San huang tang
ma huang 15 huang qi 30 xi xin 6 du huo 12 huang qin 9
This is not a Zhang Zhong Jing formula. It comes from Bei ji qian jin yin yua fang.
San huang tang is indicated for wind stroke with hypertonia of the extremities, pain in the hundred joints, vexing heat disturbing the heart, aversion to cold, and no desire to eat and drink for several days.
Treatment here includes exterior clearing, yang qi tonifying, and heat clearing methods, and san huang tang is the selected formula.
Due to deficiency of yang qi, contraction of external wind cold will stagnate in the channels to cause aversion to cold, hypertonia in the four extremities, and joint pain.
Ma huang, Ephedrae herba is bitter descending of the lung. It is pungent dispersing of the imperial and ministerial fire. It enters the lung and bladder channel, it opens the surface, and dispels the cold on the surface. Further it dissipates lung qi and pacifies panting through opening the closed lung qi.
Ma huang strongly raises shao yin heart yang to the surface to restore circulation.
Huang qi, Astragali radix is sweet and warm tonifying and nourishing. Huang qi connects the tai yin with the tai yang. It raises clear qi to the chest and the 100 vessels.
Huang qi is warm and sweet, and tonifies and raises qi of tai yin, nourishes yin and blood, generates fluids. It is the core taxation herb. It counters the collapse of yang and blood.
Xi xin, Asari herba is pungent dispersing of the liver blood and the ministerial fire. It is pungent dispersing of the heart, kidneys and lungs. It is pungent dispersing of the tai yang channel.
Warms the yang channels on the surface while warming the interior yin organs.
Du huo, Angelicae pubescentis radix is pungent, bitter and warm. It clears the surface of cold, promotes sweating and dispels wind while also eliminating dampness on the surface and in the limbs. It treats mainly the lower and inner body.
Ma huang, huang qi, xi xin and du huo disperse yang qi outwards to the channels while huang qi clears heat from blood stagnation and ensuring circulation of the ministerial fire.
Huang qin, Scutellaria radix is bitter draining and cooling of heat in the san jiao, stomach domain, lungs, liver, gall bladder, and bladder.
Cold and bitter it is the great cleaner. It clears heat and dampness, in all three burners, and in yang ming, tai yin, shao yang, and jue yin.
In clearing heat it cools blood which when hot gives way to excessive bleeding or flaring of ministerial fire.
Huang qin is working together in clearing dampness.