In Shen Nong's Classic of Materia Medica, ginger is attached to dried ginger, but in Bielu of Famous Doctors, ginger is listed separately. Ginger is a common food in every kitchen, and it is a typical medicine and food homologous thing. Why do doctors like to use it so much? This is because ginger has many functions.
1, and stop vomiting
Ginger can treat vomiting caused by various reasons, so Sun Simiao called it "the holy medicine for vomiting". Li Dongyuan said: "Ginger is the holy medicine for vomiting, and it is used to disperse it, and vomiting is not dispersed. This medicine is also used to disperse qi." The mechanism of ginger in treating vomiting is summarized in one sentence. Modern pharmacology has also confirmed that ginger can increase the secretion of gastric juice, strengthen gastrointestinal peristalsis, and stop vomiting by adjusting gastrointestinal function. Whether it is vomiting caused by phlegm, cold vomiting, hot vomiting, virtual vomiting, solid vomiting, or vomiting mixed with cold and heat, ginger can be treated.
For example, in Xiao Banxia decoction, ginger combined with Pinellia ternata can not only stop vomiting by drinking, but also relieve the poison of Pinellia ternata. It is good at treating vomiting caused by drinking, and it can also add poria cocos to strengthen the spleen and promote diuresis, so as to form Xiao Banxia plus poria cocos decoction, which can treat vomiting caused by stopping drinking under the heart and dizziness caused by water vapor rising. These are all effective ways for ginger to treat phlegm and vomiting in treatise on febrile diseases.
Ginger is also reused in Wuzhuyu Decoction and Orange Peel Decoction for the treatment of cold vomiting, and there is also a record of "adding two ounces of ginger" behind Lizhong Decoction and Tongmai Sini Decoction for the treatment of deficiency-cold symptoms.
In addition, Xiaochaihu Decoction, ChaihuGuizhi Decoction, Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi plus Pinellia Ginger Decoction, Gardenia Ginger Soy Sauce Decoction, Orange Peel Zhuru Decoction, and Chaihu Plus Glauber's Salt Decoction, which are used to treat shaoyang gallbladder heat, all have the sound and shadow of ginger to stop vomiting. Why?
In fact, the cause of vomiting is that stomach qi goes up, but the cause of stomach qi going up may be phlegm, cold and heat, or deficiency and excess, or even cold and heat are mixed and blocked in the middle. However, no matter what the reason is, ginger, which is called "the holy medicine for vomiting", can be used to treat vomiting caused by various reasons, and it is often used in combination with Pinellia ternata, combined with syndrome differentiation and other drugs.
2. Eliminating exterior symptoms and eliminating pathogenic factors
Zhang Zhongjing's treatment of exogenous pathogenic factors and disharmony between ying and Wei is often combined with ginger and jujube, and ginger is pungent and warm, and jujube is good for spleen and stomach. The combination of the two can play a role in harmonizing ying and Wei.
For example, Guizhi decoction, as the ancestor of the classic prescription, is often used to treat exterior deficiency syndrome caused by solar apoplexy. Because of its pungent taste, the ginger in this prescription can disperse exterior evil and play the role of assisting Guizhi in eliminating evil and relieving exterior syndrome, which we call treating Wei Qiang; Then ginger and jujube are combined to support the spleen and stomach, and help the yin and biochemistry, which we call treating the weakness of the camp. Ginger and jujube are used together, which is an excellent drug pair for neutralizing and protecting the health in the classics. But now many people, who don't understand, think that ginger or jujube is of little use and blindly remove it, which is a manifestation of not getting the essence of the prescription.
3. Warming yang and relieving arthralgia
Huangqi Guizhi Wuwu Decoction for treating blood arthralgia, Zhigancao Decoction for treating pulse arthralgia, Danggui Sini plus Evodia rutaecarpa Ginger Decoction all use ginger as an auxiliary medicine to warm the yang and promote blood arthralgia. Then there are Fangji Huangqi Decoction, Guizhi Fuzi Decoction, Baizhu Fuzi Decoction and Guizhi Shaoyao Zhimu Decoction for treating rheumatism, all of which use ginger as an auxiliary medicine to disperse rheumatism, and are matched with licorice, jujube, Baizhu and other drugs, and can also play the role of cultivating soil and controlling dampness. As "Ming of Medicinal Properties" said: "Ginger can remove dampness only by warming the middle warmer and benefiting the spleen and stomach. If the temperature of the spleen and stomach is healthy, the moisture will go away."
4. Dispelling cold and relieving pain
There are three kinds of diseases in which the classic prescription uses ginger to dispel cold and relieve pain: ① Xiaojianzhong Decoction, Huangqi Jianzhong Decoction and Danggui Ginger Mutton Soup for treating abdominal pain caused by fatigue, all of which use ginger as an auxiliary medicine to dispel cold and relieve pain. "Introduction to Medicine" said: "Ginger is a must after childbirth, because it can break blood and remove blood stasis." It can be seen that ginger can dispel cold, remove blood stasis and relieve pain. ② Guizhi plus Shaoyao Decoction and Guizhi plus Huangtang for treating Taiyin abdominal pain, and ginger as an auxiliary medicine to dispel cold and relieve pain. ③ Ginger is also used as an auxiliary medicine to warm meridians and relieve pain in the treatment of meridian warming decoction with deficiency and cold of chong and ren and blood stasis.
5. Xuanhua Phlegm Drink
The classic prescriptions include Shegan Mahuang Decoction, Zeqi Decoction, Yuemaijia Banxia Decoction for the treatment of phlegm retention and cough, Poria and Glycyrrhiza Decoction for the treatment of water retention, Guizhi Qushaoyao and Mahuangxixin Fuzi Decoction, Zhenwu Decoction, Banxia Houpu Decoction for the treatment of phlegm stagnation, Magnolia Officinalis, Ginger, Banxia Glycyrrhiza ginseng soup for the treatment of spleen deficiency and phlegm stagnation, Yuemaitang for the treatment of geomantic omen, Yuemaijia Jiashu Decoction for the treatment of skin water, etc., all of which use ginger as an auxiliary medicine, both for phlegm retention and external yin dispersion. In addition, both orange and orange-orange and ginger-orange decoction for treating mild chest obstruction and Guizhi, ginger and orange-orange decoction for treating "heart swelling, adverse reactions and hanging pain in the heart" use ginger to achieve the effect of dissolving the drink.
This is because ginger has the functions of invigorating the stomach, reducing adverse reactions, dispersing moisture and eliminating fullness. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the middle energizer is the official who decides blasphemy, and the spleen and stomach are the hinge of qi movement. At this time, ginger can "warm the middle energizer" and restore the yang of the middle energizer, and then licorice, ginseng, jujube and other drugs are added to reconcile the spleen and stomach, thus making the qi movement rise and fall orderly. And the evil of water and dampness is condensed, so most of them can get twice the result with half the effort by using pungent products such as ginger.
6, spleen and stomach
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the spleen and stomach are the foundation of the day after tomorrow, so the treatment of many diseases, in the final analysis, depends on the healthy movement of the spleen and stomach. Therefore, in the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, the rise and fall of the function of the spleen and stomach plays a decisive role in the outcome and prognosis of diseases, and ginger has a good effect of healthy movement of the spleen and stomach. For example, "Explanation of Medicinal Properties" said: "Ginger ... the vitality of the medium coke is fixed, but the spleen and stomach cashier's orders can't tolerate evil spirits."
Therefore, Zhang Zhongjing, a medical sage, likes to use ginger very much, and it is a wonderful use of ginger. Now many people think that ginger in the prescription is dispensable, which is wrong. We Chinese medicine practitioners should also seriously understand each medicine and deeply understand their compatibility significance in the prescription, so as to provide our prescription skills.