicine Fuzi is undoubtedly familiar to many. This herbal remedy is known for its effectiveness in regulating spleen, stomach, and kidney deficiency, helping to balance the body's yin and yang energies, and treating symptoms such as weakness, vomiting, and diarrhea. For men experiencing kidney failure or other physiological issues, Fuzi can offer therapeutic benefits. Let's delve into its specific functions and effects:

Functions and Effects of Traditional Chinese Medicine Fuzi

1. Enhancing Heart Function

Fuzi has a notable cardiotonic effect, strengthening myocardial contractility and increasing oxygen consumption of the heart muscle. It can significantly improve symptoms of myocardial weakness or weakened heart function. However, excessive use should be avoided to prevent arrhythmias.

2. Regulating Menstruation and Promoting Blood Circulation

Effective in treating menstrual irregularities, Fuzi can be prepared by peeling and mixing with angelica sinensis in a 1:1 ratio. Taking nine grams of this mixture decocted in water can invigorate blood, replenish blood loss, and alleviate menstrual cramps and irregular menstruation.

3. Pain Relief

Fuzi exhibits significant pain-relieving properties. For qi deficiency headaches, the peeled herb can be ground into a fine powder, mixed with onion juice and flour to form a paste, then rolled into pills. Taking ten pills with clear tea offers the most pronounced pain relief.

4. Clearing Heat and Removing Toxins

When heat toxicity in the body leads to mouth sores or toothaches, Fuzi can be applied. For mouth sores, mix the powdered herb with vinegar and apply externally to the soles of the feet, changing daily. For toothaches, burn Fuzi into ashes, mix with thirty-one grams of ashes and 0.3 grams of dried alum, and apply directly to the affected tooth for rapid pain relief, three to four times daily.

Dietary Therapy with White Fuzi

White Fuzi has a pungent, sweet taste, is warm in nature, and is toxic. It enters the meridians of the stomach and liver, dispersing wind-phlegm, unblocking meridians, suppressing spasms and pain, and resolving nodules and detoxifying. It primarily treats conditions such as stroke with phlegm accumulation, facial paralysis, hemiplegia, tetanus, headaches, rheumatic pains, numbness of limbs, scrofula, carbuncles, and snakebites.

Processing of Fuzi

Types of processed Fuzi include prepared Fuzi, black Fuzi pieces, cooked Fuzi, and light Fuzi slices (the tuberous root of Aconitum carmichaelii, soaked in brine, rinsed, and boiled with tofu before drying). Variations in processing methods result in different products like cooked Fuzi slices, yellow Fuzi pieces, and clear Fuzi pieces, but these distinctions are no longer made in Shanghai. Raw and salted Fuzi are also used, with raw Fuzi being more toxic and requiring stricter control, typically limited to external use.

To prepare salted Fuzi for use, impurities and surface salt are removed, and the herb is soaked in water until the salt is completely dissolved. It is then sliced thinly, peeled if necessary, and dried. The thin slices can be steamed until translucent and dried again.

In conclusion, traditional Chinese medicine Fuzi plays a vital role in treating kidney deficiency, spleen and stomach imbalances, endocrine disorders, and other functional impairments. Middle-aged and elderly individuals are often familiar with its applications, and younger family members can seek guidance from the elderly on its usage.