Yi Guan Acupuncture and Chinese Herbalism offers a range of medicinal herbal teas. We create each blend to optimize your health by targeting specific issues.
Today we detail how two of our blends, Concealing Dragon and Lulling Tiger, boost health and slow down aging.
CONCEALING DRAGON MEDICINAL TEA
Concealing Dragon medicinal tea is a blend of heat prepared Fleeceflower Root (he shou wu) and Walnut (hu tao ren). It is a perfect morning supplement, giving you the energy reserves needed to tackle the day.
THE HERBAL PROPERTIES OF FLEECEFLOWER ROOT
Fleeceflower Root has sweet, warm, and astringent properties. When used in the context of describing herbs, those words don’t mean the same thing in the Chinese language as they do in English.
In Chinese herbalism, “sweet” means the herb adds to the flow of your body’s available energy. “Warm” means the herb stimulates the body in a manner like the flush feeling one gets when eating something spicy. And “astringent” means the body’s tissues shrink into a more compact form, creating a natural barrier.
The Materia Medica For Chinese Medicine, the authority for herbs used in Chinese medicine, goes on to say that Fleeceflower Root has the herbal actions of:
- tonifying the liver,
- tonifying kidney yin/blood,
- strengthening the bones and sinews
- preserving essence, and
- benefiting the skin by nourishing blood.
THE HERBAL PROPERTIES OF WALNUT
The Materia Medica entry for Walnut states that it is both “sweet” (adding energy) and “warm” (stimulating the body).
Walnut has the herbal actions of:
- tonifying the kidney yang,
- warming the lungs, and
- aiding the kidney to grasp qi.
THE WESTERN MEDICAL TRANSLATION OF TONIFY, WARMING, AND GRASP QI
In Chinese medicine, tonifying means to bring the function of an organ or system back into the balance it has when operating normally.
The phrases “warming the lungs” and “aiding the kidney to grasp qi” mean to stimulate and strengthen function.
In Western terms these herbs have an anti-aging effect on the body. They seem to stabilize cellular decline and improve one’s skin, hair, energy, and cognitive ability. There are, in fact, several scientific studies to support these claims.
THE SCIENCE BEHIND FLEECEFLOWER ROOT AND WALNUT’S HEALTH EFFECTS
One research study shows that Fleeceflower Root contains Tetrahydroxystilbene. This compound has antioxidant and free radical scavenging ability. These properties give Tetrahydroxystilbene the ability to both treat and protect against neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and cerebral ischemia. Other studies show Fleeceflower Root has specific effects on bone growth, hair restoration, and prolonging the lifespan of the cells.
With regards to Walnut, studies suggest it mitigates inflammatory response within the brain and spinal cord. And other studies show Walnut consumption improves the patient’s lipid profiles, helpful in both cardiovascular disease and cognitive health.
An interesting side note: the literal English translation of “he shou wu” means “Mr. He’s black hair”, a reference to how one’s hair is darker and fuller in youth. Research has indeed shown how Fleeceflower Root could help regrow hair. A study revealed how Fleeceflower Root reduces proteins that cause cell death and increase growth factors in special cells found in hair roots. This helps the hair grow stronger and healthier.
The name “hu tao ren” unfortunately doesn’t have as good a backstory. It translates to roughly “northern peach seeds”.
LULLING TIGER MEDICINAL TEA
Lulling Tiger is a blend of Silk Tree Bark (he huan pi) and Fleeceflower Stem (ye jiao teng).
THE HERBAL PROPERTIES OF SILK TREE BARK
Chinese herbalism classifies Silk Tree Bark as sweet (adding energy).
Silk Tree Bark’s herbal actions are:
- calming the spirit,
- relieving liver constraint, and
- harmonizing the blood.
THE HERBAL PROPERTIES OF FLEECEFLOWER STEM
As the name implies, Fleeceflower Stem (ye jiao teng) is the stem of the same plant as Fleeceflower Root. It is also classified as “sweet”, like Silk Tree Bark.
Fleeceflower Stem’s herbal actions are nourishing the heart blood to calm the spirit.
THE WESTERN MEDICAL TRANSLATION OF NOURISHING THE HEART BLOOD
When Chinese medicine practitioners speak of the “heart”, they are not referencing only the organ but also a broader concept. Chinese medicine sees the heart as the seat of our emotions and conscious thought. When those things are out of balance due to stress, the heart and circulatory system manifest that imbalance. Many have personally experienced this when under stress in the form of heart palpitations and sweaty palms.
So the concepts of “harmonizing the blood” and “nourishing the heart blood” just means taking steps to bring down a person’s stress level.
UNRAVELING THE SCIENCE BEHIND HOW SILK TREE BARK AND FLEECEFLOWER STEM WORK
One study shows Silk Tree Bark contains two chemical compounds that help increase serotonin levels in the brain. Higher serotonin levels lower stress by elevating your mood.
Another study shows that when used in combination Silk Tree Bark and Fleeceflower Stem improve cognitive functioning and have anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) effects. This corroborates the historical Chinese medicine practice of “dui yao”, or pairing herbs that enhance each other’s effects.
The synergy of Silk Tree Bark and Fleeceflower Stem in Lulling Tiger tea aids relaxation and promotes a restful night’s sleep.
A DOSE OF WELLNESS: TWO TEAS TO TRANSFORM YOUR DAILY HEALTH ROUTINE
The names Concealing Dragon and Lulling Tiger are inspired by the Chinese idiom:
“wo hu cang long”
which is often translated as “crouching tiger hidden dragon”. The idiom refers to situations or individuals where there is an exceptional skill that is otherwise hidden or untapped.
The word “cang” in the idiom can mean hidden, or concealed. But “cang” can also mean stored away. In fact, “cang” is the same word used in the famous ancient Chinese treatise on health and disease titled The Yellow Emperor’s Classic on Internal Medicine. In it “cang” describes the liver’s function to “store the blood”.
The word “wo” in the idiom, while meaning crouching or laying, can also mean “to go to sleep”. This is fitting in that the herbs in Lulling Tiger medicinal tea are often helpful for insomnia.
Designed for coordinated use, these medicinal teas are most effective when you use them together. Begin your day with Concealing Dragon and let Lulling Tiger help you unwind in the evening.
But you can also use the teas to enhance other nutraceuticals or mushroom coffee blends. Because the herbs that make up Concealing Dragon and Lulling Tiger are not commonly found in Western blends, using them together allows you to boost the effectiveness of your supplements and optimize your health.
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