Gastrodia 9, 100 tablets

Gastrodia 9 is based on traditional and modern formulas used for the treatment of spasm and pain. Examples are the traditional formula Aquilaria and Gastrodia Combination (Chenxiang Tianma Tang), applied to treatment of epilepsy, convulsion, paralysis, and trigeminal neuralgia; the patent formula Qianfeng Wan, given for pain and soreness of joints and muscles; and the modern clinical formula Yuzhen San, used for tonic paralysis and chronic spasms. Yuzhen San (Contraction-Relieving Powder), the closest match to Gastrodia 9, is made with arisaema, siler, angelica, gastrodia, chiang-huo, and typhonium. Silkworm is added to help resolve wind-phlegm; with cicada, it reduces spasms. In general, the contractile disorders are usually painful; initial therapy may incorporate formulas for alleviating upper body pain such as Angelica 14, Cnidium 9, or Upper Palace Tablets. Contributors to the syndrome may include internal deficiencies such as deficiency of qi and blood that allows wind invasion, or deficiency of yin and blood that induces stirring of internal wind. Some excess factors play a role, such as accumulation of dampness and phlegm due to dietary excesses and/or as a result of weak digestion (Bamboo 11 may be added if phlegm accumulation is notable). External factors are mainly cold-damp wind, though traumatic injury or surgery can also cause blockage and, in combination with the other internal factors, yield the symptoms. Nourishing the blood and improving the function of stomach/spleen (by adding a second formula) may be important to attain lasting results, since wind syndromes occur primarily when the vessels are deficient in qi and blood.