Formulas that release Exterior Cold

1. Ma Huang Tang - Ephedra Decoction (W-C excess)

2. Gui Zhi Tang - Cinnamon Twig Decoction (W-C deficient)

3. Xiao Qing Long Tang - Minor Bluegreen Dragon Decoction (chronic bronchitis with W-C, damp in the middle, lots of clear copious phlegm)

4. Jiu Wei Qiang Huo Tang - Nine Herb Decoction with Notopterygium (wind, cold, damp w/ internal heat)

5. Xiang Ru San - Mosla Powder (a W-C in the summertime)

#1. Ma Huang Tang

Ma Huang Tang contains four ingredients: Ma Huang, Gui Zhi, Xing Ren, and Gan Cao.
Actions: Induces Sweat to Relieve exterior wind cold; stops cough and wheeze

Signs and Symptoms of someone who could use Ma Huang Tang:
Chills, fever (more chills than fever)
No sweating
Headache
Bodyaches
Cough and/or Wheeze

Tongue: no change
Pulse: floating and TIGHT

Functions of the herbs:

Chief: Ma Huang: acrid and warm, it releases the exterior (kicks out the evil) and disperses/relieves Lung qi in order to stop the cough and wheezing. It is not strong enough to open the pores by itself (the pore opening is what relieves the cough, by freeing up the Lung qi), so it needs its Deputy, Gui Zhi.

Deputy: Gui Zhi: Significantly increases the sweating action to release the exterior and relieve the cough/wheeze.

Assistant: Xing Ren: Descends Lung Qi to directly stop cough/wheeze.

The Envoy, Zhi Gan Cao, harmonizes the formula, and moderates the action.

Notes:

Ma Huang Tang is an exterior, excess condition (the excess is COLD). The purpose is to provide an even, minor sweat. It is contraindicated for a patient who is weak (post-partum, elderly, deficient), or tends to get skin diseases (boils/furuncles) because they have a heat toxin in the body, someone who has damp heat int the lower burner (a recurrent lin condition - UTI), someone with heat in the blood or lung - nosebleeds, other bleeding tendencies, is already sweating and wei qi deficient, as deep, slow Kidney pulses (a severe blood deficiency), high blood pressure, or is yin deficient.

#2. Gui Zhi Tang


Gui Zhi Tang includes Gui Zhi, Bai Shao, Sheng Jiang, Da Zao, and Zhi Gan Cao. It serves to relieve the muscle layer to treat the exterior and it harmonizes the ying and wei.

A patient needing Gui Zhi Tang has Exterior Wind Cold and is Wei Qi deficient. Their signs and symptoms would be:

Chills, Fever (more chills)
body ache
head ache
and SOME sweating (but the evil is not be relieved by this sweat)

The sweating is injuring the qi and ying, and with the ying being deficient, the evil cannot be pushed out with the sweat. So, Gui Zhi Tang harmonies the ying and wei.

Chief: Gui Zhi: Acrid and warm, Gui Zhi acts to push the evil out from the muscle layer (not to open the pores at skin level). It has a mild sweating action.

Deputy: Bai Shao: Strengthens the ying and yin. Bai Shao tonifies the blood, and astringes yin/sweat. It gives strength so that Gui Zhi can push the evil out.

Assistants:
Sheng Jiang: acrid and warm, it helps to disperse
Da Zao: helps to build qi, ying/yin to tonify the middle

Sheng Jiang and Da Zao serve as a secondary pair to Gui Zhi and Bai Shao.

Envoy: Gan Cao: Assists in the middle to build qi, blood, yin, yang, and harmonizes the actions of the other herbs.

Gui Zhi Tang is a mild sweating formula (vs. Ma Huang Tang - strong sweating), and treats a deficient person who has wind cold.


#3. Xiao Qing Long Tang (Minor Bluegreen Dragon Decoction)

Xiao Qing Long Tang includes Ma Huang and Gui Zhi (the chief herbs), deputies Gan Jiang and Xi Xin, three assistants Wu Wei Zi, Bai Shao, and Ban Xia, and the ever present Zhi Gan Cao, for a total of eight herbs.

It is an acrid and warm formula that relieves exterior wind cold, but also serves to eliminate fluid in the epigastric region due to Spleen qi deficiency. This formula is for someone is has chronic bronchitis as well as wind cold.

Signs and Symptoms:

Chills, fever
headache
body ache
cough/wheeze
and...
copious diluted phlegm coming out of the lungs
difficulty breathing

Xiao Qing Long Tang helps the fluid to descend. Specifically, here's what the herbs are doing:

Chiefs: Ma Huang & Gui Zhi - releasing the exterior, causing sweating
Deputies: Gan Jiang and Xi Xin - dispersing fluids up (gan jiang), and down (Xi Xin) through urination, thereby relieving cough and wheeze & edema.
Assistants:
Ban Xia is drying the damp, moving qi down, eliminating the phlegm
while Wu Wei Zi and Bai Shao are protecting by tonifying the blood and astringing the yin to protect the body from the acrid, dispersing herbs.

Xiao Qing Long Tang is used to relieve the exterior. Once a sweat is induced, stop taking it.

#4. Jiu Wei Qiang Huo Tang: Nine Herb Decoction with Qiang Huo

I cannot find a picture of the Nine herb decoction...a formula which induces sweating to relieve wind, cold, AND damp as well as draining interior heat (Huang Qin and Sheng Di do this). This is for someone who already has an interior heat condition and then catches a cold (W-C-D), therefore they need a lot of different herbs (Jiu - nine) to address the dual nature of what is happening.

The signs and symptoms of someone with this somewhat complex condition are:

Exterior W-C-Damp:
chills, fever
BODY ACHE
Head ache
RIGID NECK
MUSCLE, JOINT PAIN
(cough and phlegm are not so marked in this condition)

Internal Heat Signs:
Thirst
Bitter taste

T: Red with yellow coat, reflecting the internal heat

Herbs:

Chief: Qiang Huo (relieves exterior, acrid, relieves pain, goes to UB/KD, eliminates damp, occipital headache)

Deputies (5):
Fang Feng (ext. w-c-d, pain)
Cang Zhu (relieves w-c-d)
Xi Xin (relieves W-C-D)
Chuan Xiong (disperse Wind Cold, temporal headache)
Bai Zhi (frontal headache, elim damp, stop pain, ST channel)

Assistants (2 - for internal heat):
Huang Qin - elim heat in qi aspect, dries damp
Sheng Di - elim heat in blood aspect

Envoy: Gan Cao


and finally, Xiang Ru San

#5. Xiang Ru San

This formula is for when you catch Wind-Cold in the summertime, (or for interior Damp-Cold). There is no heat present and this is NOT summerheat.

Just three herbs:

Chief: Xiang Ru (frankincense - the Ma Huang for the summer): it is acrid, warm, fragrant, releases exterior Wind Cold, transforms damp, and promotes urine. It has a sweating action.

Deputy: Bai Bian Dou: addresses internal damp cold. It is slightly warm.

Assistant: Hou Po - dries damp, moves qi, it is acrid, bitter, warm.

This patient will have:

chills, fever
bodyache
headache
NO sweat
can have signs of damp in the interior:
Fatigue
n/v, diarrhea
chest fullness
abdominal pain

P: floating
T: white greasy coat

A cold, plus too much cold food (ice cream, etc.).

On to formulas for Wind-heat!