bubble_chart Preparation and Dosage Ephedra (Herba Ephedrae)
9gm (3 qián) Ginkgo seed, shelled and crushed, stir-fried until yellow, then decocted with water.
bubble_chart Efficacy
Ventilating the lungs clears heat, resolving phlegm stabilizes breathing.
bubble_chart Indications
Asthma syndrome. Symptoms include wheezing, cough, rapid breathing, thick yellow phlegm, chest and diaphragm distension and tightness, or fever and chills, yellow greasy tongue coating, and slippery rapid pulse.
bubble_chart Formula Principles
This formula is suitable for cases where there is internal accumulation of phlegm-heat in the body and external contraction of wind-cold. In the formula, Ephedra ventilates the lung and relieves panting, disperses wind and dissipates cold, while ginkgo seed astringes the lung and stabilizes panting. These two ingredients serve as the monarch herbs. The combination of these two herbs, one dispersing and the other astringing, enhances the effect of stabilizing panting and also prevents Ephedra from excessively dissipating lung qi. Coltsfoot Flower, cultivated purple perilla fruit, Bitter Apricot Seed, and Pinellia descend qi and resolve phlegm, relieving cough and panting, and together serve as the minister herbs. Skullcap Root clears heat and resolves phlegm, and White Mulberry Root-Bark purges the lung and relieves panting. These two ingredients serve as assistant herbs to eliminate the internal accumulation of phlegm-heat. Liquorice Root harmonizes the various herbs and serves as the envoy. Together, these herbs achieve the effect of externally dispersing wind-cold and internally clearing phlegm-heat.
bubble_chart Pattern Identification - Cough with wheezing.
- Thick, yellow phlegm.
- Chest fullness.
- Yellow, greasy tongue coating.
- Slippery and rapid pulse.
bubble_chart Formula Modification
- Excessive phlegm difficult to expectorate: add Bile Arisaema、Trichosanthes Seed。
- Severe chest and diaphragm stuffiness: add Submature Bitter Orange、Bamboo Shavings。
- Severe panting: add Magnolia Bark、Fritillaria Bulb、Hematite、Inula Flower、Belamcanda Rhizome。
- Heart dysphoria and heat: add Ophiopogon Tuber、Chinese Wolfberry Root-bark。
- Severe heat: add Dandelion、Heartleaf Houttuynia Herb。
- Nasal congestion: add Magnolia、Cocklebur Fruit。
- Wind-cold asthma: combine with Ephedra Decoction。
- Dampness-heat asthma: combine with Diaphragm-Cooling Powder。
- Phlegm asthma: combine with Two Old Ingredients Decoction。
bubble_chart Modern Application
This formula helps expel phlegm, relieve bronchial spasms, inhibit bacteria, and reduce inflammation. It is used for panting, cough, bronchitis, lung qi swelling, and common cold.