Near Paddington
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.
Ban Xia Xie Xin Tang (Pinellia Decoction to Drain the Heart) is a classical formula from Zhang Zhong-Jing's Shang Han Lun (Treatise on Cold Damage, c. 220 CE) that treats a specific and common digestive pattern: "Pi" syndrome (epigastric focal distension) caused by mixed cold and heat in the middle Jiao with Qi obstruction. This complex pattern arises when both Cold and Heat lodge simultaneously in the Stomach and Intestines, disrupting the normal ascending and descending functions of the Spleen and Stomach.
The formula contains seven herbs in a carefully balanced architecture: Ban Xia (Pinellia ternata, 9g) — the sovereign, descending rebellious Stomach Qi to stop nausea and resolve Phlegm; Huang Qin (Scutellaria, 9g) and Huang Lian (Coptis, 3g) — clearing Heat from the upper and middle Jiao; Gan Jiang (dried ginger, 9g) — warming the middle to dispel Cold; Ren Shen (ginseng, 9g) and Da Zao (jujube, 4 pieces) — tonifying Spleen Qi; and Zhi Gan Cao (processed licorice, 9g) — harmonising. The formula simultaneously clears Heat above and warms Cold below, while restoring the Spleen's ascending and Stomach's descending functions.
Clinical indications include epigastric distension and fullness, nausea, vomiting, borborygmus (gurgling intestines), diarrhoea, poor appetite, and a sensation of obstruction in the chest or upper abdomen. The tongue often shows a thin yellow and white coating (reflecting the mixed cold-heat pathology). In modern practice, Ban Xia Xie Xin Tang is used for chronic gastritis, functional dyspepsia, and irritable bowel syndrome when the mixed cold-heat pattern is identified. It is a sophisticated formula that demonstrates TCM's ability to address complex, contradictory presentations with precise herbal combinations.
Ban Xia Xie Xin Tang treats digestive disorders caused by mixed cold and heat in the middle Jiao — epigastric fullness, nausea, gurgling intestines, diarrhoea, and poor appetite. It simultaneously clears upper heat and warms lower cold while restoring normal digestive Qi flow. It is commonly applied to chronic gastritis and functional dyspepsia.
Ban Xia Xie Xin Tang is remarkable for simultaneously containing both cold herbs (Huang Qin, Huang Lian) and hot herbs (Gan Jiang) — seemingly contradictory. This reflects TCM's recognition that the body can harbour both cold and heat simultaneously, requiring a formula that addresses both without one component cancelling the other.
Josephine Zhuo (TCM) is an AHPRA registered health practitioner — acupuncturist and herbalist.
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