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Throat-Clearing Decoction

清咽汤 〔清咽湯〕 qīng yān tāng

Source: Yí Yòu Qiǎn Lùn 疫喉浅论

Ingredients

Indications: Toxin entering lung-defense, characterized by aversion to cold, heat effusion, headache and generalized pain, slight thirst, painful swollen throat possibly with erosion speckles, and faintly visible sand papules (shā zhěn). Tongue: Red with thin white tongue fur that lacks moisture. Pulse: Floating and rapid.

Rationale: This pattern is seen in the initial stages of putrefying throat sand (làn hóu shā), and arises when warm toxin invades defense. Aversion to heat, headache and general discomfort, floating pulse, and thin tongue fur reflect dish of defense qì. The mild thirst is explained by initial damage to liquid by the evil that has still not penetrated deep into the body. Sore throat with erosion reflects toxin in the lung and stomach channels surging up into the throat. Faintly visible sand (shā) eruption, the major feature of this pattern, reflects the outward thrust of the toxin. Jīng jiè suì, Fáng fēng, Bò hé, and Fú píng all outthrust toxin and resolve the exterior. Qián hú, Jié gěng, Xìng rén, and zhike help to expel the evil; Niú bàng zǐ, Jiāng cán, Chinese olive, and Gān cǎo clear heat, resolve toxin, and disinhibit the throat. Jade Key (yù yào shí), applied topically by insufflation, can be used in tandem with this formula.

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