Perilla leaf 4.5 gm, aged tangerine peel and cyperus tuber each 3.6 gm, roasted licorice root 2.1 gm, schizonepeta, large-leaf gentian root, saposhnikovia root, and vitex fruit each 3 gm, Szechuan lovage root 1.5 gm, fresh ginger 2 slices.

bubble_chart Preparation and Dosage

Take one dose, decoct in water, and administer while warm. Cover lightly to induce slight sweating.

bubble_chart Efficacy

Inducing sweating to releasing exterior.

bubble_chart Indications

The common cold manifests with headache, neck stiffness, nasal congestion, runny nose, body pain, fever and chills, or aversion to wind without sweating, a thin white tongue coating, and a floating pulse.

bubble_chart Formula Principles

In the formula, cultivated purple perilla leaf and Schizonepeta, which are pungent, warm, and aromatic, serve as the monarch to induce sweating and release the exterior. Saposhnikovia Root, Gentian, and Chastetree Fruit act as the ministers to dispel wind and dampness, relieving body pain and headache. Cyperus, Dried Tangerine Peel, and Sichuan Lovage Rhizome function as the assistants to harmonize qi and blood. Liquorice Root harmonizes the middle, and Fresh Ginger Rhizome, with its pungent dispersing properties, serves as the envoy. When combined, this formula can disperse external contraction of wind-cold, harmonize qi and blood, and naturally cure the illness.

bubble_chart Formula Modification

If the headache is severe, add 2.4 grams of Notopterygium and 2 stalks of Fistular Onion. For spontaneous sweating and aversion to wind, add 3 grams each of Cinnamon Twig and Peony Root. If it is during the transition between spring and summer, and there is concern about the presence of warm and summer-heat pathogens, it is not advisable to use cinnamon; instead, add 4.5 grams of White Atractylodes Rhizome. If there is food stagnation and chest and diaphragm stuffiness, add 4.5 grams each of hawthorn fruit, Germinated Barley, and radish seeds. If the main taiyang pattern persists and is accompanied by thirst and difficult urination, indicating a bladder syndrome, add 4.5 grams each of Poria and Akebia Stem. For cough and wheezing, add 4.5 grams each of Platycodon Root and Peucedanum, and 7 pieces of Bitter Apricot Seed. For epistaxis or hematemesis, remove Fresh Ginger Rhizome from the original formula and add 4.5 grams each of raw Red Peony Root, Salvia, and Moutan Bark. For swollen and sore throat, add 4.5 grams each of Platycodon Root and Great Burdock Achene, and 1.5 grams of Mentha. For constipation, add radish seeds and Submature Bitter Orange. If there are cold limbs and cold breath from the mouth and nose, indicating cold in the middle, add Dried Ginger and Cassia Bark. Even if there is an exterior syndrome, only use one or two dispersing herbs, not the entire formula. If summer-heat qi is present, add Anemarrhena and Skullcap Root. For retching fever with cough, indicating water qi in the exterior, add Pinellia and Poria. For seasonal epidemic pestilence, add 1.2 grams of Atractylodes Rhizome. For globus hystericus, where there is a sensation of something stuck in the throat that cannot be swallowed or spit out, add 2.4 grams each of Platycodon Root and cultivated purple perilla stem. For women with menstrual flow, add Chinese Angelica and Salvia. For postpartum wind-cold, add carbonized ginger and Chinese Angelica, and reduce the amount of powder. If the constitution is extremely weak and cannot tolerate dispersing herbs, use tonifying herbs instead.