【Source】

_Xiao Er Yao Zheng Zhi Jue (Qian Yi Fang)_ Vol. 2.

 【Composition】

Mulberry Bark, Lycium Root Bark, Raw Licorice, Japonica Rice
(4)

 【Classification】

<Tonifying Spleen and Middle Jiao>: Raw Licorice

<Stopping Cough and Calming Asthma>: Mulberry Bark

<Clearing Deficiency Heat>: Lycium Root Bark

<External Use and Others>: Japonica Rice

【Rationale】

_Yi Fang_: This is a formula for the Lung channel of the Hand Tai Yin. (1) Mulberry Bark: Sweetly benefits the deficiency of vital energy, acridly purges the excess of lung Qi, eliminates phlegm, and stops cough. (2) Lycium Root Bark: Coldly purges the hidden fire in the lungs, blandly leaches out the deficiency heat of the liver and kidneys, cools the blood, and reduces steaming. (3) Licorice: Purges fire and benefits the spleen. (4) Japonica Rice: Clears the lungs and nourishes the stomach, capable of purging heat and excreting it through the urine. (5) The lungs govern the West, hence the name “Xie Bai” (Purge White). _Shan Bu_: Ji Chu Zhong commented: The scripture states that the lungs dislike Qi rebellion. When Qi rebels, the upper jiao becomes stagnated with heat; stagnant Qi generates phlegm; stagnant fire generates heat. This leads to disharmony in regulation, and when severe, it causes asthma, fullness, swelling, and cough. White is the color of the lungs, and “Xie Bai” purges the excess lung Qi. The monarch is Mulberry Bark, which is moist and acrid, moistening dryness and purging the lungs. The minister is Lycium Root Bark, which is light and cold, lightly removing excess and coldly overcoming heat. Raw Licorice purges fire and assists Mulberry Bark and Lycium Root Bark in purging the excess of the lungs, making the metal clear and the Qi orderly, thus calming asthma and cough. This is far superior to the bitter and cold Scutellaria and Anemarrhena, which can injure the stomach. When fire and heat injure Qi, there are three treatments to save the lungs: For excess heat injuring the lungs, use Bai Hu Tang to treat the symptom; for deficiency fire attacking metal, use Sheng Mai San to treat the root; for cases where vital Qi is not injured but stagnant fire is severe, then Xie Bai San, which clears the lungs and regulates the middle, treats both symptom and root, complementing the other two formulas.

_Cheng Fang Bian Du_: The lungs are a delicate organ belonging to metal, governing the skin and hair. Their nature is to descend, and to ascend is rebellion. Once heated by fire, the skin steams with heat, and symptoms of cough and rapid breathing appear. Treatment for this should be to clear and descend, restoring their orderly function. Mulberry Bark, its bark can act on the skin, and its white color can enter the lungs. Its sweet and cold nature can enter the lungs to clear heat, and this is without question. Its roots go deepest into the earth, capable of clearing and descending. Lycium Root Bark penetrates deep into the yellow springs, with no bottom. Its sweet, bland, and cold nature can purge the hidden fire in the lungs, and also enter the liver and kidneys, cooling the blood and reducing steaming. It can be seen that the function of both barks is to descend lung Qi; when it descends, the fire will be eliminated. Licorice purges fire and benefits the spleen, and Japonica Rice clears the lungs and nourishes the stomach. Purging is combined with tonifying, and tonifying is incorporated into the diffusing action. Although it clears the lungs, it still anchors the root.

 【Functions】

Clears and purges lung heat, transforms phlegm, stops cough, and calms asthma.

 【Indications】

Lung heat cough, with wheezing, steaming heat of the skin, or fever, especially worse in the afternoon, red tongue with yellow coating, and a fine, rapid pulse.

_Yi Fang_: Lung fire causing steaming heat of the skin, alternating chills and fever, worse in the afternoon, with asthma, cough, and rapid breathing. _Shan Bu_: Stagnant heat in the lung Qi, with cough and asthma, facial swelling, and body heat.

 【Syndromes】

Cough, pulmonary tuberculosis, lung abscess, bronchitis, bronchiectasis, pneumonia, pertussis, etc.

 【Contraindications】

This formula is not suitable for asthma and cough caused by external wind-cold, or for deficiency-cold type cough.

 【Mnemonic】

Qian Yi was old with white hair (Qian Yi Xie Bai) — White skin, more dry (Bai Pi Geng Gan).

 【Modifications】

(1) For severe lung heat, add Scutellaria and Anemarrhena to enhance the lung-clearing effect. (2) For cough with sticky phlegm, add Trichosanthes seed and Fritillary Bulb to transform phlegm and stop cough. (3) For deficiency yin with steaming heat, add Bupleurum chinense and Turtle plastron to nourish yin and reduce steaming. (4) For heat injuring yin fluid, causing vexation and thirst, add Rehmannia glutinosa and Reed stem to clear heat and generate fluids.

 【Pharmacology】

Has antipyretic, antibacterial, and antitussive effects.