Author: Zong Xiao-Fan and Gary Liscum
Year: 1996
Source: Chinese Medicinal Teas
Category: Formulas that Release the Exterior
Pattern: Exterior Wind-Heat Invasion
Key Symptoms: Fever, slight aversion to wind and chills, headache, some sweating, cough with scanty phlegm, dry throat and nose, thirst
Tongue: Red with a thin white or slightly yellow coating
Pulse: Floating and rapid
Ingredients
|
Sang Ye
| 6g | |
|
Pinyin: Sang Ye
Chinese: 桑叶
Pharmaceutical: Folium Mori
Taxonomy: Morus alba
English: Mulberry Leaf |
|
Tastes: Sweet, bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Lung and Liver |
Actions & Indications:
- Disperses and scatters Wind-Heat
Wind-Heat with fever, headache, sore throat and cough
The Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing also says it eliminates Cold and Heat by promoting sweating
- Calms the Liver and clears the eyes
Liver channel eye problems due to Wind-Heat or Yin Deficiency
Vertigo due to Liver Yang Rising with red, sore, dry or painful eyes or spots in front of the eyes
Hypertension, high blood sugar and cholesterol
- Clears Heat from the Lungs, stops coughing and moistens Dryness
Lung Heat with thick, yellow Phlegm
Lung Dryness with cough and a dry mouth
- Cools the Blood and stops bleeding
Mild cases of hematemesis due to Blood Heat
- Treats Xiao Ke
High blood glucose, type 2 diabetes, Upper Jiao Xiao Ke where thirst is the primary symptom
Management of obesity
|
Standard Dosage: 9-15g in decoction.
|
|
|
Ju Hua
| 6g | |
|
Pinyin: Ju Hua
Chinese: 菊花
Pharmaceutical: Flos Chrysanthemi
English: Chrysanthemum |
|
Tastes: Pungent, sweet, bitter, slightly cold
Meridians Entered: Lung and Liver |
Actions & Indications:
- Disperses Wind and clears Heat
Wind-Heat from a common Cold or Warm pathogen disease
- Calms the Liver and clears the eyes
Dry, swollen and/or painful eyes due to Wind-Heat in the Liver channel or Liver Yang
Rising Spots in front of the eyes, blurred vision or dizziness due to Kidney and Liver Yin Deficiencies
Liver and Kidney Yin Deficiencies with heatstroke
- Calms Liver Yang and extinguishes Wind
Liver Wind with dizziness, headache and deafness
Liver Yang Rising (Liver and Kidney Yin Deficiency)
Hypertension
- Detoxifies (purifies Blood)
Toxic sores and swellings
- Promotes the movement of Heart Qi and Blood and stimulates Blood circulation
Heart Qi and Blood Stagnation
- Kills Gu Parasites and Scatters Toxins by Releasing the Exterior
Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 1998; 2015)
- Aids fasting
Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as part of the superior class of herbs which can, with protracted taking, disinhibit the Blood and Qi, make the body light, slow ageing 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: 9-15g in decoction.
|
|
|
Dan Dou Chi
| 6g | |
|
Pinyin: Dan Dou Chi
Chinese: 淡豆豉
Pharmaceutical: Semen Sojae Preparatum
Taxonomy: Glycine max
English: Fermented Soybean |
|
Tastes: Pungent, bitter and cool
Meridians Entered: Lung and Stomach |
Actions & Indications:
- Releases the Exterior
Wind-Cold or Wind-Heat
Yin Deficiency with superimposed Exterior disorders
- Eliminates irritability, harmonizes the Middle Jiao and relieves stuffy sensations in the chest
Irritability, restlessness, insomnia, stifling sensations in the chest and insomnia following a febrile disease
|
Standard Dosage: 10-15g in decoction.
|
|
|
Li Pi
| 6g | | |
Pinyin: Li Pi
Chinese: 梨皮
Pharmaceutical: Pericarpium Pyrus pyrifolia
English: Pear Skin |
|
Tastes: Sweet, astringent, cool
Meridians Entered: Lung, Heart, Kidney and Large Intestine |
Actions & Indications:
- Moistens the Lungs and Stomach
Lung and Stomach Yin Deficiency
|
Standard Dosage: 9-15g in decoction.
|
|
Preparation: Place the herbs into a pot, cover with water and simmer briefly. Discard the dregs and drink freely as a tea. Use 1 packet per day.
Actions: Clears Heat and resolves the Exterior, moistens the Lungs and stops coughing.
Notes:
While Zong and Liscum (1996) are the published source, the formulas they present are simple folk remedies and likely much older.
Research Links:
Reference Notes: (click to display)
Most formulas are found in Scheid, Bensky, Ellis & Barolet (2009): Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies and Chen & Chen (2015) Chinese Herbal Formulas and Applications. Others are from translations of primary sources. It is recommended that the original material is cross-referenced for mistakes and additional information.
Substitutions have been taken from Ken Lloyd & Prof. Leung (2004): Mayway UK Substitution List or the above publications and are intended as suggestions to help navigate the tight restrictions in the UK quickly. More applicable substitutions may be appropriate in specific situations.
Individual herb information has initially been sourced from TCM Wiki and American Dragon for basic data and then updated manually with my own notes.
These pages are intended to assist clinicians and are not intended for self-diagnosis or treatment for which a qualified professional should be consulted.
