When moist heat weighs on the lower body
A feeling of heat and heaviness in the lower abdomen, a dry mouth, thirst and a craving for cool drinks, restlessness that grows with summer heat or after rich, spicy meals… In TCM, these signs may be associated with Damp-Heat in the Lower Burner. Dampness is heavy and sinks; Heat warms it and makes it persistent. Together, they settle in the lower part of the body and hinder the free circulation of Qi and Fluids there.
Ba Zheng San appeared under the Northern Song in the Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang (《太平惠民和剂局方》), the formulary compiled by imperial order. Distributed through the empire’s public dispensaries, it became one of the most widespread formulas of its family, the one that clears Heat and transforms Dampness. Its original recipe brings together eight ingredients in equal parts, almost all cold or cool.
Cool and guide downwards
Our version keeps five of the eight original ingredients, still in equal parts. Three of them, knotgrass, fringed pink and plantain seeds, clear Damp-Heat and guide it downwards; gardenia cools all three Burners. Prepared licorice, the only neutral herb, softens so much bitterness and protects the centre.
Clears Heat-Dampness: Knotgrass and fringed pink, both bitter, clear Heat; plantain seeds, sweet and cold, help Dampness transform.
Soothes sensations of heat: Gardenia, bitter and cold, clears Heat from the upper to the lower body and tempers the restlessness it sustains.
Promotes a feeling of lightness: By helping Dampness, heavy by nature, to dissipate, the formula lightens the lower body; prepared licorice ensures that this coolness does not weigh on the Spleen.
