Near Bondi
Josephine holds a Bachelor of Health Science in Traditional Chinese Medicine (UTS). She is a member of FCMA and ACCMA, and is registered with AHPRA as a Acupuncturist & Chinese Herbal Medicine Practitioner.
Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang (Tonify the Middle and Augment the Qi Decoction) was created by the famous Jin-Yuan Dynasty physician Li Dong-Yuan (Li Gao, 1180-1251 CE), who championed the theory that the Spleen and Stomach are the root of health and that most chronic disease stems from damage to the middle Jiao. This formula addresses a specific and important pattern: Spleen Qi deficiency with sinking of the central Qi — where weakness is so pronounced that the body's Qi can no longer hold things in their proper position.
The formula contains: Huang Qi (Astragalus, 15-20g) — the sovereign, raising Yang Qi and strengthening the exterior; Ren Shen or Dang Shen (ginseng or codonopsis, 9g) — tonifying Spleen Qi; Bai Zhu (Atractylodes, 9g) — strengthening the Spleen and drying Dampness; Zhi Gan Cao (processed licorice, 6g) — tonifying Qi and harmonising; Dang Gui (Angelica, 6g) — nourishing Blood; Chen Pi (tangerine peel, 6g) — regulating Qi to prevent stagnation from tonification; Sheng Ma (Cimicifuga, 3g) — raising Yang Qi; and Chai Hu (Bupleurum, 3g) — raising Yang Qi. The small doses of Sheng Ma and Chai Hu are critical — they act as "guides" that direct the formula's action upward.
Classical indications include organ prolapse (uterine, rectal, gastric), chronic diarrhoea, shortness of breath, spontaneous sweating, fatigue worse after eating, a desire to curl up and lie down, and intermittent fever from Qi deficiency (where deficient Qi fails to contain Yang, which floats outward as low-grade fever). This formula is commonly used in modern practice for chronic fatigue, postpartum weakness, haemorrhoids with prolapse, and recurrent miscarriage due to Qi deficiency failing to hold the foetus.
Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang tonifies Spleen Qi and raises sunken Yang. It treats chronic fatigue, organ prolapse (uterine, rectal, gastric), chronic diarrhoea, spontaneous sweating, shortness of breath, and low-grade fever from Qi deficiency. It is one of the most important formulas for profound Qi weakness where the body can no longer hold things in position.
Raising Yang Qi refers to restoring the upward-holding function that keeps organs in place and maintains upright posture and energy. When Spleen Qi is severely deficient, it loses the ability to "hold up" — resulting in prolapsed organs, chronic diarrhoea (Qi sinking downward), and profound fatigue. Herbs like Huang Qi, Sheng Ma, and Chai Hu have an ascending action that counteracts this sinking.
Josephine Zhuo (TCM) is an AHPRA registered health practitioner — acupuncturist and herbalist.
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