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Source: Hé Jì Jú Fāng 和剂局方

Ingredients:

• Má huáng (麻黄 Ephedrae Herba, ephedra) 6–9g
• Xìng rén (杏仁 Armeniacae Semen, apricot kernel) 6–9g
• Shēng gān cǎo (生甘草 Glycyrrhizae Radix Cruda, raw licorice [root]) 3–4.5g
• Shēng jiāng (生姜 Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens, fresh ginger) 3–5 slices

Action: Diffuses the lung and disperses cold; relieves cough and calms panting.

Indication: External contraction of wind-cold causing nondiffusion of lung qì manifesting as cough, panting, oppression in the chest, headache, and nasal congestion. Tongue fur: Thin and white. Pulse: Floating and tight.

Category:

Method: Originally prepared as a powder, but now usually decocted.

Rationale: Má huáng is a warm acrid cold-dispersing agent that diffuses the lung and calms panting. Xìng rén downbears qì, relieves cough, and calms panting. Gān cǎo can dispel phlegm and relieve cough as well as harmonizing all the other agents in the formula. This is a basic panting-calming and cough-relieving formula that can be varied to address a variety of patterns.

Variations:

• Pronounced lung cold: Add Xì xīn (细辛 Asari Rhizoma et Radix, asarum) and Gān jiāng (干姜 Zingiberis Rhizoma, dried ginger) to warm the lung and transform rheum.
• Lung heat: Add Shí gāo (石膏 Gypsum Fibrosum, gypsum) and Huáng qín (黄芩 Scutellariae Radix, scutellaria [root]).
• Copious phlegm: Add Chén pí (陈皮 Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium, tangerine peel) and Bàn xià (半夏 Pinelliae Rhizoma, pinellia [rhizome]) to dry dampness and transform phlegm.
• Qì counterflow: Add Zǐ sū zǐ (紫苏子 Perillae Fructus, perilla fruit), Bái jiè zǐ (白芥子 Sinapis Albae Semen, white mustard [seed]), and Lái fú zǐ (莱菔子 Raphani Semen, radish seed) to downbear qì and transform phlegm.

Similar: Má huáng tāng (麻黄汤 Ephedra Decoction)

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