Constraint – Heart, Spleen, Wood Fire (YTS)
Original Case by: Ye Tian-Shi (叶天士)
Constraint damaging the Heart and Spleen nutritive aspect with internal heat
Ji was a 69-year-old elderly person whose emotions were unwell (felt down). When there is constraint then lesser fire transforms into vigorous fire. The appetite was intact but the gastric cavity was uncomfortable. The mouth and tongue were eroded and putrid.
Diagnosis: This was damage to the Heart and Spleen nutritive aspect with wood fire scorching and removing the essence by force.
The muscles were becoming smaller day by day. Only when the patient became joyous would the overall condition begin to lighten, indicating that the internal arising of heat from constraint could potentially be balanced. However implementing a method of clearing fire with bitter cold medicinals is wrong for regulating the emotions that are internally causing heat from constraint.
Prescription:
jīn chāi shí hú (Dendrobium nobile)
lián qiáo xīn (Forsythiae Semen)
chǎo mǔ dān pí (dry-fried Moutan Cortex)
shuāng sāng yè (frost mulberry leaves)
chuān bèi mǔ (Fritillariae cirrhosae Bulbus)
fú líng (Poria)
Following this, Ye used the method of nourishing the nutritive aspect of the Heart and Spleen, while slightly assisted by a bitter and descending method.
rén shēn (Ginseng Radix)
huáng lián (Coptidis Rhizoma)
chǎo mǔ dān pí (dry-fried Moutan Cortex)
bái sháo (Paeoniae Radix alba)
fu xiao mai (Tritici Fructus levis)
fú shén (Poriae Sclerotium pararadicis)
Translated by: Jason Blalack
Original Chinese: 季（六九） 老年情志不适。郁则少火变壮火。知饥。脘中不爽。口舌糜腐。心脾营损。木火劫烁精华。肌肉日消。惟怡悦开爽。内起郁热可平。但执清火苦寒。非调情志内因郁 热矣。（郁损心脾营内热）金石斛 连翘心 炒丹皮 经霜桑叶 川贝 茯苓 – 接服养心脾之营。少佐苦降法。 人参 川连 炒丹皮 生白芍 小麦 茯神
Source: From the Constraint Chapter of Case Records as a Guide to Clinical Practice (Lín zhèng zhî nán yï àn) 《临证指南医案》.
