She Gan Ma huang Tang comes from "Jin Kui Yao Lue", a medical classic written by Zhang Zhongjing, a famous physician in the Eastern Han Dynasty. "Jin Kui Yao Lue" is a part of "Shang Han Za Bing Lun", which specifically discusses the diagnosis and treatment of various miscellaneous diseases. She Gan Ma huang Tang is used in the book to treat the symptoms of "coughing and shortness of breath, and water chicken sound in the throat", which is a typical symptom of cold drink cough and asthma.
Explanation of the recipe of She Gan Ma huang Tang
She Gan Ma huang Tang is composed of a variety of Chinese medicinal materials, which are combined according to the principle of monarch, minister, assistant and envoy. The following is a detailed explanation of each medicinal material:
Main medicine : Belamcanda chinensis, Ephedra sinica
Belamcanda : It has the effects of clearing away heat and detoxifying, dispersing phlegm and dispersing stagnation. It is mainly used to treat sore throat, phlegm and cough. The "Ben Jing" records that it "mainly treats cough and reverse qi...disperses qi stagnation". In this prescription, it is mainly used to dissipate phlegm and reduce reverse qi.
Ephedra : It has the effects of diaphoresis, relieving exterior symptoms, and clearing the lungs and relieving asthma. It is often used to treat symptoms such as exogenous wind-cold, cough and asthma. In this prescription, ephedra is mainly used to clear the lungs and relieve asthma.
Assistant medicine : ginger, radix pumila
Ginger : It has the effects of warming the middle and dispelling cold, and stopping vomiting. It is often used to treat symptoms such as exogenous wind-cold, stomach cold and vomiting. In this recipe, ginger is mainly used to warm and dispel evil and reduce adverse reactions.
Xixin : It has the effects of dispelling wind and cold, clearing the channels and relieving pain, and is often used to treat symptoms such as headache, nasal congestion, and cough. In this prescription, Xixin is mainly used to warm and disperse the evil and reduce adverse effects.
Adjuvant : Pinellia, Aster, Coltsfoot
Pinellia : It has the effects of drying dampness and resolving phlegm, lowering adverse qi and stopping vomiting, and is often used to treat symptoms such as cough and asthma with excessive phlegm, and vomiting. In this recipe, Pinellia is mainly used to lower adverse qi and resolve phlegm.
Aster : It has the effects of warming the lungs, resolving phlegm, relieving cough and asthma, and is often used to treat symptoms such as cough and asthma. In this recipe, Aster is mainly used to warm the lungs, resolve phlegm and relieve cough.
Coltsfoot : It has the effects of moistening the lungs, relieving qi, relieving cough and reducing phlegm, and is often used to treat symptoms such as cough and asthma. In this recipe, coltsfoot is mainly used to warm the lungs, reduce phlegm and relieve cough.
Adjuvant : Schisandra chinensis, jujube
Schisandra chinensis : It has the effects of astringing and strengthening the body, replenishing qi and promoting the production of body fluids. It is often used to treat chronic cough, asthma, spontaneous sweating, etc. In this recipe, Schisandra chinensis is mainly used to astringe the lung qi and prevent excessive pungent and dispersing effects from damaging the lung qi.
Jujube : It has the effects of nourishing the middle and replenishing qi, nourishing blood and calming the mind. It is often used to treat symptoms such as spleen and stomach weakness, insufficient qi and blood. In this recipe, jujube is mainly used to calm the middle, and can be used with ginger to harmonize stomach qi.
Pathogenesis of She Gan Ma huang Tang
The main pathogenesis of She Gan Ma huang Tang is "cold drink stagnates the lungs" , that is, the cold evil and dampness accumulate in the lungs, causing the normal function of the lungs to be affected. In this case, the lungs cannot normally diffuse and descend, causing phlegm to accumulate in the chest and diaphragm, blocking the circulation of qi and blood, resulting in symptoms such as chest tightness, cough, and shortness of breath.
When cold drinks stagnate in the lungs, the cold and damp air in the lungs will affect the rise and fall of the qi mechanism, causing qi to reverse and rush upward, resulting in symptoms such as coughing and wheezing. In this case, phlegm will move in the airway with the air flow, producing a phlegm sound like "water chicken in the throat". She Gan Ma huang Tang helps clear the cold drinks in the lungs and restore the normal function of the lungs by warming the lungs, transforming drinks, and clearing the lungs and reducing reverse qi.
Indications and efficacy of She Gan Ma huang Tang
She Gan Ma huang Tang is a traditional Chinese medicine prescription from the "Golden Guide", which is specifically used to treat the symptoms of "coughing and shortness of breath, and water chicken sounds in the throat", which is a typical symptom of cold drinking and coughing. She Gan Ma huang Tang is mainly used to treat coughing and asthma caused by cold drinking and stagnation of the lungs.
This prescription, She Gan Ma huang Tang, achieves the effects of warming the lungs, transforming dampness, and promoting lung function and relieving adverse symptoms through the compatibility of various Chinese medicines.She Gan Ma huang Tang in the prescription are the main ingredients, responsible for removing phlegm and relieving adverse symptoms, promoting lung function and relieving asthma; while ginger and xin are used to warm and disperse, expel evil and reduce adverse symptoms; pinellia, aster and coltsfoot are used to warm the lungs, transform dampness and relieve cough. The therapeutic principle of She Gan Ma huang Tang is to achieve the effects of expelling cold, transforming dampness, warming the lungs and relieving adverse symptoms through the compatibility of various Chinese medicines. It helps to clear the cold and dampness in the lungs, restore the normal function of the lungs, and thus relieve symptoms such as cough and asthma.
Modern Application of She Gan Ma huang Tang
Modern medical research shows that She Gan Ma huang Tang has antitussive, expectorant and antiasthmatic effects. Its expectorant effect may be due to increasing respiratory secretion and diluting sputum, while its antiasthmatic effect is due to its ability to relax smooth muscles and counteract the contraction of smooth muscles caused by acetylcholine.
She Gan Ma huang Tang is widely used in modern clinical practice to treat a variety of respiratory diseases, such as bronchitis, bronchial asthma, pediatric pneumonia, etc. In addition, it is also used to treat some cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertensive nephropathy, hypertensive heart disease, pericarditis, etc.
Notes
She Gan Ma huang Tang is a traditional Chinese medicine prescription with a heat-related nature. It is suitable for cough or asthma symptoms caused by heavy cold and dampness in the body. However, this prescription should not be used for those with lung phlegm heat syndrome. In addition, the following points should be noted when using this prescription:
Constitution identification : Shegan Mahuang Decoction is suitable for patients with cold yang deficiency constitution. It should be used with caution or not used at all for patients with heat evil or damp-heat constitution.
Dosage control : When using Shegan Mahuang Decoction, the dosage should be adjusted according to the patient's specific situation to avoid overdose.
Monitor side effects : During use, the patient's reaction should be closely observed. If any discomfort occurs, the drug should be discontinued and medical attention should be sought immediately.
Conclusion
As a classic prescription in traditional Chinese medicine, She Gan Ma huang Tang has significant effects of dispelling cold, clearing lungs, lowering adverse qi, resolving phlegm and relieving asthma. Its application in modern medicine has also been widely recognized and studied. However, when using this prescription, attention should be paid to constitution identification, dosage control and monitoring of side effects to ensure efficacy and safety. I hope this article can help readers better understand the origin, prescription explanation, indications, efficacy, modern application and precautions of Shegan Mahuang Tang.