Litsea

Profile

TCM Categories

• Release the Exterior & Warming
• Expel Wind-Damp-Cold Bi (wind damp cold)
• Invigorate Blood

Functions

• Strongly Tonifies Spleen and Kidney yang (lumbago)
• Expel wind-Damp Bi-Obstruction, especially in the lower back
• Release Wind-Cold with underlying deficiency
• Invigorate qi and blood in the lower abdomen and used in dysmenorrhea

Indications

• Deficient Spleen and Kidney Yang - loss of appetite, profuse sweat, cockcrow diarrhea, renal hypertension, undigestate (BL-20, BL-21, BL- 23, CV-6, GV-4, SP-3, KI-3)
• Wind-Cold with Qi Deficiency - severe chills, fever, sweat, muscle aches and pain, fatigue (LI-4, LU-7, LU-9, LU-1, BL-13, BL-12, ST-36)

Topical Applications

• 10 drops to 2 tablespoon of alcohol as a warming liniment for low back pain. Gua sha the low back to invigorate Ming men.
• Apply directly over herpes blisters to dry them up. Clears the damp heat of herpes and treats the yang deficiency that can make one prone to outbreaks; use between outbreaks and on active sores.

Specific Protocols

• Apply Litsea on LI-4 with Lavender or LR-3 directly for motion sickness. Sniff at LI-4.
• Apply a 6% dilution for Kidney & Bladder Divergent Channels.

Actions

• Analgesic
• Stomachic (promoting the appetite or assisting digestion)
• Anti-inflammatory

Contraindications & Cautions

Notes

• Strongly Tonifies Yang (KD/SP) (working with the yuan level)
• Affinity for KD/BL divergent channels
• An important divergent oil because of its capacity to tonify the SP and KD, and release wind and cold
• Analgesic for psychological pain
• For wind cold viruses
• Can reduce Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) in women
• For male yang deficiency impotence or low sperm count
• Helps to promote the SP/KD connection (KD 2, SP 8)
• For knee pain (SP 9)
• Use on back Shu points to bring the energy of the Zang fu out
• Use on jing well points to activate the organ associated with that jing well point
• Male & female infertility