Liu Jies Chinas Eight Gua and Medicine, Matching the Eight Gua with Medicinal

Formulas p329-343. Liu does not give a source or explain in any more detail.
The Gua and Herbal Formulas
category

formula

guizhi tang

Zhen formulas
to dissipate the
exterior:
Zhen formulas
are chiefly for
exterior patterns,
so their herbs
are often acrid,
sweet, and
effusing. They
are light, clear,
upbearing, and
floating. You
often see the
type of plant
matter consisting
of branches,
barks, and peels
that are hollow or
empty inside.

Lorraine Wilcox L.Ac.

condition

exterior
vacuity

exterior
repletion

gua

lower
gua

upper
gua

27
yi2

zhen

gen

17
sui2

zhen

dui

exterior
da qinglong tang
above

25

wu2
wang4

zhen

qian

mahuang fuzi
xixin tang

exterior
below

16

yu4

kun

zhen

gegen tang

exterior cold

zhen

kan

yinqiao san

exterior heat

zhen

li

xiao chaihu tang

exterior
interior

zhen

xun

zaizao san

exterior yang

zhen

qian

jiajian weirui
tang

exterior yin

tun2
21

shi4 ke4
42

yi4
25

wu2
wang4
24

fu4

zhen

kun

mahuang tang

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The Gua and Herbal Formulas

category

Xun formulas to
attack or order
the interior:
Xun formulas are
chiefly for interior
patterns. Its herbs
are often sour,
bitter, ejecting,
and discharging.
They are heavy,
turbid, sinking,
and downbearing.
You often see
herbs of a type
with a dry heart and
full interior.

Lorraine Wilcox L.Ac.

formula

xiao jian zhong

tang

da chengqi
tang

guadi san

mi jian dao fa

condition

interior
vacuity

interior
repletion

interior
upper

interior
below

lizhong wan

interior cold

huanglian
jiedu tang

interior heat

da chaihu tang

interior
exterior

yougui wan

interior yang

zuogui wan

interior yin

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gua
18

gu3
28

da4guo4
44

gou4
46

sheng1
48

jing3
50

ding3
42

yi4
44

gou4
46

sheng1

lower
gua

upper
gua

xun

gen

xun

dui

xun

qian

xun

kun

xun

kan

xun

li

zhen

xun

xun

qian

xun

kun

The Gua and Herbal Formulas

category

formula

si junzi tang

Kan formulas
to dispel cold:
Kan formulas
are chiefly for
cold patterns.
Its herbs are
often acrid, sweet,
warm, or hot.
Their nature is
upbearing and
floating. They
are often produced
in the seasons of winter
and spring.

Lorraine Wilcox L.Ac.

dahuang fuzi
tang

jiuwei qianghuo
tang

sini tang

condition

cold
vacuity

cold
repletion

cold
exterior

cold
interior

xuanfu
daizheshi tang

cold above

heixi dan

cold below

erwei chenfu
tang

cold heat

fuzi tang

cold yin

sanjian tang

cold yang

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gua
39

jian3
48

jing3
40

jie3
4

meng2
5

xu1
7

shi1
64

wei4
ji4
7

shi1
6

song4

lower
gua

upper
gua

gen

kan

xun

kan

kan

zhen

kan

gen

qian

kan

kan

kun

kan

li

kan

kun

kan

qian

The Gua and Herbal Formulas

category

formula

baihu tang

Li formulas to
clear heat:
Li formulas are
chiefly to clear
heat, so its herbs
are often sour,
bitter, cold, or
cool. Their nature
is to sink and
downbear. They
are often produced
in the summer and
autumn.

sanyi chengqi
tang

huanglian ejiao
tang

qingshang xiehuo
tang

baitouweng tang

tiaowei chengqi
tang

qingwen baidu
yin

qinjiao biejia san

huanglian tang

Lorraine Wilcox L.Ac.

condition

gua

55

hot exterior
feng1
37

hot interior
jia1 ren2
22

hot vacuity
bi4
13

hot above
tong2
ren2
36

hot below
ming2
yi2
49

hot
repletion
ge2
13

hot yang
tong2
ren2
36

hot yin
ming2
yi2
63

hot and
cold
ji4 ji4

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lower
gua

upper
gua

li

zhen

li

xun

li

gen

li

qian

li

kun

li

dui

li

qian

li

kun

li

kan

The Gua and Herbal Formulas

category

formula

yu pingfeng
san

Gen formulas to
supplement vacuity:
Gen formulas are
chiefly to supplement
vacuity, so its herbs
are often sweet, warm,
enriching, and
supplementing.
Their nature is to
upbear and rise up.
They supplement qi
and boost the blood.

shiquan dabu
wan

shen ling
baizhu san

buzhong yiqi
tang

huangqi
jianzhong
tang

huangqi biejia
san

shenfu tang

shengmai san

dahuang
zhechong
wan

Lorraine Wilcox L.Ac.

condition

vacuity exterior

vacuity interior

vacuity above

vacuity below

gua
62

xiao3
guo4
53

jian4
33

dun4
46

sheng1

lower
gua

upper
gua

gen

zhen

gen

xun

gen

qian

xun

kun

vacuity cold

39

jian3

gen

kan

vacuity heat

56

lu3

gen

li

33

dun4

gen

qian

15

qian1

gen

kun

31

xian2

gen

dui

vacuity yang
(collapse of
yang)

vacuity yin
(collapse of yin)

vacuity and
repletion

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The Gua and Herbal Formulas

category

Dui formulas to
eliminate repletion:
Dui formulas are
chiefly to eliminate
repletion, so its
herbs are often
effusing, scattering,
attacking, and
precipitating. Their
nature is to go
outward and expel
evil qi.

formula

renshen baidu
san

repletion
exterior

naosha wan

repletion
interior

chuanxiong
chatiao san

taoren chengqi
tang

sanwu beiji
wan

xiao chengqi
tang

angong
niuhuang wan

suhexiang wan

huanglong tang

Lorraine Wilcox L.Ac.

condition

repletion
above

repletion
below

repletion
cold

repletion
heat

repletion
yang

repletion
yin

repletion
vacuity

zhenjiu@gmail.com

gua
17

sui2
61

zhong1
fu2
10

lu3
19

lin2
47

kun4
38

kui2
10

lu3
19

lin2
41

sun3

lower
gua

upper
gua

zhen

dui

dui

xun

dui

qian

dui

kun

kan

dui

dui

li

dui

qian

dui

kun

dui

gen

The Gua and Herbal Formulas

category

Qian formulas to
strengthen yang:
Qian formulas are
to strengthen yang,
so its herbs are
often acrid, sweet,
effusing, and
scattering.
They have a bland
flavor and percolate
and discharge. They
are light, clear,
upbearing, and
floating.

Lorraine Wilcox L.Ac.

formula

condition

shenfu longgu
muli tang

yang
exterior

fuzi lizhong wan

yang
interior

zhengan xifeng
tang

yang above

siyang jijiu tang

yang below

jingui shenqi wan

wenpi tang

shenfu longgu
muli jiuni tang

yang
vacuity

yang
repletion

yang heat

siyang jiuji tang

yang cold

erxian tang

yang yin

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gua
34

da4
zhuang4
9

xiao3
chu4
1

qian2
11

tai4
26

da4 chu4
43

guai4
14

da4 you3
9

xiao3
chu4
11

tai4

lower
gua

upper
gua

qian

zhen

qian

xun

qian

qian

qian

kun

qian

gen

qian

dui

qian

li

qian

xun

qian

kun

The Gua and Herbal Formulas

category

Kun formulas to
enrich yin:
Kun formulas chiefly
enrich yin, so their
herbs are often sour,
bitter, expelling and
discharging, or salty,
enriching, and
supplementing. They
are heavy, turbid,
sinking, and
downbearing.

Lorraine Wilcox L.Ac.

formula

condition

gua

zizao yangrong
tang

yin exterior

da buyin wan

yin interior

16

yu4
20

guan1
11

tai4
2

kun1
23

bo1
45

cui4
8

bi3
35

jin4
12

pi3

shashen maidong
tang

liuwei dihuang
wan

yin above

yin below

buyin yiqi jian

yin vacuity

liyin jian

yin
repletion

fuyang dan

yin cold

yunu jian

yin heat

wuzi yanzong
wan

yin yang

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lower
gua

upper
gua

kun

zhen

kun

xun

qian

kun

kun

kun

kun

gen

kun

dui

kun

kan

kun

li

kun

qian

Note:
The above eight herbal treatment methods according to the eight gua and 64 formulas
according to the 64 gua as given by Liu Jie in a book called Chinas Eight Gua and
Medicine (zhongguo bagua yixue) p329-343.
I myself am not endorsing Lius system. I feel it is too mechanical. If you look at the
history of Yijing and medicine you find various stages:
1. The ancient classics, such as the neijing, nanjing, shanghanlun, jingui yaolue, etc. did
not make reference to the Yijing, although the principles of change theory were found in
these medical texts. There are only a couple of exceptions: One or two phrases are found
in both the suwen and the xici zhuan. Also, kun is used once in suwen chapter 66, but
that chapter is one of the dalun added by Wang Bing in the Tang dynasty (although it was
a much older document).
2. Then there was a phase when doctors mentioned that Yijing was important to study,
but they still did not specifically discuss it as a part of the medicine. For instance,
Huangfu Mi (Jin dynasty, 3rd century) quotes from xici zhuan in his preface to the jiayi
jing, but doesnt specifically use it in the text of the book. Sun Simiao (Tang, 7th century)
said you need to study a whole long list of books including the Yijing in order to be a
good doctor. Contrary to popular belief, he did not single it out as one special book to
study. Throughout qinjin fang and qianjin yifang, Sun generally did not use Yijing
terminology.
3. A period of time when Yijing terminology was frequently used by doctors as part of
their medical discussions. It was used in a natural way, as if it needed no explanation, and
no explanation was given. For example, doctors would compare the spleen to kun earth,
or discribe the disharmony between the heart and kidneys as gua 64 weiji. They would
compare the kidneys to kan gua with mingmen life gate as the yang line in the middle.
Virtually all the doctors during this time wrote in this manner, including all of the four
great masters of the jin-yuan period (Liu Wansu, Li Dongyuan, Zhang Zihe, and Zhu
Danxi). This trend continued into the ming (1368-1644) and qing (1644-1911) dynasty
with doctors like Zhang Jiebin, Zhao Xianke, Ye Tianshi, etc.
4. However, things seemed to change during the ming dynasty. At this point, doctors
started writing essays about the relationship between Yijing and medicine as if they had
to justify it. It seems like some doctors must have denied that there is a connection.
Otherwise, there would be no need to write essays to justify it. In fact Zhang Jiebin says
in his essay that he used to be skeptical that there was a relationship between the two but
he saw how important it was as he grew older. Sun Yikui is another doctor who wrote
this type of essay. There were also others.
In addition, these same doctors wrote essays on the topic of whether medicine was a
minor dao or a great dao. In other words, are doctors just technicians with skills or
was medicine something larger? If you see heaven and earth as the big taiji and the

Lorraine Wilcox L.Ac.

zhenjiu@gmail.com

human body as the small taiji, than understanding the small taiji can be the key to
understanding the universe.
My conclusions from this type of writing is that traditional doctors felt under attack and
become self-conscious about their practice, so they needed to write essays to explain
things that were previously taken for granted.
5. In the Qing dynasty and on into the present, many doctors tried to integrate Western
and Chinese medicine, and wipe it clean from superstition. These doctors eliminated
talk about the Yijing and dao from their practice. Some doctors who still thought it was
important, tried to adapt the medicine to Western-style thought, but these doctors often
tried to make Yijing concepts very firm and solid (which is quite contrary to the
flexibility of change theory). One example of this is Shao Tongzhen, who firmly and
inflexibly assigned the organs to the eight gua.
I also think this type of thought includes fixing the eight gua as eight treatment methods
and choosing a formula for each of the 64 gua, as in the above document by Liu Jie, a
modern doctor.
Change theory is a part of medicine, but it should be a flexible framework that is the
foundation of all of the medicine. To try to make every trigram or hexagram rigidly
associated with one thing is to lose the concepts of flexibility, change, image, etc that are
essential to the change theory.
This is similar to inflexible and mechanical use of the five elements, making their
relationships rigid rules. In fact many of the pre-Han writers (for example Lushi Chunqiu)
about the five elements saw the five elements this way. But this is the opposite of where
we should go with the changes (in my not-so-humble opinion).
I am always interested to see where people take the Yi, so Liu Jies work interests me.
But I think it is hollow and has lost the spirit of the changes.
Anyway, Jack (who asked about a source for herbal treatment methods and the 64 gua), I
dont think the correspondences in this document are identical to the ones mentioned in
your book. But based on the above discussion of how change theory has been used in
medicine historically, I think whatever source your book used for its herbal method
correspondences, it is no earlier than Qing, and probably quite recent.
Lorraine
P.S. This was written quickly, so I hope there are not too many mistakes in it.

Lorraine Wilcox L.Ac.

zhenjiu@gmail.com

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