When Wind closes the surface and heat rises
A feeling of heat in the face and head, dry throat, thirst, sensitivity to wind, a heavy head, discomfort that returns at the change of seasons… In TCM, these signs may be associated with Wind closing the surface of the body while Heat has built up inside, particularly in the Lung. The closed surface holds the Heat in, and the inner Heat rises: the throat and head are the first to feel it.
Qing Fei Zhi Ke Wan is a formula from the Chinese pharmacopoeia. Its twelve herbs all appear in Fang Feng Tong Sheng San, a great formula by Liu Wansu (刘完素), under the Jin, around 1172, which releases both the surface and the interior. It leaves aside its ephedra, rhubarb and three minerals: a gentler version, which disperses and cools without forcing.
Opening the surface, cooling the interior, sparing the Blood
The formula works on three levels. Schizonepeta, saposhnikovia and mint disperse Wind at the surface; forsythia, skullcap and gardenia clear Heat inside, and platycodon guides the action upwards. Chinese angelica, Sichuan lovage and white peony nourish and harmonise the Blood, while atractylodes and licorice protect the centre: cooling thus wears down neither the Blood nor the Spleen.
Expels Wind: Schizonepeta and saposhnikovia, a classic pair of the tradition, disperse Wind at the surface; mint, which is cool, refreshes the head.
Clarifies Heat: Forsythia, light, disperses Heat towards the surface; skullcap and gardenia, bitter and cold, clear the Heat that has settled inside.
Brings gentle freshness to the throat: Platycodon and licorice form a pair that tradition turns towards the throat; platycodon guides the cool herbs there.
Harmonises the Qi and Blood: White peony, Chinese angelica and Sichuan lovage nourish and move the Blood, and atractylodes supports the Spleen: the formula disperses and cools without weakening.
