Submitted By: vegapunk
Or will it be too much for your system and it's better to take just one long term?
Submitted By: vegapunk
Or will it be too much for your system and it's better to take just one long term?
Comment by Chad J. Dupuis, L.Ac.
You should really consult with a practitioner locally to get a proper diagnosis and treatment plan. You should also read What Does Acupuncture Treat? which explains a very important distinction to understand between treating symptoms and treating diagnostic patterns.
Chinese Herbal Medicine cannot be used based on symptoms except for the most basic of formulas. For example, there may be 9 main formulas for insomnia. In a given person 5 of may make them worse, 1-3 would have no or limited change and 1 or 2 will work well. A few months later as they improve internally that same formula may not work and one of the ones that would have made them worse before would be ideal for them now. It is really more of a moving target except for the basics for colds, mild digestive problems, etc. and requires proper guidance and a watchful eye.
To give the most general answer to your question, however, no you wouldn't usually take both of those. You would find whichever pattern is deeper and treat that. In many westerners (but not all) it is yin deficiency for which liu wei di huang wan is used (i.e. yinvive). This is often combined with a formula such as Bao He Wan to both buffer the cooling herbs in the formula from causing problems with digestion and to treat yin deficiency with sp deficiency at the same time (i.e. heat signs, nightsweats, insomnia, anxiety, with minor digestive/assimilation issues).