Formulas that release the exterior
Ma huang tang
Ephedra Decoction
- Chinese name
- 麻黄汤
- Group
- Formulas that release the exterior
- English name
- Ephedra Decoction
- Basic formula
- ✓
Warm, stimulating and diaphoretic; expels wind-cold and works against asthma.
Indications
For the 'greater yang' stage with excess: fever, chills with aversion to cold, inability to sweat, an aching body, headache and asthma. With the right picture, for colds, asthma, cough and bronchitis.
Ingredients
| Ingredients | Amount |
|---|---|
| Ma huang (ephedra) | 6–9 g |
| Cinnamon twig (gui zhi) | 6–9 g |
| Apricot kernel (xing ren)toxic | no amount |
| Honey-fried licorice (zhi gan cao) | 3–6 g |
- Tongue
- thin white coating
- Pulse
- superficial and slow
Variations
- For arthritis from wind, cold and damp: add bai zhu (ma huang jia zhu tang).
- For a cold with sweating, headache, blocked nose and cough with phlegm: omit cinnamon twig (san ao tang).
- With gypsum instead of cinnamon twig: ma xing shi gan tang, for internal heat and thirst.
- With Job's tears instead of cinnamon twig: ma xing yi gan tang, for rheumatic pain from dampness in the muscles, chilblains, eczema, dandruff, calluses and corns.
- With gypsum and fresh ginger added: da qing long tang ('major blue-green dragon'), for higher fever with restlessness, aversion to cold, aching muscles, no sweating, asthma, thirst and oedema.
Note
The book uses this as an example of the hierarchy in a formula: ma huang as emperor, cinnamon twig as minister, apricot kernel as assistant and licorice as servant.