Author: Wu Tang / Wu Ju Tong, 吴瑭 / 吴鞠通
Year: 1798
Source: Systematic Differentiation of Warm Pathogen Diseases (Wen Bing Tiao Bian, 溫病條辨)
Category: Formulas that Release the Exterior
Pattern: Painful obstruction of the throat due to Damp-Heat collecting in the Lungs
Key Symptoms: Severe sore throat with great difficulty swallowing
Tongue: Red body with thick white or yellow coating
Pulse: Rapid, slippery and possible floating depending on the depth of the pathogen
Ingredients
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Jin Yin Hua
| 15g | |
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Pinyin: Jin Yin Hua
Chinese: 金银花
Pharmaceutical: Flos Lonicerae japonicae
Taxonomy: Lonicera japonica
English: Honeysuckle Flower |
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Tastes: Pungent, slightly bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Lung, heart, stomach and large intestine |
Actions & Indications:
- Clears Heat and resolves Fire Toxicity
Hot, painful sores and skin eruptions in various stages of development, especially breast, throat and eyes
Intestinal abscesses
- Vents and disperses External Wind-Heat
Early-Stage Wind-Heat Warm-Heat pathogen with fever, chills, slight aversion to Wind, sore throat and headache
External Summerheat
- Clears Damp-Heat from the Lower Jiao
Damp-Heat in the Lower Jiao with dysentery or Lin Syndrome
- Cools the Blood and stops bleeding (charred)
Blood Heat dysentery
- Releases the Exterior and Drives Out Snakes
Gu Sydnrome (Fruehauf, 1998)
Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)
Mysterious bruises due to Ghost Strike (鬼擊) (Wilcox, 2024)
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Standard Dosage: 6-30g in decoction. Small doses are for expelling Wind-Heat, large doses for Toxic Heat sores. Can be up to 90g in extreme cases (e.g. Si Miao Yong An Tang).
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Lian Qiao
| 30g | |
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Pinyin: Lian Qiao
Chinese: 连翘
Pharmaceutical: Fructus Forsythiae
Taxonomy: Forsythia suspensa
English: Weeping Forsythia Capsule / Forsythia Fruit |
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Tastes: Bitter, slightly pungent, slightly cold
Meridians Entered: Lung, Heart and Gall Bladder or Small Intestine |
Actions & Indications:
- Clears Heat (especially in the Upper Jiao) and resolves Toxicity
Wind-Heat with high fever, slight chills and sore throat
Bound Heat
- Reduces abscesses and dissipates clumps
Toxic Heat sores and swellings (Chuang Yung), swollen welling abscesses, malign sores, scrofula, goiter and tumours of the neck
Throat Bi
- Clears Blood Heat
Blood Heat
- Promotes urination
Lin syndrome (urinary stones), dysuria, haematuria
- Releases the Exterior and Drives Out Snakes
Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as an inferior herb that treats Gu Toxins
Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 1998; 2015)
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Standard Dosage: 10-15g in decoction.
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Niu Bang Zi
| 18g | |
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Pinyin: Niu Bang Zi
Chinese: 牛蒡子
Pharmaceutical: Fructus Arctii
Taxonomy: Arctium lappa
English: Burdock Seed |
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Tastes: Pungent, bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Lung and Stomach |
Actions & Indications:
- Disperses Wind-Heat and benefits the throat
Wind-Heat with fever, cough and sore throat
- Relieves Toxicity and vents rashes
Carbuncles, red swellings, early-stage measles, mumps, erythema, acute febrile maculo-papular rashes
Incomplete expression of rashes
Pruritic rashes due to Wind-Heat
- Moistens the Intestines
Wind-Heat toxins where there is also Internal Heat causing constipation
Constipation associated with other forms of toxicity such as acne
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Standard Dosage: 6-12g in decoction.
Cautions: It is not suitable for deficiency-cold loose stool because of its cold property and the action of lubricating the intestines. |
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She Gan
| 9g | |
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Pinyin: She Gan
Chinese: 射幹
Pharmaceutical: Rhizoma Belamcandae
English: Blackberry Lily Rhizome |
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Tastes: Bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Lung |
Actions & Indications:
- Clears Heat, relieves Fire toxicity and improves the throat
Swollen, painful throat due to Fire Excess, Fire toxin or Phlegm-Heat obstruction
Can be used alone for sore throat
- Transforms Phlegm, clears the Lungs and eliminates wheezing
Cough and wheezing with Phlegm obstruction
Combined with warming herbs for Phlegm Obstruction due to Cold-Phlegm
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Standard Dosage: 6-10g in decoction.
Cautions: It should be used cautiously to patients with loose stool due to spleen deficiency. It is contraindicated to pregnant women. |
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Ma Bo
| 6g | | |
Pinyin: Ma Bo
Chinese: 马勃
Pharmaceutical: Lasiosphaera seu Calvatia
English: Puffball |
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Tastes: Pungent, neutral
Meridians Entered: Lung |
Actions & Indications:
- Clears Lung Heat, relieves Fire toxicity and Improves the throat
Swollen, painful throat and loss of voice due to Fire toxin
Cough due to Lung Heat
- Stops bleeding
Bleeding especially in the mouth or lips (topically and internally)
Bleeding gums due to frostbite
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Standard Dosage: 3-6g in decoction.
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Subsitutions:
For no pain but severe obstruction the source text recommends adding Huan Shi 18g, Jie Geng 15g and Lu Gen 15g. Modern practitioners often add Da Qing Ye and Ban Lan Gen for signs of Heat Toxin.
Preparation: Grind the herbs into a powder and take in 9g doses with a decoction of Lu Gen, cooked until the aroma becomes strong.
Actions: Clears Heat, resolves Toxicity, drains Heat from the Lungs to improve the functioning of the throat
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.
