Sarah's case, like many experiences of persistent brain fog, often pointed to a TCM pattern we call 'Phlegm Misting the Mind' (痰湿蒙窍). Now, before you picture phlegm like what you cough up, understand that in TCM, 'Phlegm' is a much broader concept.
Beyond acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine offers a profound depth of personalized treatment. As I mentioned, Sarah's pattern involved Spleen Qi deficiency and Phlegm, but also an underlying weakness in her Kidney system. In TCM, the Kidneys are considered the root of life, storing Essence (精, Jing) which produces marrow—and the brain is considered the 'Sea of Marrow.' This concept, 'Kidney governing marrow and brain' (肾生髓通脑), articulated in texts like the Su Wen, directly links Kidney health to cognitive function.
這一概念並非侷限於古代哲學。現代研究,例如李新寧等人於2023年探討的,調查瞭如何補益 Shen,使用 Bu Shen Fa (補 Shen 法) 等方法,可以治療認知障礙。他們系統地回顧了經典方劑的臨床證據,例如 You Gui Wan (右歸丸) 用於 Shen Yang deficiency,以及 Zuo Gui Wan (左歸丸) 用於 Shen Yin deficiency。
我的方法包括精心挑選的草藥,以增強 Sarah 的 Pi,化解 Tan,並滋養她的 Shen Essence。
郝志華和孟天威(2025)等研究人員甚至利用數據挖掘揭示了輕度認知障礙的核心中藥模式,識別出高頻藥材,例如 Shu Di Huang、Huang Qi (黃芪) 和 Shan Zhu Yu (山茱萸)。他們的分析指出 Shu Di Huang 和 Shan Zhu Yu 是核心組合,在82%的相關方劑中共同出現。這種傳統知識的巨大體量,如今正通過現代薈萃分析得到驗證,具有啟發性。
同樣地,《神農本草經》(Shennong Ben Cao Jing) 提到:“Long Gu (龍骨)……主驚癇,安五 zang organs,鎮精神,使人不恐。” 這些抗焦慮和鎮靜心神的特性,在腦霧伴隨焦慮或精神煩躁時(這種情況經常發生)直接適用。這些典籍不僅僅是歷史上的奇聞異事;它們是人類生理學的基本觀察,持續指引著我們。
Contributing Writer at Demisunshine. Maya has spent much of her adult life around the practice of integrative medicine and herbal traditions. Her writing reflects a long familiarity with how women's health, body constitution, and emotional wellbeing intersect — and her pieces tend to acknowledge that the messy parts of healing rarely fit a neat formula.