Author: Zhang Zhong-Jing, 張仲景
Year: c. 220
Source: Essentials from the Golden Cabinet (Jin Gui Yao Lue, 金匱要略)
Category: Formulas that Regulate Qi
Pattern: Phlegm and thin mucus tarrying in the Interior
Key Symptoms: Nausea, vomiting, hiccup, sudden turmoil disorder, focal distention in the epigastrium, insomnia
Secondary Symptoms: Vomiting aggravated by intake of fluids, absence of thirst, allergies, cold area on the back at the 7th and 8th thoracic vertebrae.
Tongue: Wet white slippery coat
Ingredients
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Zhi Ban Xia
| 9g | |
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Pinyin: Ban Xia
Chinese: 半夏
Pharmaceutical: Rhizoma Pinelliae
Taxonomy: Pinellia ternata
English: Pinellia Rhizome |
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Tastes: Pungent, warm, toxic
Meridians Entered: Lung, Spleen and Stomach |
Actions & Indications:
- Dries Dampness and transforms Phlegm
Cold-Phlegm in the Lungs (cough with copious sputum)
Especially effective for Damp-Phlegm of the Spleen (Cold-Damp Stagnation)
- Descends Rebellious Qi and stops vomiting (harmonizes the Stomach)
Vomiting due to Phlegm-Damp in the Stomach (Tan Yin), Cold thin mucus, Stomach Deficiency, Stomach Heat or pregnancy
- Dissipates nodules and reduces Stagnation (clumps)
Phlegm in the chest (nodules, pressure, distention, pain)
Phlegm nodules in the neck (goiter, scrofula)
Focal distension in the chest and epigastrium
Obstruction caused by Phlegm anywhere in the body
- Treats sores, skin ulcerations and carbuncles and reduces swelling (external)
Topically as a powder for sores, skin ulcerations and carbuncles
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Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decoction.
Cautions: Contraindicated to Wu Tou. Use with cautions during gestation.
Must be processed before use as raw Ban Xia is toxic. Ingesting the raw form can cause severe irritation of the mouth, pharynx, and gastrointestinal tracts, and has toxic effects on the nervous system. Symptoms of toxicity include a dry mouth, numbness of the tongue, gastric discomfort, burning sensations and swelling of the mouth, tongue, throat and salivation. In serious cases ingesting Ban Xia can result in hoarseness, spasms, dyspnoea and asphyxia.
Processing can be done with ginger and alum (Jiang Ban Xia) to make a warming herb best suited for Cold-Damp and thin Phlegm conditions, or with liquorice (Fa Ban Xia) to make a more neutral herb that is less drying and can be used for Damp-Heat conditions too. |
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Sheng Jiang
| 9g | | |
Pinyin: Sheng Jiang
Chinese: 生姜
Pharmaceutical: Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens
Taxonomy: Zingiber officinale
English: Fresh Ginger |
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Tastes: Pungent, warm
Meridians Entered: Lung, Spleen and Stomach |
Actions & Indications:
- Releases the Exterior, induces perspiration and disperses Cold
Wind-Cold
- Warms the Middle and stops vomiting
Cold in the Stomach especially with vomiting
- Warms the Lungs and stops coughing
Cough due to Wind-Cold Cough due to Lung Deficiency with Phlegm
- Reduces the toxicity of other herbs and seafood
Herb toxicity or seafood poisoning
- Adjusts the Ying and Wei - normalizes the flow of Qi at the center
Taiyang Zhong Feng - Wind-Cold with Deficiency
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Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decoction.
Cautions: It should be used with caution for yin deficiency with internal heat and heat exuberance because it helps promote fire and injure yin. |
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Preparation: Decoction.
Actions: Alleviates and removes thin mucus, harmonises the Stomach, directs rebelliousness downward, stops vomiting
Contraindications: Any condition without thin mucus
Notes:
If used in people in allergies start with a low dose of Ban Xia and increase gradually.
In cases of insomnia large doses of Ban Xia are necessary. "30g directs rebelliousness downward, 60g calms the sleep" (Wu Ju-Tong, Qing dynasty, in Scheid et al. 2009)
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One liang is taken as 3g in modern sources but in Eastern Han times it was equivalent to 13.875g. This means that the dosages in classical formulae could have been more than 4x what is given today making them far higher than recommended safe dosages today but prompts consideration of what an effective dose may be (He, 2013).
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.
