The Empirical Formula Creation Process, Ⅱ
Let us look at a person with a short-term [hours to a couple days], acute cold such as a wind heat invasion. Some of the disharmonies may present as:
- Scratchy throat
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Slight sweating
- Red eyes
- Sneezing
- Achiness
- Dry, clogged sinuses
- Increased allergies
- Green or yellow phlegm [not always present]
- Feeling lousy
They may require the immediate use of a clearing and cooling type formula to drive out the pathogen from the surface.
This likened to an intruder who just made it to first level of defense, and can easily be driven back. This type of Chinese Herbal Formula is extremely effective at the beginning of an acute illness. It will mostly consist of clearing heat and toxins, and relieving cough Chinese Herbs.
Now let’s say the wind heat cold has gone deeper into the Lungs Organ System and with time [over about a week] has really worn down the person’s immune [Wei Chi].
Is it appropriate to consider adding immune enhancing Chinese Herbs to the original drive out the pathogen formula?
Does this person already have a chronic low immune level allowing the pathogen to easily break through their defenses or has the pathogen created a low immune situation?
These are important somewhat complex questions to consider when creating a hybrid-type Chinese Herbal Formula, and with this lies the beauty, brilliance and elegance of Chinese Herbal Medicine.
Continuing a bit further on this same case…what if this heat/cold has turned into a severe level of infection and has dried the vital, internal fluids to critically low levels? Again, an augmentation of the formula or possibly a combination of different formulas may be appropriate. This knowledge is not meant to confuse you, but to reinforce the vast possibilities and changes that can occur on many levels.