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Ge Gen Tang: a classic recipe of traditional Chinese medicine

Writer's picture: Hongji MedicalHongji Medical

Ge Gen Tang, from the Han Dynasty medical classic "Treatise on Febrile Diseases and Miscellaneous Diseases", is a widely used Chinese medicine prescription for treating exogenous cold. Its main effects include relieving muscle and relieving symptoms, raising yang and clearing rashes, promoting body fluid and quenching thirst. It is particularly suitable for treating colds, measles, urticaria and many other diseases. This article will introduce in detail the composition, efficacy, indications and application of Pueraria root soup in modern medicine.


Explanation of the recipe for Ge Gen Tang


Source

Gegen Tang comes from "Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases", which was created by Zhang Zhongjing, a famous physician in the Eastern Han Dynasty. This book is one of the important classics of Chinese medicine and has had a profound impact on the development of Chinese medicine in later generations.


Pueraria root soup
葛根湯

Prescription composition and explanation


The main drug

  • Pueraria root : Its main functions are to relieve muscle and release the exterior, raise yang and clear rash, and promote the production of body fluid and quench thirst. It is responsible for relieving the exterior and dispelling cold, and is the main drug in the prescription.


Assistant medicine (assisting the main medicine)

  • Ephedra : Induces sweat and relieves exterior symptoms, dispels wind and cold, and relieves cough. Ephedra and Pueraria root are paired together, one is cold and the other is hot, one is dispersing and the other is astringing, and they can treat wind and cold exterior symptoms together.

  • Cinnamon twig : warms the yang and relieves the symptoms, dispels cold and relieves pain, and harmonizes the Ying and Wei. It promotes the circulation of Qi and blood, helps dispel cold, relieve pain, and relieve pain.


Pueraria root soup
葛根湯

Adjuvant (assisting the main drug and auxiliary drug)

  • White Peony Root : nourishes blood and softens the liver, relieves acute pain, and harmonizes the ascending and dispersing nature of Pueraria root. It prevents Pueraria root from excessively consuming body fluids, relieves muscle soreness, and improves the patient's comfort.

  • Licorice : harmonizes the properties of the medicine, detoxifies, relieves muscle pain, and relieves cough. Licorice harmonizes the warmth of ephedra and relieves the coldness of kudzu root, making the properties of the medicine more peaceful and enhancing the overall therapeutic effect.


Guide the medicine to the diseased area

  • Ginger : It can dispel cold and relieve the symptoms of colds. It can dispel wind and cold, treat fever, headache, nasal congestion and other symptoms caused by colds, and relieve symptoms such as stomach upset and vomiting caused by the sweating effect of ephedra in kudzu root soup.

  • Jujube : moderates the medicinal properties and harmonizes the spleen and stomach. It moderates the pungent and dry nature of ephedra, making the medicinal effect more peaceful, replenishing the middle qi, strengthening the spleen and stomach, helping the spleen and stomach to better absorb the medicinal ingredients in the kudzu root soup and improve the efficacy.


Pueraria root soup
葛根

The main efficacy of Ge Gen Tang


Ge Gen Tang is mainly used to treat various symptoms caused by exogenous wind and cold, including:

  • Pulse : floating pulse

  • Tongue : Thin white tongue coating

  • Pain : neck pain, shoulder and neck pain, headache, body aches, facial pain, forehead pain, temporomandibular joint pain, upper back pain, shoulder joint pain, shoulder pain at the junction of the shoulder and neck, pain near the thenar eminence of the palm, pain near the Hegu point, knee swelling and pain, toothache, back pain

  • Symptoms : fever, clenched teeth, unable to open mouth, diarrhea, fear of cold, itchy skin, rash, difficulty sweating, fear of wind, sneezing, runny nose, nasal congestion, vomiting, vomiting and diarrhea, irritability, excessive phlegm


"Blockage causes pain." When the meridians are blocked by (cold and dampness) or the energy of the meridians is gone or dried up, pain may occur due to meridian loss of nourishment. By reconnecting the blocked meridians and allowing the water and nutrient qi to flow unimpeded, the pain caused by the blocked energy can be relieved.




Modern diseases


Ge Gen Tang is widely used in modern medicine to treat a variety of diseases, including:

  • Respiratory system : colds, measles, urticaria, frozen shoulder, primary hypertension, enteritis, chronic rhinitis

  • Nervous system : breast nodules, eczema, stye, facial itching, acute pharyngitis, bruxism during sleep, myocarditis, pericarditis


Pueraria root soup
葛根湯的使用

Modern Applications of Ge Gen Tang


Respiratory diseases

In modern clinical practice, Pueraria root soup is widely used to treat respiratory diseases, such as influenza, acute bronchitis, pneumonia, allergic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, etc. Its main clinical application points include fever, chills, headache, neck stiffness, and floating pulse.


Neuromotor disorders

Pueraria root soup is also used to treat various neuromotor system dysfunctions, such as cervical spondylosis, facial nerve paralysis, fibromyalgia, various neuropathic pains, piriformis syndrome, frozen shoulder, shoulder coagulation syndrome, etc. These diseases often occur in middle-aged and elderly people, and the pathogenesis is inseparable from the imbalance of qi and blood, and the disharmony of meridians. The cause is closely related to the stagnation of cold and dampness in the meridians.


Pueraria root soup
葛根湯

The effect of Pueraria root can go from the back around the top of the head to the face, so Pueraria root (soup) can eliminate inflammation of the head. For example, conjunctivitis in Western medicine can be treated with Pueraria root soup plus Platycodon grandiflorum and other prescriptions. Sometimes it can even treat partial (facial) trigeminal neuralgia.


Digestive system diseases

According to Treatise on Febrile Diseases, Pueraria Decoction can treat diarrhea caused by combined diseases of the Taiyang meridian and the Yangming meridian. Therefore, it is often used in modern clinical practice to treat a variety of digestive system diseases, such as dysentery, enteritis, gastrointestinal colds, and autumn diarrhea in children.


ENT diseases

Ge Gen Tang can also be used to treat ENT-related diseases, such as toothache, stye, eyelid abscess, hearing loss, dryness and heat in the mouth and nose, and aphonia.




Modern laboratory research on Ge Gen Tang


Study on the difference of sweating effect

Japanese scholars have administered "Kuanggen Decoction", "Ephedra Decoction" and "Guizhi Decoction" to 10 patients, and observed the temperature changes of their backs and necks with a medical thermal imager 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 minutes after taking the medicine. The results showed that the skin temperature of the "Kuanggen Decoction" group gradually increased from 5 to 20 minutes after administration, and there was a downward trend at 30 minutes.



Ten minutes after taking Ma Huang Tang, the subjects began to sweat and the skin temperature in the thermogram decreased. After taking Gui Zhi Tang, the skin temperature increased, but no sweating was observed. At the end of the test, the skin temperature did not change significantly. This shows that although the three prescriptions are all diaphoretic and antipyretic agents, there are also differences.


Anti-inflammatory effect and effect on bronchial smooth muscle

Studies on rats have found that this recipe has anti-inflammatory effects and has a contraction-inhibiting effect on various smooth muscles. In vitro heart experiments have shown that this recipe tends to reduce the number of heartbeats, but significantly enhances cardiac contractility, suggesting that it has a cardiotonic effect.


Anti-allergy and immune response

Studies have found that Pueraria root soup can fight allergies and activate T3 cells (immune cells).


Antithrombotic

Experiments have found that Pueraria lobata decoction has a significant dose-effect relationship on platelet aggregation. As the dosage increases, the effect increases, and it can significantly resist thrombosis.


Activated macrophages

Studies have found that Pueraria root soup can activate macrophages in white blood cells, phagocytose (engulf and digest) dead cells, cell remnants and pathogens, and activate lymphocytes or other immune cells, speeding up their response to pathogens.


Diet therapy combined with adjunctive therapy

When using Ge Gen Tang for treatment, appropriate diet therapy can play an auxiliary role and enhance the efficacy. Kudzu root and rice porridge is a good choice.

  • Ingredients: 30g Pueraria root, 50g glutinous rice. Method: Wash the glutinous rice, put it into a clay pot with the Pueraria root, add 1000g water, and cook over low heat until the rice is cooked and the porridge is thick.

  • Effects: Pueraria root can clear away heat and dryness, promote the production of body fluids and quench thirst, and lower blood pressure and blood sugar; glutinous rice can nourish the stomach and promote the production of body fluids. Suitable for people with high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, diabetes, yin deficiency, internal heat, thirst and polydipsia.


Pueraria root and rice porridge
葛根粳米粥



Conclusion


As a traditional Chinese medicine, Ge Gen Tang has a wide range of application value and significant therapeutic effects. Its main effects include relieving muscle and relieving symptoms, raising yang and clearing rashes, and promoting the production of body fluids and quenching thirst. It is particularly suitable for treating various symptoms caused by exogenous wind and cold. In modern medicine, Pueraria root soup is widely used to treat a variety of diseases such as the respiratory system, nervous system, digestive system and ENT.


Through a detailed introduction to the composition, efficacy, indications and application of Pueraria lobata soup in modern medicine, we can better understand and apply this traditional Chinese medicine prescription. At the same time, appropriate dietary therapy can play a supporting role in treatment, enhance the efficacy and help patients recover faster.


I hope this article can provide valuable reference for TCM enthusiasts and practitioners, and promote the inheritance and development of TCM culture.

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