Extinguish wind and stop Tremors (xi feng, zhi jing)

Herbs that extinguish wind and stop Tremors (xi feng, zhi jing) subdue the internal stirring of wind, a pattern characterised by spontaneous movement, especially in the head, face and eyes, and includes headache, dizziness, blurred vision, tinnitus, anxiety, muscle twitches and, in extreme cases, paralysis, hemiplegia, aphasia and convulsions or seizures. It can be caused by deficiency of blood or Liver and Kidney yin, or from excess conditions of ascendant yang or extreme heat.

Many medicinals in this category are animal parts and minerals, but some herbs, such as tian ma (gastrodia, Gastrodia elata), gou teng (cat’s claw vine, Uncaria rhynchophylla) and ji li (puncture vine, Tribulus terrestris), are also frequently used.