半夏系列

Chapter 8. Banxia series

Banxia is the root mass of the plant Pinellia ternata(Thunb) Breit..

The main function of the Banxia is to meld the Phlegm. In TCM, the Phlegm includes the phlegm that person spits from the lung after cough, but includes any mass that comes due to the accumulation of condensed water in the body. The Phlegm can move in any parts of the body and causes largely various mass. They can be any kinds of cancer, cysts, hernia, fibroid, and over-accumulated fat tissues (over weight).  Therefore the use of the Banxia in the Chinese medicine is very popular.

The Phlegm and the extra Water, and the Wetness are similar concept in the TCM. There are herbs that work to mover mostly the Phlegm, such as the Banxia here; some work for depletion of water, such Zhuling, Fuling, and Zexie. Some work for depletion of the Wetness, such as Huanglian, Huangqin, Dahuang, Baitouwen, Qinpi, etc. There belong to different groups and each group contains lots of different herbs. So, to reach the same aim, there are plenty of choices in the TCM system.

(1). 小半夏汤

Xiao Banxia Tang

半夏  一升,    生姜  半斤

Banxia 250 gram, fresh ginger 125 gram.

右二味，以水七升，煮取一升半，分温再服。

Add the herbs and 1250 ml water into a herbal pot. Bring to boil and keep in mild boiling until there is about 300 ml herbal tea left. Drink one third of the herbal tea each time, three times a day.

呕家本渴，渴者为欲解，今反不渴，心下有支饮故也，小半夏汤主之。

Normally if a person has nausea and vomiting, he should feel thirsty after vomiting. Now, he does not feel thirsty after vomiting. It indicates that he has a water-accumulation condition in the upper stomach. Use Xiao Banxia Tang.

黄疸病，小便色不变，欲自利，腹满而喘，不可除热，热除必哕，哕者小半夏汤主之。

With jaundice disease, if the urine is not yellow, and the urine is pretty easy to go, the person feels fullness in the abdomen with asthma, the Fire condition inside the body should be depleted with the Cold herb therapy. Other wise, the person will have a Ye condition (similar to the burping), that needs Xiao Banxia Tang to solve.

诸呕吐，谷不得下者，小半夏汤主之。

If the vomit results in a difficult to eat, use Xiao Banxia Tang. 

(2). 生姜半夏汤

Shengjiang Banxia Tang

半夏  半升，生姜汁  一升

Banxia 124 gram, fresh ginger juice 250 ml.

右二味，以水三升，煮半夏取二升，内生姜汁，煮取一升半，小冷分四服，日三夜一，呕止，停后服。

Add the Banxia and 750 ml water into a herbal pot. Bring to boil and keep in mild boiling until there is about 500 ml water left. Add the ginger juice in. Continue the boiling until there is 300 ml left. Separate the herbal tea into four parts. Drink the tea, when it is cold, three times during the daytime and once at night.

病人胸中似喘不喘，似呕不呕，似哕不哕，彻心中愦愦然无奈者，生姜半夏汤主之。

If the person feels as to have an asthma, but not; as to have a nausea, but not; as to have vomit, but not either; feels as kinds of irritable, annoyed, impatient, in the heart, use Shengjiang Banxia Tang.　       

(3). 小半夏加茯苓汤

Xiao Banxia Fuling Tang

半夏  一升,   生姜  半斤,   茯苓 三两

Banxia 250 gram, fresh ginger 125 gram, Fuling 45 gram

右三味，以水七升，煮取一升五合，分温再服。

Add the herbs and 1250 ml water into a herbal pot. Bring to boil and keep in mild boiling until there is about 300 ml herbal tea left. Drink one third of the herbal tea each time, three times a day.

先渴后呕，为水停心下，此属饮家，小半夏茯苓汤主之。

If the person feels thirsty first, then has nausea after drinking, this condition belongs to water-accumulation in the upper abdomen. Use Xiao Banxia Fuling Tang.

卒呕吐，心下痞，膈间有水，眩悸者，（小）半夏加茯苓汤主之。

If a person has a sudden vomit, feels fullness in the upper abdomen, dizzy and palpitation, (it is also a water-accumulation condition in the upper abdomen), use Xiao Banxia jia Fuling Tang

(4). 半夏干姜散方

Banxia Ganjiang San

半夏干姜等分

Banxia and Ganjiang, equal amount.

右二味，杵为散，取方寸匕，浆水一升半，煎取七合，顿服之。

Grind the herbs into powder. Mix them well. Take 1 gram of the herbal powder, mix it with 300 ml water. Bring to boil and keep in boiling until there is 175 ml herbal tea left. Drink the tea all in once.

干呕吐逆，吐涎沫，半夏干姜散主之。

If the person has nausea and vomit, spit saliva[1], use Banxia Ganjiang San.

(5). 大半夏汤

Da Banxia Tang

半夏（洗、浣用）二升，人参  三两，白蜜  一升

Banxia (washed) 250 gram, Renshen 45 gram, White honey 250 ml.

右三味，以水一斗二升，和蜜扬之二百四十遍，煮药取一升半，温服一升，余分再服。

Add the herbs into 3000 ml water. Bring to boil and add the honey. Lift the mixture with a big spoon for 240 times. Continue boiling until there is about 300 ml herbal tea left. Drink the tea 250 ml.

胃反呕吐者，大半夏汤主之。

For such Stomach-reverse condition, use Da Banxia Tang        

(6). 半夏厚朴汤

Banxia Houpo Tang

半夏一升，厚朴三两，茯苓四两，生姜五两，干苏叶二两

Banxia 250 gram, Houpo 45 gram, Fuling 60 gram, fresh ginger 78 gram, Souye 30 gram.

右五味，以水七升，煮取四升，分温四服，日三夜一服。

Add the herbs and 1250 ml into a herbal pot. Bring to boil and keep in mild boiling until there is about 1000 ml herbal tea left. Drink one quarter of the herbal tea, three times during the daytime and once at night.

妇人咽中如有炙脔，半夏厚朴汤主之。

If the woman has sticky and harsh feeling in the throat, use Banxia Houpo Tang.

(7). 苦酒汤

Kujiu Tang

半夏（洗，破如枣核大）十四枚， 鸡子（去黄，内上苦酒，着鸡子谷中）一枚

Banxia (washed, cut into pieces) 14 badges, chicken egg (remove the yolk, add the vinegar into the core of the egg) one.

右二味，内半夏，着苦酒中，以鸡子壳置刀环中，安火上，令三沸，去滓，少少含咽之，不差，更作三剂。

(Omit the translation here)[2]

37　少阴病，咽中伤，生疮，不能语言，声不出者，苦酒汤主之。

In Shaoyin stage, if the person has sour throat, ulcer in the throat, hard to speak and no voice, use Kujiu Tang. [3]

(8). 半夏泻心汤

Banxian Xiexing Tang

半夏（洗）半升， 黄芩三两， 乾姜三两， 人叁三两， 黄连一两， 甘草（炙）三两， 大枣（擘）十二枚

Banxia (washed) 124 gram, Huangqin 45 gram, Ganjiang 45 gram, Renshen 45 gram, Huanglian 15 gram, Gancao (Processed) 45 gram, Chinese Date 62 gram.

右七味，以水一斗，煮取六升，去滓再煮，取三升，温服一升，日三服。

Add the herbs and 2500 ml water into a herbal pot. Bring to boil and keep in mild boiling until the liquid volume in the pot is about 1500 ml. Remove the herbal residue, continue to cook until there 750 ml left. Drink one third of the herbal tea each time, three times a day.

45　伤寒五、六日，呕而发热者，柴胡汤证具，而以他药下之，柴胡证仍在者，复与柴胡汤，此虽已下之不为逆，必蒸蒸而振，却产热汗出而解。若心下满而硬痛者，此为结胸也，大陷胸汤主之。但满而不痛者，此为痞，柴胡不中与之，宜半夏泻心汤。

With Cold-invasion Shanghan disease for five to six days, the person feels nausea and hot. Together with the presence of other clinic indications to the use of Xiao Chaihu Tang, but the doctor gives bowel-cleansing therapy. If after that, the indication to the Xiao Chaihu Tang remains, it should be used again. In this case, the bowel-cleansing therapy is not so wrong. The person will feel continuous hot, then sweat, all will help to recover. If the person, after the bowel-cleansing therapy, has fullness, feels hard and pain in the stomach, it is Jiexiong syndrome. Da Xianxiong Tang should be used. If he only feels fullness but no pain, it is Fullness syndrome. In the Fullness syndrome, the Xiao Chaihu Tang doesn’t work. The herb Banxian Xiexing Tang should be used. [4]

呕而肠鸣，心下痞者，半夏泻心汤主之。

If the person has nausea, big noise in the intestine[5], fullness in the upper abdomen[6], use Banxia Xiexin Tang[7]

(9). 生姜泻心汤

Shengjiang Xiexin Tang

甘草（炙）三两， 人参三两， 乾姜一两， 半夏（洗）半升， 黄芩三两， 黄连一两， 生姜（切）四两， 大枣（擘）十二枚．

Gancao (processed) 45 gram, Renshen 45 gram, Ganjiang 15 gram, Banxia (washed) 65 gram, Huangqin 45 gram, Huanglian 15 gram, Fresh ginger 60 gram, Chinese date 62 gram.

右八味，以水一斗，煮取六升，去滓再煎，取三升，温服一升，日三服。

Add the herbs and 2500 ml water into a herbal pot. Bring to boil and keep in mild boiling until the liquid part is about 1500 ml. Remove the residue, continue to cook until the liquid is about 650 ml. Drink one third of the herbal tea each time, three times a day.

44    伤寒汗出，解之後，胃中不和，心下痞硬，乾噫食臭，胁下有水气，腹中雷鸣下利者，生姜泻心汤主之。

With Cold-invasion Shanghan disease, the person has sweat therapy the original symptoms stop, but starts to feel discomfort and hard in the upper stomach, nausea, bad odor from the mouth, burping, big noise in the stomach and diarrhea. In this case, use Shengjiang Xiexin Tang mostly.

(10). 甘草泻心汤

Gancao Xiexin Tang

甘草（炙）四两， 黄芩三两， 黄连一两， 乾姜三两， 半夏（洗）半升， 大枣（擘）十二枚

Gancao (processed) 60 gram, Huangqin 45 gram, Huanglian 15 gram, Ganjiang 45 gram, Banxia (washed) 124 gram, Chinese date 62 gram.

右六味，以水一斗，煮取六升，去滓，再煎取三升，温服一升，日三服。

Add the herbs and 2500 ml water in a herbal pot. Bring to boil and keep in mild boiling until there is about 1500 ml liquid left. Remove the herbal residue, continue to cook until there is about 750 ml left. Drink one third of the herbal tea each time, three times a day.

43　伤寒中风，医反下之，其人下利，日数十行，谷不化，腹中雷鸣，心中痞僐而满，乾呕，心烦不得安，医见心下痞，谓病不尽，复下之，其痞益甚，此非结热，但以胃中虚，客气上逆，故使僐也，甘草泻心汤主之。

The person was attacked by a Wind invasion and Cold-invasion, but a bowel-cleansing therapy was given. This caused diarrhea, several times a day, with undigested food in the stool. The person felt big noise in the stomach (intestine movement), hard and fullness in stomach, nausea but no vomiting, annoyed emotionally. For such case, doctor believes it is fullness syndrome so uses a bowel-cleansing therapy. This makes the fullness worse. This condition is actually not a condensed Fire/Hot. It is the weakness in the stomach area and the disease energy accumulates there to cause the hard feeling. Herb Gancao Xiexin Tang is the main formula.

狐惑之为病，状如伤寒，默默欲眠，目不得闭，卧起不安。蚀于喉为惑，蚀于阴为狐，不欲饮食，恶闻食臭，其面目乍赤、乍黑、乍白，蚀于上部则声嚘，甘草泻心汤主之。蚀于下部则咽干，苦参汤洗之。蚀于肛者，雄黄熏之。

If a person has a disease simila to Shanghan, he feels quiet and has willing to lie for a sleep but hard to close the eyes to fall into sleep, feels impatience to shift from lies down to gets up, from gets up to lies down, it is a condition called Huhuo disease. The person has ulcer in the throat, mouth, and/or in the inside of penis, vagina, or anus. It is called Huo disease if the ulcer is in the throat; called Hu if the ulcer is in the sexual system. The person with the Huhuo disease has no willingness to eat, dislike the smell or taste of a food, his face shifts from time to time, from red, to black, to white color. If the ulcer is in the throat and mouth, he will has harsh voice. In this case, use Gancao Xiexin Tang.