When the wind gets into the head

A heavy, foggy head after exposure to wind or cold, shivers at the nape of the neck, the urge to cover your head, a feeling that everything tightens in the upper body, a nose that closes up when the air turns cool… In TCM, these signs may be associated with an attack of Wind-Cold rising to the head. Wind, Yang in nature, first reaches the upper part and the surface of the body; the Cold that comes with it tightens the meridians and hinders the circulation of Qi and Blood.

Chuan Xiong Cha Tiao Wan is the pill form of Chuan Xiong Cha Tiao San, recorded under the Song dynasty in the Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang (《太平惠民和剂局方》), the formulary compiled by imperial order in the early 12th century. A classical teaching gives the key: “only Wind herbs can reach the top of the head”. The formula therefore brings together light, rising herbs, each associated by tradition with a region of the head.

Rising to the head, dispersing Wind

Sichuan lovage rises higher than the other herbs while moving the Blood. Tradition attaches a principle to it: to disperse Wind, first move the Blood, because Wind that settles in eventually congeals the Blood. Around it, the pungent herbs disperse, each along its own route. Mint, cool among warm herbs, keeps the whole from heating up, and licorice moderates everything.

Expels Wind: Saposhnikovia, which tradition calls the “commander” of Wind herbs, travels through all the meridians; schizonepeta and Dahurian angelica accompany it towards the surface and the forehead.

Relaxes the head and mind: Cool and aromatic, mint rises to the head and eyes; it brings a feeling of freshness and tempers the warmth of the other herbs.

Supports Blood circulation: Sichuan lovage moves Qi and Blood up to the top of the body, so that Wind finds no foothold.