Wine

Benefits & Efficacy

Benefits

Promotes blood circulation and facilitates the action of medicinal substances.

Indications

Used for pain caused by wind-cold bi syndrome, spasms of tendons and vessels, chest bi, chest pain, and cold pain in the epigastrium and abdomen.

Usage and Dosage

Internal use: Take an appropriate amount and drink it warm; or decoct it with other herbs; or use it to soak other herbs. External use: Take an appropriate amount and use it alone or make it into a wine preparation for topical application; or apply as a wet compress; or use it for gargling.

Precautions

Contraindicated in cases of yin deficiency, blood loss, or severe damp-heat. *Qianjin: Dietary Therapy*: “The Yellow Emperor said, ‘Those who drink alcohol after a sudden bout of diarrhea will develop latent heat above the diaphragm; eating raw vegetables and drinking alcohol, followed by moxibustion on the abdomen, causes intestinal obstruction.’ Bian Que said, ‘Long-term alcohol consumption corrodes the intestines and rots the stomach, erodes the marrow and scorches the tendons, injures the spirit, and shortens life; sleeping drunk in the wind while fanning oneself leads to evil wind;if one bathes in cold water while intoxicated, it leads to pain and numbness.” “Drinking large amounts of water or alcohol immediately after a heavy meal leads to abdominal distension and obstruction.” Sun Simiao: “Drinking alcohol on an empty stomach until intoxicated will inevitably cause vomiting and retching.” (Quoted from *Classified Materia Medica*) *Supplement to the Materia Medica*: “All rice wines are toxic.” “They must not be consumed with milk, as this causes qi stagnation.” “All types of wine should be avoided with sweet foods.” *Compendium of Materia Medica*: “Eating mustard or spicy foods after drinking wine weakens the tendons and bones. Drinking tea after wine damages the kidneys, causing heaviness and a sinking sensation in the lower back and legs, cold pain in the bladder, and concomitant conditions such as phlegm-retention edema, diabetes, and cramping pain. Any toxic substances ingested with wine are difficult to treat.” “Heavy drinking injures the spirit, depletes blood, damages the stomach, and depletes essence. It generates phlegm and stirs up internal heat.”

Pharmacological Actions

1. Inhibits central nervous system excitation 2. Dilates blood vessels 3. Stimulates gastric juice secretion and increases stomach acid 4. Long-term alcohol consumption causes liver damage 5. In small doses, it reduces fatigue and increases muscle performance; in large doses, it inhibits the central nervous system and reduces performance

Relevant Discussions

Regarding the nature of alcohol as hot, capable of unblocking meridians and facilitating the action of medicines: ① Tao Hongjing: “When extreme cold freezes the sea, only alcohol remains unfrozen, demonstrating its hot nature, which surpasses all other substances; thus, many herbalists rely on it to facilitate the action of medicines.” (*Collected Notes on the Classic of Materia Medica*) ② Wang Haogu: “Alcohol can traverse all meridians without ceasing, much like aconite. Pungent flavors disperse, bitter flavors descend, and sweet flavors act moderately and gently.As a guide, it can circulate throughout the body’s exterior, reaching the highest regions.” (*Tangye Bencao*) ③ Huang Gongxiu: “There are many varieties of wine, yet they are all brewed from the essence of water and grain and the liquid of fermented grain. Therefore, their flavors range from sweet to pungent, bitter to bland, but their nature is predominantly hot.” (*Ben Cao Qiu Zhen*) ④ Wang Shixiong: “Distilled liquor has a fiery and intense nature; it ignites upon contact with fire. It dispels cold stagnation, wards off wind and cold, repels pathogenic factors of yin and dampness, and neutralizes the fishy odor.” (*Sui Xi Ju Dietary Spectrum*)

Regarding the toxicity of liquor, it should not be consumed in excess or over a prolonged period. ① Zhang Zhan: “Liquor can benefit a person, but it can also harm a person.” “If consumed in large quantities over a long period or without moderation, it weakens the body’s vital energy and clouds the mind. One should exercise caution and not exceed moderation.” (Essentials of Health Preservation). ② Tao Hongjing: “When people drink it, it causes physical exhaustion and mental confusion; this is because it is toxic.” (*Collected Annotations to the Classic of Materia Medica*) ③ Zhu Danxi: “The *Materia Medica* merely states that it is hot and toxic, but does not mention its damp-heat nature. Dampness giving rise to heat is akin to ‘ministerial fire’; this is evident in the chills and tremors that follow severe intoxication. It also states that the nature of wine is to rise, and the qi will inevitably follow; phlegm becomes stagnant in the upper burner, urination becomes difficult in the lower burner, the lungs are invaded by pathogenic factors, and the Metal element becomes severely dried out.If one indulges in cold and cooling substances, the heat becomes internally stagnant; when lung qi is exposed to this heat, it will inevitably suffer severe depletion. Initially, the condition is mild—manifesting as vomiting, spontaneous sweating, skin sores or scabies, nasal discharge, spontaneous diarrhea, or pain in the heart and spleen—and can still be resolved through dispersion.Over time, the condition deepens, potentially manifesting as diabetes insipidus, internal abscesses, pulmonary atrophy, internal hemorrhoids, abdominal distension, blindness, asthma, chronic cough, epilepsy, or diseases of unknown origin. Unless treated by a skilled practitioner, it is not easily managed—how can one not be cautious?” (Ben Cao Fa Hui)④ Li Shizhen: “Wine made from malted flour, when consumed in moderation, harmonizes the blood, promotes the flow of qi, invigorates the spirit, wards off the cold, dispels sorrow, and lifts the spirits. When consumed to excess, however, it injures the spirit, depletes the blood, damages the stomach, exhausts vital essence, generates phlegm, and stirs up internal heat. As for those who indulge without restraint and make drunkenness a habit, the consequences range from illness and moral decay to, in the worst cases, the ruin of their country, the destruction of their family, and the loss of their very lives—the harm is beyond description.” (Compendium of Materia Medica)

*The Supplementary Record*: “Taste: bitter, sweet, and pungent; nature: extremely hot; properties: toxic.”

*Dietary Therapy Materia Medica*: “Bitter.”

*The Original Source of the Classic of Materia Medica*: “Fresh rice wine is toxic; aged rice wine is non-toxic.”

*Commentary on the Classic of Materia Medica*: “Enters the Hand Shaoyang Sanjiao Meridian, the Foot Yangming Stomach Meridian, and the Hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian.”

*Seeking the Truth in Materia Medica*: “Specifically enters the spleen, stomach, and exterior.”

*Essentials of Materia Medica*: “Enters the Hand and Foot Taiyin, Yangming, and Jueyin meridians.”

*Supplementary Records*: “Promotes the efficacy of other herbs; eliminates all pathogenic and toxic influences.” Sun Simiao: “Stops vomiting and retching; alleviates wind-induced spasms and pain in the lower back and knees.” (Quoted from *Compendium of Materia Medica*)

*Dietary Therapy Materia Medica*: Treats “sudden onset of illness and abdominal distension.” “It unblocks the meridians, nourishes the spleen qi, and supports the liver.”

*Dietary Therapy Materia Medica*: “Purple wine (roast one sheng of chicken droppings until charred, then add to wine and wait until it turns purple) treats tetany; ginger wine treats hemiplegia and sudden illness; mulberry wine tonifies the five viscera and sharpens hearing and vision; scallion and fermented soybean wine relieves restlessness and heat, and tonifies deficiency-related debility; honey wine treats hives;wines made with rehmannia, achyranthes, tiger bone, epimedium, akebia, soybeans, burdock, and goji berries are also excellent; wine brewed with dog meat broth is highly nourishing.”

*Supplement to the Materia Medica*: “It unblocks the blood vessels, strengthens the stomach and intestines, moisturizes the skin, and dispels ‘dampness’ (as recorded in *Compendium of Materia Medica*). It alleviates anxiety and anger, and promotes clear speech and a sense of ease.”

*Rihua Zi*: “It dispels wind and regulates qi.” “Wine made from the lees warms the body, stimulates the appetite, warms the water organs, warms the stomach and intestines, digests undigested food, wards off wind and cold, and neutralizes the toxicity of all vegetables.”

*Yin Shan Zheng Yao*: “Alaji wine is primarily used to eliminate cold, hard accumulations and dispel cold qi.”

*Ben Cao Gang Mu*: “Rice wine neutralizes the toxicity of horse meat and tung oil; drinking it hot is particularly effective.” “Aged wine harmonizes the blood, nourishes qi, warms the stomach, and wards off cold.” “Distilled liquor dispels cold accumulations and cold qi, dries damp phlegm, relieves stagnation, and stops diarrhea. It treats cholera, malaria, dysphagia, cold pain in the chest and abdomen, and life-threatening yin toxicity. It kills parasites, wards off miasma, promotes urination, and firms the stools; it also washes away redness, swelling, and pain in the eyes.”

*Compendium of Medical Essentials: Properties of Medicinal Herbs*: “Dispels water retention, harmonizes the blood, regulates qi, strengthens the kidneys and promotes yang, and induces sweating.”

*The Compendium of Medicinal Pairings*: “Combined with the juice of raw rehmannia root, it treats postpartum blood stasis.”