Ma Xing Gan Shi Tang (麻杏甘石汤)

Name

Decoction of Ephedra, Apricot Kernel, Gypsum and Licorice

The Prescription of 麻杏甘石汤

Source

The book Shang Han Lun

Ingredients

Ma Huang (Herba Ephedrae) 5 g,Xing Ren (Semen Armeniacae Amarum) 9 g,Zhi Gan Cao (Radix Glycyrrhizae Preparata) 6 g,Shi Gao (Gypsum Fibrosum) 18 g.

Explanation

Ma Huang: The principal drug, being pungent and bitter in flavor and warm in nature, facilitating the flow of the lung-Qi to relieve asthma.

Shi Gao: Being pungent and sweet in flavor and very cold in nature, facilitating the flow of the lung-Qi to clear away the lung-heat and preventing the other drugs warm in nature from producing heat, with its dose as two times as that of Ma Huang.

Xing Ren: Descending the lung-Qi, assisting Ma Huang and Shi Gao in removing heat from the lung to relieve asthma.

Zhi Gan Cao: Invigorating Qi and regulating the stomach, uniting Shi Gao to promote the production of body fluids to quench thrist, regulating the cold or warm nature and ascending or descending actions of the other ingredients.

The Effect of 麻杏甘石汤

Effect

Dispersing superficial pathogens, removing heat from the lung to relieve asthma.

Indications

Syndrome due to the attack of wind-heat on the lung or stagnated wind-cold which has turned into heat and stayed in the lung, marked by fever, cough, shortness of breath, nasal flare, thirst with or without sweat, whitish thin or yellowish tongue coating and slippery rapid pulse; including such diseases with the above symptoms as acute tracheitis, lobar pneumonia, infantile bronchopneumonia, scarlet fever, urticaria, chronic tracheitis, bronchial asthma, etc.

Administrations

Decocted in water for oral dose to be taken twice.