WH Acupuncture & Herbs Centre

Poria,Cinnamon,Bighead Atractylodes and Licorice Decoction ling gui zhu gan tang

[SOURCE]:Treatise on Cold-Attack

[INGREDIENTS]: Poria 12g,  Cinnamon twig 9g,  Bighead atractylodes rhizome 6g,  Roasted licorice root 6g 

[DIRECTIONS]:Decoct all the above herbs in water for oral administration.

[EFFECTS]: Warming and Resolving phlegm and fluid-retention, strenthening the spleen and dispelling dampness.

[INDICATIONS]: Syndrome of phlegm and fluid tetention due to deficiency of middle-yang marked by stuffy chest and hypochondrium, dizziness, palpitation, or cough, shortness of breathe, white and watery coating of tongue and taut and slip­pery pulse.

[ANALYSIS OF FORMULA]:It is a common formula for treatment of phlegm and fluid, retention of phlegm and fluid retention. Poria as a principal herb in the formula is used in large dose with the effects of strengthening the spleen and ex­creting dampness. Cinnamon twig as an assistant herbs warms yang to promote transformative function of qi, and meanwhile, lowers the adverse qi. The combina­tion of these two herbs, one being diuresis and the other being of warmer nature, can warm, and resolve retention of cold-phlegm-and-fluid. Since dampness comes from the spleen, deficiency of the spleen may lead to formation of dampness. Thus, bighead atractylodes rhizome is used as an adjuvant herb to strengthen the spleen and dry dampness and to assist the spleen in transporting and transforming water-dampness. Roasted licorice root as a dispatcher herb replenishes qi and har­monizes the middle. The combination of these four herbs, functioning in warming without hot nature and promoting diuresis without purgation, results in warming yang to resolve fluid-retention and strengthening the spleen to excrete dampness.

This formula is often used for chronic bronchitis, bronchial asthma, conges­tive heart failure and chronic nephritis manifested as edema due to yang deficien­cy.

[ASSOCIATED FORMULA]:

Licorice, Dried Ginger, Poria and Bighead Atractylodes Decoction (gan cao gan jiang fu ling bai zhu tang)---甘草干姜茯苓白术汤

SOURCE: Synopsis of Prescriptions from the Golden Chamber

[INGREDIENTS]:Licorice root 6g,   Dried ginger 12g,   Poria 12g,  Bighead atractylodes rhizome 6g

[DIRECTIONS]: Decoct all the herbs in water for oral administration, three times a day.

[EFFECTS]:Warming the earth (spleen) to dispel dampness.

[INDICATIONS]: Kidney-stagnation due to downward attack of cold-dampness marked by tired body, cold feeling and pain in the lower body, normal food intake and urine.

Notes: This formula is Poria, Cinnamon, Bighead Atractylodes and Licorice Decoction minus cinnamon twig but plus dried ginger. Poria and dried ginger in the formula are used in large dose to warm the middle and dispel dampness. It is mainly used for kidney-stagnation syndrome due to downward attack of cold- dampness. Decoction of Poria, Cinnamon, Bighead Atractylodes and Licorice is in­dicated for retention of phlegm and fluid due to deficiency of the middle-yang. So more attention should be paid to the difference between them in clinical practice.