Gastrodia & Uncaria Extract (Tian Ma Gou Teng Wan)

With Traditional Herb formulas the individual herbs do not necessarily have much to do with what the combination does but in this case the Chinese Skullcap says it all. My wife (Cynthia) Had a stroke and this has helped her make an amazing recovery. Look up Chinese Skullcap on Google scholar.

An amazingly effective liver yang-rising, brain remedy my TCM practitioner prescribed for migraines and encephalitis-like brain symptoms after an acute infection of the West Nile virus. To put the effectiveness in perspective, taking three large doses in succession over 15 minutes after first noticing the visual distortion completely knocks out my incipient migraines. Since I began taking TMGTY regularly, on a daily basis rather than just at the time I experience symptoms, about four months ago, I have zero symptoms, and no more migraines.I get that some folks don't understand how TCM formulas work. They are an entire package for the indicated diagnosis, balancing the effects of the different ingredients to optimize the effects on the targeted illness. An ingredient that is somewhat down from the top of the list by weight can be the most powerful in the formula. It's about relative weights, not absolute weighting. The #1 ingredient may not be the most directly acting ingredient; it may just reflect a needed balance that optimizes the effect of the most directly acting ingredient(s) to provide the best answer to the specific diagnosis.I use the Plumflower brand of TMGTY, but it's a traditonal formula, so should be the same from any company.

Disappointed, as the name of this product suggests that Gastrodia would be the largest ingredient in these pills. It isn't.It was for the Gastrodia in the name that I took a flyer and bought this. Alas, Gastrodia accounts for only 7.4 percent of each serving, if one were to take all 8 pills in each suggested "serving."Uncaria is the second largest ingredient, accounting for 9.8 percent of each "serving" of 8 pills. At least Uncaria is in the name of the product.The largest ingredient of these pills, however, is something not mentioned in its name at all---sickle-pod senna seeds---which account for 14 percent of each "serving" of 8 pills, there being 200 pills (and only 25 servings) in this box. And not being an herbal medicine specialist, I had no idea what it was or what it was used for until I received the item and looked it up. The intended patient has none of the illnesses that sickle-pod senna can treat.To repeat, one would think, from the name of the product, that Gastrodia would account for the largest share of the compound. But it's the fourth largest component of the compound, and having said that, 6 other herbs are included in an equal proportion to the Gastrodia.So the name of this compound is highly misleading, to put it mildly.We'll try a small quantity, but since we don't know what the other ingredients are supposed to do, or their potential effects, this is not ideal.