Cang Er Zi San comes from Jisheng Fang, a traditional Chinese medicine prescription mainly used to treat nasal sinusitis (chronic sinusitis in modern medicine). This prescription is also described in detail in Yifang Jijie by Wang Ang in the Qing Dynasty and is widely used in clinical practice.
Explanation of the prescription of Cang Er San
Cang Er Zi San is composed of the following Chinese herbs:
Fructus Corydalis : sweet and warm, it has the functions of dispelling wind and dampness, clearing the channels and relieving pain, and is good at treating nasal congestion. The "Compendium of Materia Medica" mentions: "It is the only one that can reach the top of the head and clear the wind and cold in the brain."
Angelica dahurica : pungent, warm and fragrant, it can dispel wind and clear the meridians, and is good at treating Yangming headache (foreheadache).
Magnolia : It is pungent and warm in nature, and can dispel wind evil and dredge nasal passages. "Southern Yunnan Materia Medica" mentions it: "It can treat brain leakage and nasal passages."
Peppermint : Spicy and cool, it helps the above three medicines to dispel wind and clear the bowels, and it can also control the disadvantages of their spicy and dry properties that cause heat, and it can also disperse the blocked heat evil.
Scallion : raises yang and promotes ventilation.
Tea is clear : bitter and cold, it moves downward, causing the clear to rise and the turbid to fall, dispersing wind and heat while solidifying the cerebral fluid.

How to use Cang Er San
The traditional method of taking the medicine is to grind it into fine powder, take 6 grams at a time, 3 times a day, and take it with green onions and tea after meals. You can also take 1/3 of the above medicine, including 5 grams of mint leaves, boil it in water twice and take it twice, 2 doses a day.
Pathogenesis of the indications of Cang Er San
Cang'er San is mainly used to treat nasal sinusitis, which is a disease name in traditional Chinese medicine and is called chronic sinusitis in modern medicine.
The main symptoms of sinusitis include nasal congestion, runny nose, loss of smell and forehead headache. These symptoms are usually caused by wind evil invading the lungs, resulting in stagnation of lung qi, which in turn affects the smoothness of the nasal passages.

The main ingredients of Cang Er Zi San, such as Cang'er Fructus, Angelica Dahurica and Magnolia, have the effects of dispelling wind and cold, clearing the bowels and relieving pain, and can effectively relieve these symptoms.
In traditional Chinese medicine theory, the occurrence of nasal congestion is related to the dysfunction of the lungs, spleen, and kidneys. The lungs control qi and breathing, and the nose is the lung's opening. When wind evil invades the lungs, the lung qi is blocked and the nasal opening is blocked, resulting in symptoms such as nasal congestion and runny nose.
The spleen governs transportation and transformation, and is responsible for transporting grain essence to the whole body. When the spleen is dysfunctional, dampness will be generated internally, and the dampness will invade the nasal cavity, which will also cause symptoms such as nasal congestion and runny nose. The kidney governs water, and is responsible for regulating the body's water metabolism. When the kidney is dysfunctional, water metabolism is disordered, which will also affect the patency of the nasal cavity. The ingredients in Cang'er Powder can regulate the functions of the lungs, spleen, and kidneys by dispelling wind and cold, clearing the nasal cavity and relieving pain, thereby achieving the effect of treating nasal congestion.
In addition, Cang Er Zi San is also suitable for colds, chronic rhinitis, and primary hypertension. The pathogenesis of these diseases is also related to factors such as wind evil invasion, stagnation of lung qi, and endogenous dampness. The ingredients in Cang'er Powder can regulate the circulation of qi and blood throughout the body by dispelling wind and cold, clearing the bowels and relieving pain, thereby achieving the effect of treating these diseases.
Main efficacy
The main effect of Cang Er Zi San is to "dispel wind and clear the bowels", and it is particularly suitable for treating nasal congestion caused by wind and cold. Its main symptoms include:
Pulse: floating pulse
Tongue: greasy white tongue coating, thin white tongue coating
Pain: forehead pain, headache
Symptoms: sneezing, runny nose, decreased or loss of sense of smell, itchy nose, flaring nostrils, nasal congestion, itchy ears
In modern diseases, Cang'erzi powder is often used to treat colds, chronic rhinitis and primary hypertension.

Cang Er Zi San is mainly used for the condition of wind-cold in the body, especially the runny nose when encountering heat. A certain percentage of people have long-term abnormalities in the lung meridian, large intestine meridian and triple burner meridian, and are prone to nose-related diseases.
In winter and early spring, these three meridians are prone to deficiency syndrome, which makes it easy to catch a cold. As the weather gets hotter, excess syndrome will appear at the same time, making it easy to catch a cold. Regardless of whether it is deficiency syndrome or excess syndrome, it is easy to have a runny nose. If this meridian phenomenon persists for a long time, it is easy to develop chronic rhinitis.
The difference between Cang Er Zi San and Xin Yi San
Cang Er Zi San and Xinyi San are both commonly used prescriptions in traditional Chinese medicine, mainly used to treat nasal diseases such as nasal congestion and rhinitis. However, there are some differences between them in terms of composition, efficacy and indications.
There are obvious differences in the ingredients of Cang Er Zi San and Xin yi San. Cang Er Zi San is mainly composed of Cang'erzi, supplemented by Angelica dahurica, Xinyi, Mint, Shallot and Chaqing, while Xinyi Powder is mainly composed of Xinyi, supplemented by Angelica dahurica, Xixin, Chuanxiong and Saposhnikovia. This difference in ingredients also leads to differences in their efficacy and indications.
Cang Er Zi San focuses more on dispelling wind and relieving pain, and is particularly suitable for sinusitis , while Xinyi Powder focuses more on dispelling wind and cold , relieving pain, and is particularly suitable for wind-cold type nasal congestion.
In clinical application, the choice of Cang Er Zi San and Xin yi San should be determined according to the patient's specific symptoms and constitution. Cang'erzi Powder is suitable for the treatment of acute and chronic rhinitis, sinusitis, paranasal sinusitis, colds, nasal congestion, allergic rhinitis, etc., which are wind-cold nasal congestion. Xinyi Powder is suitable for the treatment of nasal congestion, headache, nasal congestion, and nasal discharge, especially for wind-cold nasal congestion. Therefore, when prescribing a prescription, the doctor should conduct syndrome differentiation and treatment according to the patient's specific situation and choose an appropriate prescription.
Modern clinical applications
In modern clinical practice, this prescription is often used for local astringency, anesthesia, protection of mucosal surfaces (especially nasal mucosa), anti-inflammatory and analgesia. It is used for acute and chronic rhinitis, sinusitis, paranasal sinusitis, colds, nasal congestion, allergic rhinitis, and those with wind-cold nasal acupoints.
It should be noted that the medicinal properties of Cang'er Powder tend to be warm, dry, pungent and dispersing, so it is not suitable for patients with wind-heat accumulation or insufficient Qi and Yin in the patient's body. When using Cang'er Powder, it should be treated according to the patient's specific symptoms and constitution under the guidance of a doctor to achieve the best therapeutic effect.
Precautions and side effects
The prescription is warm, dry, pungent and dispersing in nature, so it should not be used by patients with nasal congestion caused by wind-heat accumulation or those with insufficient Qi and Yin.
Diet therapy combined with adjunctive therapy
When using Cang Er Zi San, you can also use some dietary therapy to assist in the treatment. Xin Yi Tong Bi Tea is a good choice. The main ingredients of Xin Yi Tong Bi Tea include Xin Yi flower, Cang Er Zi and Angelica dahurica. These ingredients can be purchased at Chinese medicine stores.

Add about 500 ml of water to the pot, put the washed magnolia flowers, radix auriculae, angelica dahurica and ginger slices into the pot, bring to a boil over high heat, then turn to low heat and continue to cook for about 15 minutes. Add appropriate amount of honey to taste.
Magnolia nose-clearing tea can be taken once in the morning and evening every day, especially when the nasal congestion is severe or the early stage of a cold is more effective. When drinking, you can sip it slowly and let the tea stay in the mouth for a while so that the medicinal effect can be better exerted. It should be noted that magnolia flowers and corydalis have certain medicinal properties and should not be taken in large quantities for a long time. It is recommended to use it under the guidance of a doctor.
Conclusion
Cang Er Zi San is a traditional Chinese medicine prescription, mainly used to treat nasal congestion and other diseases. Its main effect is to "dispel wind and clear the channels", and it is particularly suitable for treating nasal congestion caused by wind and cold.
When using Cang Er Zi San, you can use some dietary therapy to assist in the treatment to achieve better results. Special attention should also be paid to the precautions and side effects to ensure safe use. I hope this article can help everyone better understand and use Cang'erzi Powder, so as to effectively treat nasal congestion and other related diseases.