Hello there,
Spring is almost here, and soon the caterpillars will be wriggling and the butterflies will be flying.
While you're out taking long strides through the courtyard, I thought it might be fun to talk about an herb with a funny name and an unusual function that you may not have heard of...
Wooden Butterfly
Mu Hu Die (oroxyli semen) is an herb from the Stop Coughing category. Like many others in this group, it moistens the Lung to stop cough. But what makes it stand out in this category is that it has a famous action of treating loss of voice.
(It can be used alongside Pang Da Hai for sore throat, hoarseness, and loss of voice.)
But there's another unusual aspect to this herb --- besides benefiting the voice, Mu Hu Die also gently frees the flow of Liver qi. Bensky says it, "Comforts the Liver and regulates the qi: for flank and epigastric pain due to constrained qi."
A Fitting Name
The name of this herb is kind of interesting: Mu Hu Die means "wooden butterfly".
As an explanation, Materia Medica Arranged by Channel says: "Generally, the idea is that the Liver should enjoy free flow as the butterfly revels in free movement."
So with spring just around the corner, hopefully your Liver qi is moving as freely as a butterfly.
A Free and Easy Wanderer
During the season of spring this type of free movement is important, both for us and for our Liver.
At this time of the year the Huangdi Neijing advises us to:
Go to rest late at night and rise early.
Move through the courtyard with long strides.
Dishevel the hair and relax the physical appearance,
thereby cause the mind [to orient itself on] life.
--- Huangdi Neijing Suwen, Chapter 2
Remember spring belongs to the Wood phase. Just like a tree grows upwards and spreads its branches outwards, your Liver needs to be able to freely spread qi throughout the body.
So don't be uptight and keep your hair in a bun. Instead let loose and be a free and easy wanderer, like a butterfly reveling in free movement.
But Mu Hu Die is more than just a spring metaphor --- it has some interesting clinical applications as well.
Mu Hu Die and Liver Fibrosis
So why was Mu Hu Die on my mind?
Well, I've been creating a CEU course with my friend Patrick about gallbladder sludge and liver fibrosis. In his clinic, he's developed two custom formulas based on modern patent medicines like Li Dan Pian and Fuzheng Huayu to address gallbladder issues and liver disease.
And it turns out that Mu Hu Die is one of the herbs that he uses as a modification.
If a patient with liver disease, like liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, also presents with chronic cough, then Patrick will add Mu Hu Die to the formula because it both stops cough and relieves liver constraint. So it's doing two things at once.
(In terms of the five phases you can think of this like Wood rebelling against Metal.)
I'm still putting the finishing touches on this course and waiting for approval from the NCCAOM (it's already been approved in California).
If you're interested in learning more about herbal strategies for treating gallbladder and liver issues, join the waiting list to be notified as soon as it comes out.
So hopefully this topic didn't leave you at a loss for words, and I hope getting this email put a spring in your step. See you next time!
