Author: Zong Xiao-Fan and Gary Liscum
Year: 1996
Source: Chinese Medicinal Teas
Category: Formulas that Release the Exterior
Pattern: Exterior Wind-Cold Invasion
Key Symptoms: Aversion to cold, fever, headache, absence of sweating, aching pain in the limbs.
Ingredients
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Zi Su Ye
| 9g | |
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Pinyin: Zi Su Ye
Chinese: 紫苏叶
Pharmaceutical: Folium Perillae
English: Perilla Leaf |
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Tastes: Pungent, warm
Meridians Entered: Lung, Spleen and Stomach |
Actions & Indications:
- Releases the Exterior and disperses Cold
Wind-Cold with fever, chills, headache, nasal congestion, cough or a stifling sensation in the chest (especially in older people)
- Promotes the movement of Spleen and Stomach Qi and Harmonizes the Middle Jiao
Spleen/Stomach Qi Stagnation with nausea, vomiting, or anorexia
Intestinal gas
- Improves Lung function and expands the chest
Asthma
Chest distention
Cold induced wheezing
- Calms the fetus and alleviates morning sickness
Restless fetus and morning sickness
- Alleviates seafood poisoning Detoxifies any type of allergy
Seafood poisoning (fish and crab), used alone or in combination
- Releases the Exterior and Drives Out Snakes
Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)
One of the chief herbs for treating Gu Syndrome, along with Bo He and Bai Zhi, classed as "open the exterior with snake killing herbs" (Fruehauf, 1998).
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Standard Dosage: 5-10g in decoction.
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Qiang Huo
| 9g | |
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Pinyin: Qiang Huo
Chinese: 羌活
Pharmaceutical: Rhizoma seu Radix Notopterygii
Taxonomy: Notopterygium incisium, N. forbesii
English: Notopterygium Root and Rhizome |
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Tastes: Pungent, bitter, warm
Meridians Entered: Bladder and Kidney |
Actions & Indications:
- Releases the Exterior and disperses Cold
Wind-Cold with chills, fever, headache, body aches and pains
Usually used when accompanied by Dampness with joint pain, a general feeling of heaviness, sleepiness or occipital pain
- Expels Wind-Cold-Dampness, unblocks painful obstruction and alleviates pain
Wind-Cold-Damp Bi especially in the upper limbs and back
- Guides Qi to the Taiyang and Du channels
Directs the other herbs to the Taiyang and Du channels
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Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decoction.
Cautions: It should be used with cautions for blood deficiency because of its strong pungent, fragrant, warm and dry property. It is not appropriate for weakness of spleen and stomach because large dose of this herb induces vomiting. |
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Cha Ye
| 9g | | |
Pinyin: Cha Ye
Chinese: 茶叶
Pharmaceutical: Camelliae sinensis folium
Taxonomy: Camilla sinensis
English: Tea Leaves |
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Tastes: Bitter, sweet, cold
Meridians Entered: Stomach, Heart and Lung |
Actions & Indications:
- Dispels Wind-Heat and clears the head and refreshes the mind
Dizziness and vertigo
Headache
- Alleviates Thirst and promotes urination
Agitation and thirst
Prevents the drying, dispersing and ascending nature of diaphoretic herbs from harming the body
- Resolves Food Stagnation and alleviates diarrhoea
Nausea, vomiting, indigestion and diarrhoea
Damp-Heat dysentery
Greasy Food Stagnation
Obesity
- Resolves Toxicity
Sores and boils
Topically on inflammation or hot swelling injuries (tannins are also astringent and so can stop bleeding)
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Standard Dosage: 3-12g in decoction, but usually infused or added near the end.
Cautions: Avoid in insomnia. Leave 1 hour between taking iron supplements. |
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Subsitutions:
None required but this formula could be a suitable (albeit milder) substitution for Ma Huang in Exterior Releasing formulae.
Preparation: Grind the ingredients into a course powder and pour over boiling water. Drink warm once per day at any time.
Actions: Resolves the Exterior with warm, acrid ingredients, scatters Cold and dispels Wind
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.
