Toxicology of FUZI: King of 100 Herbs

Toxicology of FUZI: King of 100 Herbs

English Name: aconite, prepared daughter root of common monks’ hood

Pharmaceutical Name: Radix Aconiti Lateralis Praeparata

Properties: acrid, hot

Channels Entered: Heart, Kidney, Spleen

Safety Index: toxic

Fx: Restores Depleted Yang

Used in emergency situations in which there is a complete void of yang energy in the body.

Fx: Tonifies Yang, Augments Fire

Treats any type of yang deficiency because it warms all of the organs and opens all of the channels and collaterals.

Indications For Use

Flabby, pale tongue with a white or greasy coat; thready, weak pulse or deep and slow pulse; bland taste in the mouth with no desire to drink; cold limbs, intolerance to cold; soreness, coldness and weakness of the lower back and knees; clear polyuria

Production, Preparation & Dosage

Biochemistry: the toxicity of aconite is directly related to several alkaloids found in the raw material, the most dangerous of which is aconitine. These alkaloids activate voltage-sensitive sodium channels in the heart and nervous tissues, which become resistant to stimulation. Toxic effects of raw aconite can be eliminated through special growing, harvesting, and processing techniques, as well as herb combining techniques.

• Seedlings of aconite should be harvested high in the mountains where they endure severe cold and then planted at the winter solstice in the Jiangyou area of China.
• The plant should grow in the time of year when the yang is in its ascendancy and harvested at the summer solstice before the yang starts its decline.
• Once harvested, the tuber undergoes detoxification procedures involving steaming, soaking in brine, and repeated rinsing in flowing, clean water.

Prior to use, the patient should pre-decocted Fu Zi for 30-60 minutes.

The normal dosage is 3 to 15 grams. Some herbalists propose dosages of up to 100 grams.

To be or not...

To live is to know: I can't pretend that I understood in a very deep way the Capra article but even with a superficial grasp of the concepts, it seems to make so much common sense that I wondered why it was a breakthrough concept. For some reason, the article made me think of the image that compares the human neuron cell and the "universe".

Memory & magic: I want to learn more about the secrets of magic! This article also makes me want to go see a magic show to see if I can spot the "tricks"

Carbon footprint: I took the carbon foot print quiz (even though it was a bit difficult having to convert pounds to dollars, etc!) This was the second time I've taken one of these and both times, I've been at about 1/2 of the U.S. average - okay but not great. The major thing I have going for me is that I don't own a car and walk 90% of the time. However, I do eat out a lot and also take several longer trips a year. I'm not normally much of a shopper and being in school is helping even more since I have less money!

Of chocolate & geese

1. My immediate environment is probably more biologically diverse than many urban settings. Living right by Lake Merritt, a wildlife sanctuary, I see myriad species of winged creatures (and their waste products!) every day. I've even seen a giant jelly fish and what looked like a stingray in the lake, but sadly, neither probably lasted very long there. My dog often chases away other "wildlife" like squirrels and raccoons (there is a one large family that appears to live across the street). Also, one of the first things I noticed and loved when I first moved to the bay area was the extraordinary diversity of plant life in everyone's yards. Just walking to BART, I would see at least 50 different kinds of flowers and countless types of succulents in dry gardens.

2. I'm not the biggest fan of chocolate (sacrilege!) which doesn't mean that I don't like it - it's just not something I crave because I'm not big on sweets. Reading the articles on eating chocolate for anti-oxidants and its other positive health effects made me realize that I probably get the benefit without the side effects of too much sugar consumption. That's because I usually eat just a little piece and enjoy it, while eating more will lead me to feel a little sick. I have noticed that I've been eating more chocolate since starting at ACCHS - I'm not sure if that's because my classmates are chocoholics and there is always some around or because of the stress!

3. Last week's class discussion was getting to be a bit depressing until we got to the chocolate - urban sprawl, biodiversity decline, GMOs, possible bee extinction, overfishing... But I think these kinds of discussions are good for all of us. Sometimes, I notice that I get too comfortable taking the energy I use for granted, eating fish without thinking of the type of fish I'm consuming. During class, I checked the "Seafood Watch" app on my phone to get a refresher on what types of fish are "good" to eat. I also went home and logged on to PGE to see our energy consumption compared to last year. At the end of the day, even with all the overwhelming and terrible news about what we are doing to our planet and to each other as human beings, it's helpful to take joy in the positive as well, including what we individually contribute.