Five-Vine Honey Decoction，From *Proven Tea, Decoction, and Soup Recipes for Common Ailments*,Dispels wind, clears heat, transforms dampness, and unblocks the meridians. Suitable for rheumatoid arthritis of the wind-damp-heat pattern, characterized by swollen and painful joints that feel hot to the touch or are subjectively perceived as hot, stiffness in joint flexion and extension, no fever or only mild fever, a red tongue with a thick yellow coating, and a slippery, rapid pulse.
Five-Vine Honey Decoction
Herbal Tea Name: Five-Vine Honey Decoction
Chinese Name: 五藤蜜饮
Formula
30 grams of honeysuckle vine, 15 grams of sea-wind vine, 15 grams of rock-climbing vine, 15 grams of chicken-blood vine, 6 grams of thunder-god vine, and 50 grams of honey.Main Ingredients
How To Make
Wash the honeysuckle vine, sea-wind vine, rock-climbing vine, and chicken-blood vine thoroughly; sun-dry them, then cut into small pieces.Wash the Lei Gong Teng, remove the bark, sun-dry it, and chop it finely. Place it in a clay pot, add an appropriate amount of water, and simmer for 30 minutes. Then add the finely chopped Honeysuckle Vine, Sea Wind Vine, Loxia Vine, and Chicken Blood Vine, along with an appropriate amount of water, and simmer for another 30 minutes. Strain through clean cheesecloth to obtain approximately 200 milliliters of liquid. Add honey and mix well.
Efficacy
Dispels wind, clears heat, transforms dampness, and unblocks the meridians. Suitable for rheumatoid arthritis of the wind-damp-heat pattern, characterized by swollen and painful joints that feel hot to the touch or are subjectively perceived as hot, stiffness in joint flexion and extension, no fever or only mild fever, a red tongue with a thick yellow coating, and a slippery, rapid pulse.
Usage
Take 200 milliliters twice daily, while warm.
Commentary
Honeysuckle vine (Ren-dong-teng) acts as the chief herb. Sweet-cold in property, it travels through the Lung, Stomach, Large Intestine meridians, and works to clear heat and remove toxins, unblock the meridians. Sea-wind vine (Hai-feng-teng) takes the deputy (minister) role. Pungent, slightly bitter-warm in property, it enters the Liver meridians and works to dispel wind-damp and unblock the channels. Rock-climbing vine (Hai-feng-teng) complements it, working to dispel wind-damp and unblock the collaterals. Among the assistants, chicken-blood vine (Ji-xue-teng) (activate blood, nourish blood, regulate menstruation and relax the sinews) while thunder-god vine (Lei-gong-teng) (dispel wind-damp, resolve swelling and relieve pain). Finally, honey (Feng-mi) functions as the harmonizing (envoy) ingredient; its role is to moisten the lung and harmonize the formula and coordinate the herbs. Working as one, the formula dispel wind, clear heat, transforms dampness, unblock the meridians, thereby targeting the damp-heat and heat pattern that underlies the complaint.