Su Zi Jiang Qi Tang
Star苏子降气汤 (Perilla Fruit Decoction for Directing the Qi Downward)
Source: Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang (650)
Last updated October 1, 2026
Description
Su Zi Jiang Qi Tang (Perilla Fruit Decoction for Directing the Qi Downward), from the Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang, is used to direct rebellious Lung-Qi downward; arrest wheezing; stop cough; transform cold-phlegm.
Presentation: weak Kidney-Yang with chronic cold-phlegm in the Lung plus exterior wind-cold; cough with copious watery sputum; stifling chest; shallow breath, short inhalation and long exhalation; tiredness; weak back; edema; tongue: white and sticky coating; pulse: rapid and restless.
Syndrome: Syndrome of Qi stagnation in the Lung.
Composition strategy:
- moving plus tonifying, drying plus moistening herbs; Upper and Lower-Jiao; root and branch
- emphasis on the manifestation - designed for acute wheezing
Source: Yang Y. Chinese Herbal Formulas: Treatment Principles and Composition Strategies. Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, 2010, p. 267.
Composition
| Herb | Amount | % | Role | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Zi Su Zi
as printed: Zi Su Zi (Perillae fructus)
|
9g | 20% | Jun (Chief) | descend Qi, eliminate phlegm, arrest wheezing |
|
Ban Xia
as printed: Ban Xia (Pinelliae rhizoma)
|
9g | 20% | Chen (Deputy) | descend Qi, dry cold-phlegm |
|
Hou Po
as printed: Hou Po (Magnoliae cortex)
|
6g | 13.33% | Chen (Deputy) | descend Qi, dry cold-phlegm |
|
Qian Hu
as printed: Qian Hu (Peucedani radix)
|
6g | 13.33% | Chen (Deputy) | descend Qi, stop cough |
|
Dang Gui
as printed: Dang Gui (Angelicae sinensis radix)
|
6g | 13.33% | Zuo (Assistant) | nourish Liver-blood; with Rou Gui support Liver and Kidney |
|
Rou Gui
as printed: Rou Gui (Cinnamomi cassiae cortex)
|
3g | 6.67% | Zuo (Assistant) | warm Kidney-Yang to grasp Qi, aid water metabolism |
|
Zi Su Ye
as printed: Zi Su Ye (Perillae folium)
|
5pieces | 71.43% | Zuo (Assistant) | disperse Lung-Qi, expel superficial wind-cold |
|
Sheng Jiang
as printed: Sheng Jiang (Zingiberis rhizoma recens)
|
2pieces | 28.57% | Zuo (Assistant) | aid digestion, strengthen Middle-Jiao, prevent phlegm |
|
Da Zao
as printed: Da Zao (Jujubae fructus)
|
1piece | 100% | Zuo (Assistant) | strengthen Middle-Jiao |
|
Gan Cao
as printed: Zhi Gan Cao (Glycyrrhizae radix preparata)
|
6g | 13.33% | Shi (Envoy) | harmonize |
Dui Yao — Core Herb Pairs
The classical two-herb combinations at the heart of this formula, as recorded on the herbs' own pages — each pair has an action neither herb has alone.
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 warm (+0.67)
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Grams by band: cool 13%, neutral 13%, warm 67%, hot 7%.
Small but decisive: Rou Gui 3g (hot, 7% of the grams). Dose weighting nearly cancels a herb this small, but it may be what the formula is for.
Taste
- pungent 63%
- sweet 23%
- bitter 13%
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Channels reached
- Lung 80%
- Spleen 67%
- Stomach 47%
- Large intestine 33%
- Heart 33%
- Liver 20%
Share of the grams entering each channel, from 100% of the weighed grams.
3 herbs without a dose in grams, so left out of every figure above: Zi Su Ye, Sheng Jiang, 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
Source: grind to fine powder and take 6g as a draft with 2 slices fresh ginger and 3 jujubes. The Taiping formulary version omits chen pi and adds 5 perilla leaves. Now usually decocted at the parenthetical doses with those additions (ginger, perilla leaf and jujube serve as envoys).
Source: Scheid V, Bensky D, Ellis A, Barolet R. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies, 2nd ed. Eastland Press, 2009, p. 537.
Click a node for details · double-click to expand it · Ctrl/⌘ + scroll or two fingers to zoom and pan.
Formula family
Full herb lists
- This formula = Ban Xia Hou Po Tang without Fu Ling + Zi Su Zi, Qian Hu, Da Zao, Dang Gui, Rou Gui and Gan Cao
- This formula = Xiao Ban Xia Tang + Ban Xia Hou Po Tang + Zi Su Zi, Qian Hu, Da Zao, Dang Gui, Rou Gui and Gan Cao
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.
📝 Notes
Public notes from the community and your own private notes on Su Zi Jiang Qi Tang.
No notes yet.