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Source: Shāng Hán Lùn 伤寒论

Ingredients:

• Gān jiāng (干姜 Zingiberis Rhizoma, dried ginger) 25g
• Huáng qín (黄芩 Scutellariae Radix, scutellaria [root]) 25g
• Huáng lián (黄连 Coptidis Rhizoma, coptis [root]) 25g
• Rén shēn (人参 Ginseng Radix, ginseng) 25g

Action: Clears the upper body and warms the lower body; opens with acridity and downbears with bitterness.

Indication: Upper body heat and lower body cold repelling each other with frequent vomiting and retching or immediate vomiting of ingested food, and diarrhea. Tongue: Pale with thin yellow fur.

Category: Harmonization formulas / Liver-spleen harmonization formula

Method: Decoct with water.

Rationale: Repelling cold (寒格 hán gé) is cold in the lower body repelling heat in the upper body. Heat in the upper body disturbs the normal downbearing of stomach qì; hence the frequent vomiting or immediate vomiting of ingested food. Cold in the lower body upsets the normal upbearing of spleen qì; hence the diarrhea. The pale tongue signifies cold while the yellowness of the tongue fur signifies heat. This condition is treated by acrid opening and bitter downbearing, and by clearing the upper body and warming the lower body. Huáng qín and Huáng lián are cold and bitter; they clear the heat so that stomach qì can bear downward. Gān jiāng is warm and acrid; it assists yáng and restores normal upbearing of spleen. Rén shēn supplements the spleen and stomach.

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