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Mulberry Leaf and Chrysanthemum Beverage

桑菊饮 〔桑菊飲〕sāng jú yǐn

Source: Wēn Bìng Tiáo Biàn 温病条辨

Ingredients:

Action: Courses wind and clears heat; diffuses the lung and relieves cough.

Indication: Initial-stage wind warmth with cough, unpronounced heat effusion, and slight thirst. Tongue fur: Thin. Pulse: Floating.

Category: Exterior-resolving formulas / Cool acrid exterior-resolving formulas

Method: Decoct with water.

Rationale: Sāng yè a is cool sweet light clearing agent; it courses wind-heat in the upper burner, clears lung heat, and relieves cough. Jú huā and Lián qiào clear heat and resolve the exterior, helping the Sāng yè to disperse wind-heat. Xìng rén and Jié gěng are acrid diffusing and bitter downbearing agents; they help the Sāng yè to relieve cough. Bò hé is cool and acrid; it courses wind and resolves the exterior. Lú gēn is cold sweet agent that engenders liquid and relieves cough. Gān cǎo works with Bò hé to clear and disinhibit the throat. The formula as a whole eliminates the evil and diffuses the lung so that the heat effusion abates, and the cough disappears.

Variations: Coughing up of phlegm without gratification: Add Niú bàng zǐ (牛蒡子 Arctii Fructus, arctium [seed]), Qián hú (前胡 Peucedani Radix, peucedanum [root]), Guā lóu (瓜蒌 Trichosanthis Fructus, trichosanthes [fruit]), and Xìng rén (杏仁 Armeniacae Semen, apricot kernel) to transform phlegm.

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