The Chinese Medicine view of your internal body describes both hollow and solid organs –the zang-fu system. Many times only the solid-yin organ is referred to while describing Chinese Medicine patterns, but both need to be considered at all times. Your Liver is a solid-yin organ and it is coupled with your Gallbladder [a hollow organ] in a yin-yang type relationship based on Chinese Medicine knowledge. A yin organ creates, while yang organs hold substances and then moves or releases them. All organ system functions can be viewed by their associated reactive patterns. For instance, sharp, abdominal pain after eating greasy, rich or deep-fried foods and even emotional changes such as depression are based on specific food intake, especially the ones listed here.
Your Gallbladder [GB] is located on the right side of your body, under your liver, under your right rib-cage. It is shaped like a very small pear with two ducts, one that receives bile entering from your liver and one leading out to your small intestines. The Gallbladder, and its duct, can become clogged when stones are produced. Some say that though it is a hollow organ, it sends bile produced from your liver into your digestive tract when needed, making it an extra-ordinary organ system. Bile is a substance that helps to break down fats/lipids in your body. In reference to acupuncture therapy, your Gallbladder meridian starts at your small toe and travels along the out side of your leg, up your inner hip, your lateral back, atop your shoulder [where goose eggs can grow with tension!], up your occipital bone and many points on the side of your head [more tension and migraine-type headaches areas] and finally ends at your lateral, corner eye.
The Gallbladder Organ System can be attributed to many disharmonies such as:
- Dull costal pain and fullness,
- Headaches,
- Dizziness,
- Vertigo,
- A bitter taste in mouth,
- Red eyes,
- Earaches and fluid accumulation,
- Jaundice,
- Pruritus [hives],
- Fatigue,
- Malaise,
- Lack of vitality,
- Abdominal distention,
- Poor appetite,
- Poor memory health and daily mentation,
- Heartburn,
- Acid regurgitation,
- Nausea,
- Constipation,
- Diarrhea,
- Difficult or burning urination,
- Genital swelling, smell or itching,
- Leucorrhea [genital fluid leakage],
- Kidney or Gallbladder Stones and
- Foamy, smelly, burning urine
An often referred to pattern in Chinese Medicine named Damp Heat, can be directly connected to the above list and the Gallbladder Organ System.
How Chinese Medicine Can Promote Gallbladder Health
There’s no doubt that some of you are experiencing one or more of these disharmonies. Millions of people go to their doctors every year because of many of these complaints. Your Gallbladder Organ System may be overlooked. The difference here is that Chinese Medicine has a much, much different view of the interrelations of your internal organs and chronic or acute medical problems. To be frank, Chinese Medicine is light years ahead with its broad/holistic view of medical problems. We are just skimming the surface here with how much a regulated, or really unregulated, Gallbladder Organ System can affect so many other internal functions with fluid metabolism being one of them. What is important here is that once a pattern has been discerned, appropriate herbal formulas, change of diet and life-style will follow, causing proper balance and internal change leading to a healthy life.
Needless to say, a healthy and properly regulating Gallbladder Organ System is of the utmost importance. Many people in the past have had there Gallbladder removed when an ‘attack’ was unbearable. We at Heaven and Earth Chinese Medicine Center cannot stress the importance of preventive, internal organ health on a regular basis.
Chinese Medicine Formulas That Promote Gallbladder Organ System Health
Let’s look at some Chinese Herbal Formulas directly effectual to the health of your Gallbladder Organ System:
Ji Gu Cao Wan (Abri Tea Extract)
Ji Gu Cao Wan (Abri Tea Extract) clears heat and damp-heat of your Gallbladder and Liver Organ Systems and nourishes and invigorates Liver blood. It is also useful for dispelling Liver heat due to stagnation. With this in mind, the development of stones created in your Kidneys, Gallbladder and Urinary Bladder can be attributed to a condition or pattern of Wet or Damp Heat.
Our Ji Gu Cao Wan formula has been devised to change the environment within your body by clearing the heat, resolving dampness, resolving toxins, moving the stone(s) and stopping pain. One of this formula’s main functions is to assist with sudden or ongoing problems associated with your Gallbladder or Liver channels including hepatitis. Ji Gu Cao Wan can be taken up to two, continuous months for a chronic pattern. It can also be taken anytime as a preventative formula for Liver and Gallbladder health.
The Snake & Dragon Teapills (Long Dan Xie Gan Wan)
The Snake & The Dragon Teapills (Long Dan Xie Gan Wan) is a famous and powerful formula for clearing Fire [Heat, a Yang aspect] and is indicated for draining the fire [excess heat] out of your body. Liver Fire, Heart Fire and Damp Heat [related to the Gallbladder Channel] are all common terms used in Chinese Herbal Medicine to describe a serious condition in which the element heat [a Yang aspect] has risen to a level that can cause disease in many different manifestations.
The goal with the The Snake and Dragon Teapills is to two fold: to release, drive or clear Fire [Heat] out of your body and replenish the damaged Blood and Yin [a cooling aspect] with such herbs as Dang Gui (Angelica) and Sheng Di Huang (Rehmannia). The Snake and Dragon Teapills works by clearing damp-heat from the Liver and Gallbladder Organ Systems, clearing damp-heat from the lower area of your body including the bladder and large colon and cooling fire from your Liver Organ System.
Many, many disharmonies may occur with Liver, Gallbladder and Heart Fire patterns such as:
- Redness in the face,
- Bleeding gums,
- Dark/odorous urine,
- Insomnia,
- Bad breath,
- Dizziness,
- Constipation,
- Urinary tract infection or vaginal infections,
- Yeast infections,
- Burning urination,
- Chronic fever or clammy skin,
- Ear/nose/throat infections,
- Blood in the urine or stools,
- Inability to concentrate,
- Red eyes,
- Hot flashes or sweat under stress,
- Excessive sweating with exercise,
- Increased thirst,
- Ringing of the ears,
- Lower back pain,
- A restless behavior,
- Costal distention or pain,
- Headache, particularly severe headaches on the sides of the head, top of the head, or behind the eyes,
- Dizziness,
- Red complexion,
- Irritability,
- Easily angered,
- Bitter taste in the mouth,
- Red, swollen and painful eyes,
- Ear pain and swelling,
- Loud tinnitus, hearing loss or sudden deafness,
- Dark, scanty, difficult or painful urination,
- Constipation,
- Genital swelling, sweating, itching and pain, and
- Foul smelling discharge from the genitals.
Like the Ji Gu Cao Wan capsules, The Snake and The Dragon Teapills can be taken up to two, continuous months for a chronic pattern. It can also be taken anytime as a preventative formula for Liver and Gallbladder health.
Free & Easy Wanderer Plus (Jia Wei Xiao Yao Wan/San)
Our Free and Easy Wanderer Plus (Jia Wei Xia Yao Wan/San) Teapill is a Liver and Spleen Organ System Harmonizing Formula. This is a very popular formula by anyone who has seen a Chinese Herbalist, becoming quite well known here in the west. We list it here due to its effect on your Gallbladder Organ System. It is an excellent and proven formula that works well to regulate and unblock Liver Qi Stagnation clearing Heat and toxins [including the Gallbladder Channel], regulates the Spleen Organ System, nourishes the Blood and helps to harmonize the overall interaction of your internal organ systems. The Free and Easy Wanderer Plus Teapills differs from the original Free and Easy Wanderer Teapills formula by the addition of more cooling and blood stagnation clearing herbs such as Zhi Zi [Gardenia Jasminoides Fruit] and Mu Dan Pi [Paeonia Suffruticosa Root-Bark]. These additional herbs help to calm the spirit, clear wet heat and break up blood stagnation for better circulation. These are effectual herbs to help regulate all three burners [important for proper fluid metabolism] including regulation of your Gallbladder Channel.
With this in mind, there are many Traditional Chinese Medicinal patterns that can be related back to the Liver Organ System and Spleen Organ Systems being out of harmony, and in return, creating both sudden and ongoing disharmonies. This amazing formula can help remedy these disharmonies by promoting a healthy and relaxed interaction between the Liver, Gallbladder and Spleen Organ Systems.
Free and Easy Wanderer Plus Teapills have been helping people in China for decades as a natural and safe remedy to relieve:
- The emotional state of anger,
- Relieve nausea,
- Calm the spirit [Shen],
- Stop sweating caused by excess heat,
- Help regulate a normal menstrual cycle flow in woman,
- Promote a healthy immune system,
- Relieve headaches,
- Relieve associated PMS problems,
- Regulate digestion and appetite,
- Relieve circulation problems [cold hands and feet],
- Clear and open the eyes,
- Relieve neck and back tension,
- Relieve sharp back and rib pain [from Blood/Liver stagnation] and
- Give an overall sense of welling being.
Harmonize Liver and Spleen Formula
We also offer our Liver and Spleen harmonizing formula based the Free and Easy Wanderer (Xiao Yao Wan) traditional recipe: Harmonzie Liver and Spleen Formula. It includes all of the above mentioned Chinese Herbs with added herbs such as Red Peony to assist in cooling, clearing and breaking up blood stagnation, along with Da Zao (jujube date) to aid in digestion and Dang Shen (Codonopsis root) as an energy tonic. This is a raw formula that must be cooked down and stored in your refrigerator to drink daily.
We have listed some formulas that can directly assist with your Gallbladder Organ System, but we must always note that diet, specific exercise appropriate to your situation and patterns, and…treating your specific Chinese Medicines patterns with our Chinese Herbal Formulas can only help to regulate and harmonize your digestion, internal organs, blood, Qi and fluid metabolism.
Your state of health has never been more important in this day and age…right now!! Being in an optimum state of health with a strong immune system is worth its weight in gold. Stay strong at work, with your family and for yourself so that you may enjoy and endure life. We at Heaven and Earth Chinese Medicine Healing Center have a passion for your health and believe that the amazing benefits of Chinese Herbal Formulas can make a world of difference in your life!
