【Source】

“Su Shen Liang Fang (1075)”, “Song Ya Zun Sheng (1696)” Volume 11.

 【Ingredients】

Notopterygium Rhizome Tip, Bupleurum Root Tip, Astragalus Root, Raw Licorice Root Tip, Scutellaria Root, Anemarrhena Rhizome, Licorice Root, Raw Rehmannia Root, Siler Root Tip, Stephania Root, Peach Kernel, Apricot Kernel, Angelica Root, Safflower, Cimicifuga Rhizome Tip, Phellodendron Bark, Gentian Root, Gypsum Fibrosum
(18)

 【Categories】

<Tonify Blood>: Angelica Root

<Clear Heat and Cool Blood>: Raw Rehmannia Root

<Tonify Spleen and Middle Jiao>: Licorice Root, Raw Licorice Root Tip

<Release Exterior with Cool-Acrid Herbs>: Bupleurum Root Tip, Cimicifuga Rhizome Tip

<Clear Heat and Dry Dampness>: Phellodendron Bark, Scutellaria Root, Gentian Root

<Tonify Qi>: Astragalus Root

<Release Exterior with Warm-Acrid Herbs>: Notopterygium Rhizome Tip, Siler Root Tip

<Invigorate Blood and Dispel Stasis>: Peach Kernel, Safflower

<Dispel Wind-Dampness>: Stephania Root

<Clear Heat and Purge Fire>: Gypsum Fibrosum, Anemarrhena Rhizome

<Stop Cough and Relieve Asthma>: Apricot Kernel

【Functions】

Dispel damp-heat.

 【Indications】

Wasting-thirst syndrome (eating a lot but remaining thin), dry mouth and tongue, spontaneous sweating, constipation, frequent urination.

 【Mnemonic】

<Clear Heat>: (represented by initial syllables of) Gypsum, Anemarrhena, Scutellaria, Phellodendron, Gentian, Raw Rehmannia; (rearranged as) ‘Er Huang’ (the two Huangs), Gentian, Raw Rehmannia, Gypsum, Anemarrhena. <Release Exterior>: Cimicifuga, Bupleurum, Siler, Notopterygium. <Tonify/Invigorate Blood>: Angelica, Safflower, Peach Kernel. <Remaining>: Astragalus, Licorice, Apricot Kernel → The two Huangs (Scutellaria and Phellodendron) boldly claimed they were ‘highly knowledgeable individuals’ (a wordplay on ‘Gao Zhi’ which represents Gypsum and Anemarrhena, and sounds like ‘high knowledge’). They ‘lit firewood’ (referring to Cimicifuga and Bupleurum) to ‘prevent robbery’ (referring to Siler and Notopterygium). When the ‘popular peaches’ (referring to Angelica, Safflower, and Peach Kernel) ripened, ‘old Gan’ (referring to Licorice) luckily bought them (referring to Apricot Kernel and implicitly Astragalus).