Nutmeg
(rou dou kou)
Semen
Myristicae
Properties:
Acrid
in flavour, warm in nature, it is tropistic to the spleen,
stomach and large intestine channels. Being warm, dry and
astringent in nature, it functions in astringing
intestines to arrest diarrhea to treat prolonged diarrhea
of deficiency-cold syndrome. On the other hand, as an
acrid and warm agent, it can also function in warming the
middle-jiao to dispel cold and promoting Qi-flow to
relieve pain to treat Qi stagnancy due the accumulation of
pathogenic clod and gastric distending pain.
Effects:
Astringing intestines to arrest diarrhea; warming the
middle-jiao to promote circulation of Qi.
Indications:
1. For
deficiency-cold syndrome of the middle-jiao and protracted
diarrhea, it is often used with herbs for replenishing Qi,
warming the middle-jiao and astringing the intestine to
arrest diarrhea, such as Radix Ginseng, Rhizoma
Atractylodis Macrocephalae, Cortes Cinnamomi, Rhizoma
Zingiberis, Fructus Chebulae, etc. For diarrhea before
dawn because of deficiency of both spleen-yang and
kidney-yang, it is often used with Fructus Schisandrae,
Fructus Euodiae, Fructus Psoraleae, as in Pill of Four
Miraculous Herbs (Sishen Wan).
2. For Qi-stasis
due to cold with gastric distending pain, it is often used
with herbs for promoting Qi-flow andwarming the middle-jiao to elieve pain, such as Rhizoma
Cyperi,
Rhizoma Galangae, Radix Aucklandiae, etc.
Dosage and
Administration:
3-10g;
1.5-3g used in bolus or powder.
