Zai Zao San - 再造散 - Renewal Powder

Author: Tao Hua

Source: Six Texts on Cold Damage (1445)

Category: Formulas that Release the Exterior

Pattern: Externally contracted Wind-Cold with preexisting Qi and Yang deficiency

Key Symptoms: Slight fever with strong chills, fatigue with a constant desire to lie down, pallid complexion, weak voice
Secondary Symptoms: Absence of sweating, cold extremities, headache

Tongue: Pale body, white coating
Pulse: Submerged and forceless, or floating, large and foceless

Ingredients

Huang Qi

Pinyin: Huang Qi Chinese: 黄芪 Pharmaceutical: Radix Astragali Taxonomy: Astragalus membranaceus English: Astragalus Root / Mongolian Milkvetch Root
Tastes: Sweet, warm Meridians Entered: Lung and Spleen
Actions & Indications: Tonifies Qi and Blood Postpartum fever due to Qi and Blood Deficiency Recovery from severe Blood loss Strengthens the Spleen and raises the Yang Qi of the Spleen and Stomach Spleen Qi Deficiency with anorexia, fatigue and diarrhoea Central Qi Sinking (prolapse) Lung and Spleen Qi Deficiency Qi Failing to contain Blood Qi and Blood Deficiency Fever from Qi Deficiency Tonifies Wei Qi, stabilizes the Exterior and tonifies the Lungs (aids circulation of moisture downward from the face) Wei Qi Deficiency with spontaneous sweating Lung Qi Deficiency with frequent colds or shortness of breath Excessive sweating associated with Qi, Yang or Yin Deficiency Dampness in the head Promotes urination and reduces oedema Spleen Deficiency oedema or superficial oedema with reduced urination (It can be used as a stand-alone herb for this) Promotes the discharge of pus, generates flesh and expels toxins Chronic ulcerations and sores that either have trouble forming pus or have formed pus but are not draining well Generates Body Fluids Wasting and thirsting disorder (消渴 Xiao Ke) Bi Syndrome with numbness of the limbs and paralysis Relieves numbness and pain Numbness and pain due to Deficiency of Qi and Blood Tonifies the Qi while suppressing Parasites Gu Sydnrome (Fruehauf, 1998) Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)
Standard Dosage: 10-15g in decoction. Large dosages of up to 30g can be used for severe debilitation, Blood deficiency or unhealing sores (e.g. Dang Gui Bu Xue Tang). Cautions: It is contraindicated in cases of exterior excess with excessive pathogen, internal obstruction, yin deficiency with yang hyperactivity, early stage of sores and ulcers of excessive pathogen and no deficiency of heathy qi, because it can tonify qi, raise yang and strengthen superficial.Caution with patients on immunosuppressents due to its immune modulating effects.

Ren Shen

Zhi Fu Zi

Gui Zhi

Pinyin: Gui Zhi Chinese: 桂枝 Pharmaceutical: Ramulus Cinnamomi Taxonomy: Cinnamomum cassia English: Cinnamon Twig
Tastes: Pungent, sweet, warm Meridians Entered: Lung, Heart, Kidney, Liver
Actions & Indications: *Releases the Exterior, assists Yang, adjusts the Ying* and Wei and releases the muscle layer** Taiyang Wind Strike (Taiyang Zhongfeng, 太阳中风) - a weak person who catches cold easily with spontaneous sweating, aversion to drafts, fever and chills, nasal congestion, stiff and aching head and muscles Warms the channels and collaterals to relieve pain Wind-Cold-Damp Bi *Unblocks Yang* and transforms Qi and thin mucus Edema due to Cold-Phlegm or Yang Qi Deficiency with urinary dysfunction, dizziness and palpitations Assists Heart Yang and warms and facilitates the flow of Yang Qi in the chest** Palpitations due to Yang Obstruction in the chest due to Stagnation or Deficiency Listless chest Yang with upward movement of Phlegm and thin mucus and disorderly descent of Lung Qi with shortness of breath, chest and back pain and palpitations Heart and Spleen Yang Deficiency Warms and facilitates the flow of Qi through the channels and collaterals and Blood through the vessels Wind-Cold-Damp Bi Blood Stasis due to Cold, causing amenorrhea or dysmenorrhea with or without abdominal masses *Warms the Middle and directs Turbid Yin* downward** Middle Jiao Yang Deficiency Heart and Spleen Yang Deficiency (patient usually craves sweets) Aids fasting Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as part of the superior class of herbs which can, with protracted taking, make the body light, prevent forgetfulness, and render the face bright and efflorescent, thus forever looking charming, like a child's face. This may suggest it was part of supplementing the diet when engaging in an "avoiding grain" (Bigu 辟穀) fasting regime to cultivate life (Yangsheng 養生).
Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decoction for exterior conditions, or up to 15g for Bi Syndromes. Cautions: This herb induces heat, damages the yin and moves blood. It is prohibited for those with warm pathogens, yin deficiency with effulgent fire, or reckless movement of the blood due to heat in the blood. Use with caution in pregnant women.

Xi Xin

Pinyin: Xi Xin Chinese: 细辛 Pharmaceutical: Herba cum Radix Asari Taxonomy: Asarum sieboldii English: Chinese Wild Ginger
Tastes: Pungent, warm, slightly toxic Meridians Entered: Lung, Kidney and Heart
Actions & Indications: Releases Exterior Wind and Cold As an adjunctive for any exterior Wind-Cold especially with Dampness in Lung or underlying Yang Deficiency Frequently used for Wind-Cold when the dominant symptoms are head and body aches Disperses Wind-Cold and Internal Cold and alleviates pain Pain due to Wind and/or Cold anywhere in the body, particularly headache, painful obstruction, abdominal pain or headache due to obstruction of Fluids and Blood by Cold, often with anhydrous Wind-Cold-Damp Bipain Warms the Lungs and transforms Phlegm and Thin Mucus (circulates water) Cough and Qi which surges upward and fullness in the chest in the chest with continuous cough from clumped Qi in the chest and diaphragm marked by copious, watery sputum due to Phlegm-Damp or Wind-Cold with congested fluids Disperses and unblocks the Qi of the nasal orifices (clears the orifices of the head) Nasal congestion Oral pathology Loss of consciousness Promotes healing of oral ulcerations Oral lesions or ulcerations Relieves toothache Toothache Aids fasting Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as part of the superior class of herbs which can, with protracted taking, make the body light and prolong life. This may suggest it was part of supplementing the diet when engaging in an "avoiding grain" (Bigu 辟穀) fasting regime to cultivate life (Yangsheng 養生).
Standard Dosage: 1-3g in decoction. Cautions: Traditionally contraindicated for headache due to hyperactivity of yang caused by yin deficiency and dry cough caused by lung dryness hurting yin. It is incompatible with Li Lu. While not prohibited in the UK, the RCHM has enacted a voluntary ban by use due to possible fears of aristolochic acid. It is usually substituted with Gui Pi (Cinnamon Bark), or Rou Gui, or Gui Zhi and Qiang Huo for channel problems, Zi Su Ye and Bai Qian for lung issues, Gao Ban and Bai Zhi for treating the head and Cong Bai and Bai Zhi for the sinuses.

(dry fried)

1.5g

Pinyin: Gan Cao Chinese: 甘草 Pharmaceutical: Radix Glycyrrhizae Taxonomy: Glycyrrhiza uralensis seu glabra seu inflata English: Liquorice Root
Tastes: Sweet, slightly cold Meridians Entered: Heart, Lung and Spleen (and all 12 meridians)
Actions & Indications: Tonifies the Spleen and augments Qi Spleen Qi Deficiency with shortness of breath, lassitude and loose stools Qi and Blood Deficiency with an irregular pulse and/or palpitations Heart Qi Deficiency or Heart Yang Deficiency Moistens the Lungs, resolves Phlegm and stops coughing Lung Heat or Cold Productive or non-productive coughing Moderates spasms and alleviates pain Painful muscle spasms of the abdomen and legs Clears Heat and relieves Fire Toxicity Raw for Toxic Heat with sore throat or carbuncles and sores (Chuang Yung) Antidote for many toxic substances (internal and topical) Poisoning Bites (after washing the wound, chew Gan Cao and apply a thick layer on the bite wound, changing whenever it dries out; Bao Xiang-Ao, 1846, New Compilation of Proven Formulas) Moderates and harmonizes the harsh properties of other herbs and guides the herbs to all twelve channels Often added in small doses to harmonise formulas Tonifies the Qi while suppressing Parasites Gu Sydnrome (Fruehauf, 1998) Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015) Aids fasting Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as part of the superior class of herbs which can, with protracted taking, make the body light and prolong life. This may suggest it was part of supplementing the diet when engaging in an "avoiding grain" (Bigu 辟穀) fasting regime to cultivate life (Yangsheng 養生).
Standard Dosage: Typically 1.5-9g in decoction. Large doses can be up 30g. Cautions: It is contraindicated for combining with Hai Zao, Da Ji, Gan Sui and Yuan Hua because of "eighteen antagonisms". It is also contraindicated in cases of dampness obstruction in middle energizer and edema because it can help dampness obstruct qi, and it is prohibited from long-term usage in large dosage (more than 20g/day) and should be avoided or used with extreme caution in patients with high blood pressure because it may raise aldosterone levels in the blood causing retention of sodium. The NHS recommends avoiding during pregnancy.

Wei Sheng Jiang

Da Zao

2pc

Subsitutions:
In the UK the following substitutions must be made:
Fu Zi == Bu Gu Zhi
Xi Xin == Wei Ling Xian

Preparation: Decoction.

Actions: Tonifies the Yang, augments the Qi, induces sweating, releases Wind-Cold pathogens from the Exterior

Contraindications: Exterior patterns without Qi deficiency

Notes:
Can be used for those whose Yang Qi is too deficient to sweat out a pathogen, or in those for whom a formula that strongly induces sweating has failed to have an effect.

Research Links:

American Dragon

TCMWiki

Journal of Chinese Medicine

National Resource Centre for Chinese Materia Medica, China

TCM-ID Integrated Database, East China Normal University

TCM-ID Information Database, National University of Singapore

Pubmed

Science Direct

Google Scholar

Bai Du (Chinese)

A+ Medical Encyclopedia (Chinese)

Reference Notes: (click to display)

These pages are intended to assist clinicians and are not intended for self-diagnosis or treatment for which a qualified professional should be consulted.

Herb Formulas Notebook

再 造 散  Zai Zao San

Renewal Powder