I. Medicines for Internal Wind
Anti-hypertensives, Antispasmodics, Anti-convulsives
Wind disease is essentially an erratic condition of Qi, manifesting as various diseases of the Nervous system. Wind is basically Qi that is disordered, or not regulated. This causes either a loss of sense, or irregularity of proper function.
Wind symptoms may include Headache, Migraine; Dizziness, Vertigo; Spasms, Tics, Tremors and Convulsions; Itchiness, blurred Vision, Tinnitus; Irritability, Nervousness; Paralysis, Hemiplegia, Paraplegia, Facial Paralysis, Stroke; and Hypertension.
Wind is either internal or external, Excess or Deficient:
1. External Wind is generally an acute disorder, such as the start of a cold or flu, when there is aching in the muscles, fever, sweating, moving pain and headache, and is perceived as the movement of an external pathogen into the surface of the body. This is treated by diaphoretics to promote sweating and thereby clear the surface of the body. It usually manifests as either hot, cold, moist or dry-type External Wind.
2. Internal Wind can be either an excess or deficient condition.
i. Excess Wind is due to an imbalance within the nervous system leading to hypertension, vascular spasms, or other neurovascular phenomena responsible for Headache, Dizziness, Vertigo, Tinnitus and various other conditions of the Head.
ii. Deficient Wind is caused by a dryness of the body which disturbs the Nerves and causes similar types of conditions. The nerves by nature are fatty and require an oiliness. Therefore, when the body becomes too dry (old age) there is Wind caused by deficiency of Yin. This is related to some cases of Parkinsonism and Multiple Sclerosis.
Wind normally comes with another pathogen, typically Heat, Phlegm or Damp.
In the West, Wind disorders were also described as coming from Phlegm and Damp obstructing the channels; this is called Wind-Phlegm in TCM. Similarly, some Wind formulas of the West are coling in nature, appropriated to Wind-Heat. Likewise various formulas for Internal Wind diseases in the West used tonic medicines like Asparagus root, Peony and Mistletoe, indicating Wind of a Deficient nature.
Other medicines used for Wind include:
1. Eastern Medicine: Delphinium denudatum
2. Aromatics: Asafetida, Gum Ammoniac, Sarcocolla gum, Camphor, Costus, Indian Spikenard, Juniper berry, Rue oil, Mint oil
3. Animal: Castoreum, Musk
4. Narcotics: Datura leaf, Belladonna root, Cannabis, Opium
Chinese Classification