Ge Gen Jia Ban Xia Tang
Star葛根加半夏汤 (Pueraria Decoction Plus Pinellia)
Source: Shang Han Lun — Zhang Zhong-Jing (Eastern Han, c. 220)
Last updated October 20, 2026
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Description
Ge Gen Jia Ban Xia Tang (Pueraria Decoction Plus Pinellia) is the formula given in Line 33 of the Shang Han Lun for greater yáng and yáng brightness combination disease with retching but no diarrhea.
Source: Mitchell C, Feng Y, Wiseman N. Shang Han Lun: On Cold Damage, Translation & Commentaries. Paradigm Publications, 1999, pp. 112–113.
Composition
Liquorice — estimated at the Chinese Pharmacopoeia's minimum content: about 313 mg of glycyrrhizic acid a day (zhi Gan Cao 31.25 g × 1.0 %). The EU Scientific Committee on Food considers 100 mg/day an upper limit for regular intake that protects most people. The estimate assumes all of it passes into what is taken, uses the pharmacopoeia's dry-weight minimum, and takes the amounts as one day's dose.
Sources
Sources: Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2020, 甘草 and 炙甘草, assay (glycyrrhizic acid not less than 1.8 % in the dispensed slices and 1.0 % in honey-fried liquorice, by dry weight). EU Scientific Committee on Food, Opinion on glycyrrhizinic acid and its ammonium salt, SCF/CS/ADD/EDUL/225 Final, 2003. The Committee notes this limit may not protect people with high blood pressure, electrolyte or fluid-balance disorders, slow gut transit, or reduced 11β-HSD2 activity.
- 《中华人民共和国药典》2020年版一部 — 甘草, 饮片 甘草片【含量测定】甘草酸 不得少于1.8%（按干燥品计算） (opens in a new tab)
- 《中华人民共和国药典》2020年版一部 — 炙甘草【含量测定】甘草酸 不得少于1.0%（按干燥品计算） (opens in a new tab)
- EU Scientific Committee on Food, Opinion on glycyrrhizinic acid and its ammonium salt, SCF/CS/ADD/EDUL/225 Final (10 April 2003) (opens in a new tab)
- EMA/HMPC/108399/2024 — European Union herbal monograph on Glycyrrhiza glabra L.; Glycyrrhiza inflata Bat.; Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch., radix, §4.9 Overdose (opens in a new tab)
| Herb | Amount | % | Role | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Ge Gen
as printed: 葛根四两 (4 liang); 62.5 g at 1 liang = 15.625 g (p. 64)
|
62.5g | 26.67% | — | |
|
Ma Huang
as printed: 麻黄三两（去节） (3 liang, remove nodes); 46.875 g at 1 liang = 15.625 g (p. 64)
|
46.88g | 20% | — | |
|
Gan Cao
as printed: 甘草二两（炙） (2 liang, mix-fried); 31.25 g at 1 liang = 15.625 g (p. 64)
|
31.25g | 13.33% | — | |
|
Bai Shao
as printed: 芍药二两 (2 liang); 31.25 g at 1 liang = 15.625 g (p. 64); the book's formula note 1 identifies the peony as raw white peony (生白芍药)
|
31.25g | 13.33% | — | |
|
Gui Zhi
as printed: 桂枝二两（去皮） (2 liang, remove bark); 31.25 g at 1 liang = 15.625 g (p. 64)
|
31.25g | 13.33% | — | |
|
Sheng Jiang
as printed: 生姜二两（切） (2 liang, sliced); 31.25 g at 1 liang = 15.625 g (p. 64)
|
31.25g | 13.33% | — | |
|
Ban Xia
as printed: 半夏半升（洗） (half sheng, washed; a volume, no gram weight given)
|
g | — | — | |
|
Da Zao
as printed: 大枣十二枚（擘） (12 pieces, broken)
|
12pieces | 100% | — |
Energetics dose-weighted
The formula's overall nature, taste balance and channel reach, weighted by each herb's dose. Classical formulas often pair warm and cool herbs on purpose, so a net figure summarises the mix — it doesn't describe every herb in it.
Nature
Net neutral (+0.07)
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Grams by band: cool 40%, neutral 13%, warm 47%.
Pairs warm and cool. 47% of the weighed grams are warm or hot and 40% cool or cold — the net is their average, not the whole story.
Taste
- pungent 43%
- sweet 33%
- sour 7%
- bitter 17%
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Channels reached
- Spleen 67%
- Lung 60%
- Stomach 53%
- Heart 27%
- Liver 13%
Share of the grams entering each channel, from 100% of the weighed grams.
2 herbs without a dose in grams, so left out of every figure above: Ban Xia, Da Zao.
Dose-weighted from each herb's recorded nature, taste and channels (missing values are left out, never counted as neutral). It describes the composition — it is not a recommendation.
Preparation
(1) [For] the above eight ingredients use one dǒu of water. First boil pueraria (gé gēn) and ephedra (má huáng) to reduce [the water] by two shēng. Remove the white foam and add all the ingredients. Boil to get three shēng, remove the dregs, and take one shēng, warm. (2) Cover [with bedclothes] to obtain mild sweating. (Mitchell, Feng & Wiseman 1999, pp. 112–113, Line 33)
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Formula family
Full equations
- This formula = Gui Zhi Gan Cao Tang + Ge Gen Tang + Xiao Ban Xia Tang. Relative doses differ by up to about 2× from the catalogue's Gui Zhi Gan Cao Tang.
Each entry reads as the larger formula written out: “+” adds its other catalogue cores, then the herbs none of them hold. A catalogue formula counts as a core only when at least 80% of its herbs are present, no more than 1 is absent, and the absent herb is not its chief.
Formula Network
Formulas that share herbs with this one — the closer to the centre, the stronger the match. Click a node to explore.
Similar Formulas by composition
Match score combines dosage-weighted composition (cosine, 70%) with shared-herb overlap (Jaccard, 30%).
Traditional formula information is for educational purposes only. Herbal formulas should be prescribed by a qualified practitioner — dosages and combinations are individualized and can interact with medications.
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