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Source: Zhèng Zhì Zhǔn Shéng 证治准绳

Ingredients:

• Bīng láng (槟榔 Arecae Semen, areca [nut]) 6–9g
• Chén pí (陈皮 Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium, tangerine peel) 3–6g
• Mù guā (木瓜 Chaenomelis Fructus, chaenomeles [fruit]) 6–9g
• Wú zhū yú (吴茱萸 Evodiae Fructus, evodia [fruit]) 2–4g
• Jié gěng (桔梗 Platycodonis Radix, platycodon [root]) 3–6g
• Zǐ sū (紫苏 Perillae Folium, Caulis et Calyx, perilla [stem, leaf and calyx]) 3–9g
• Shēng jiāng (生姜 Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens, fresh ginger) 3–5 slices

Action: Disperses dampness, moves qì and downbears turbidity.

Indication: Damp-type leg qì (jiǎo qì) characterized by swelling and numbness of the legs and feet, and difficulty in walking; or wind-damp pouring downward with feet so painful that they cannot even be put on the ground. Take on an empty stomach.

Category: Dampness-dispelling formulas / Water-damp warming and transforming formula

Method: Now prepared in decoction form.

Rationale: Bīng láng moves qì and disinhibits water, and abducts stagnation downward, making the wind-cold-damp toxin pass out with the stool and urine. It is an important agent for the treatment of leg qì (jiǎo qì). Wú zhū yú is hot, acrid, and bitter. It disperses cold-damp and treats cold pain and swelling of the lower legs. It also downbears counter and prevents the leg qì (jiǎo qì) from surging up into the heart. Chén pí is warm and bitter, and acts with the Bīng láng to move the spleen and dry dampness. Warm acrid Shēng jiāng helps the Wú zhū yú to downbear counterflow and transform turbidity. Mù guā is used to quicken the network vessels and soothe the sinews. Zǐ sū yè and Jié gěng help to move qì and blood.

Variations:

• Prevalence of wind and dampness with spontaneous sweating, aversion to cold, and a moderate floating pulse: Add Guì zhī (桂枝 Cinnamomi Ramulus, cinnamon twig) and Fáng fēng (防风 Saposhnikoviae Radix, saposhnikovia).
• Prevalence of cold and dampness with absence of sweating, aching body, and a sunken slow pulse: Add Guì zhī (桂枝 Cinnamomi Ramulus, cinnamon twig) and Fù zǐ (附子 Aconiti Radix Lateralis Praeparata, aconite [accessory root]).
• Cold-damp leg qì (jiǎo qì) surging into the heart with a feeling of tension in the sinews, heart palpitation, and qì upsurge.

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