Description
Ma Huang Lian Qiao Chi Xiao Dou Tang (Ephedra, Forsythia, and Rice Bean Decoction), from Treatise on Cold Damage (Shang Han Lun).
Actions: Scatter wind and diffuse the lung, clear heat, and drain dampness
Indications: Indicated for the treatment of edema due to wind and water pathogens attacking the exterior, with edema begun from eyelid to total body, more evident in the head and face, bright skin color, depressed skin when pressing but regained with removing of hands, scanty and reddish urine, fever, sore throat, nasal obstruction, cough, pale tongue with thin and yellow coating, and floating pulse
Category: Formulas That Clear Heat and Dispel Dampness.
Source: Xi S, Gong Y. Essentials of Chinese Materia Medica and Medical Formulas: New Century Traditional Chinese Medicine. Academic Press/Elsevier, 2017, pp. 755–759.
Composition
| Herb | Amount | % | Role | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Chi Xiao Dou
as printed: Semen Phaseoli (chi xiao dou) 30 g
|
30g | 30.3% | — | |
|
Sang Bai Pi
as printed: Cortex Mori (sang bai pi) 30 g
|
30g | 30.3% | — | |
|
Xing Ren
as printed: Semen Armeniacae Amarum (ku xing ren) 15 g
|
15g | 15.15% | — | |
|
Ma Huang
as printed: Herba Ephedrae (ma huang) 6 g
|
6g | 6.06% | — | |
|
Lian Qiao
as printed: Fructus Forsythiae (lian qiao) 6 g
|
6g | 6.06% | — | |
|
Sheng Jiang
as printed: Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens (sheng jiang) 6 g
|
6g | 6.06% | — | |
|
Gan Cao
as printed: Radix et Rhizoma Glycyrrhizae Praeparata cum Melle (zhi gan cao) 6 g
|
6g | 6.06% | — | |
|
Da Zao
as printed: Fructus Jujubae (da zao) 12 pieces
|
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 slightly cool (-0.39)
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Grams by band: cold 30%, cool 6%, neutral 36%, warm 27%.
Pairs warm and cool. 27% of the weighed grams are warm or hot and 36% cool or cold — the net is their average, not the whole story.
Taste
- pungent 9%
- sweet 52%
- sour 15%
- bitter 24%
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Channels reached
- Lung 70%
- Spleen 42%
- Heart 42%
- Small intestine 36%
- Large intestine 15%
- Stomach 12%
Share of the grams entering each channel, from 100% of the weighed grams.
1 herb without a dose in grams, so left out of every figure above: 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
Decoct the ingredients with water for oral use
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Formula family
Full herb lists
- This formula = San Ao Tang + Chi Xiao Dou, Da Zao, Lian Qiao, Sang Bai Pi and Sheng Jiang
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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