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Cura x Cura

Bai Tong Tang白通汤

White Penetrating Decoction

Warming the Interior 温里剂Rescue Devastated Yang 回阳救逆

Ingredients3 herbs

葱Cong Bai葱白Acrid and warm; opens and unblocks the yang so that what is trapped below can reach above干Gan Jiang干姜6gWarms the middle and stops the cold diarrhoea
附Fu Zi (Zhi)附子生，去皮，破八片15gRestores the devastated yang of the Kidney and breaks up the cold below

Indications

Breaks up interior cold and rescues devastated yangUnblocks yang between above and belowStops cold diarrhoea

Shaoyin cold with yang displaced upward. Cold fills the lower burner and pushes the remaining yang to the head, so the face flushes while the body and limbs stay cold.

Clinical Manifestations

  • Cold-type diarrhoea with cold limbs
  • A flushed face in a patient who is otherwise cold
  • A faint pulse with listlessness in a Shaoyin pattern
  • Restlessness accompanying yang collapse
TonguePale with a white slippery coating
PulseFaint, sometimes hard to find

Health Categories

Digestive HealthHeart & Circulation

Modern Applications

Circulatory collapseSevere diarrhoeaHypotensionShock

Common adjustments

  • Vomiting and restlessness on taking the formula (rejection of hot medicine by dense cold) — the classical answer is to add a small amount of a bitter, cold guiding substance so the hot herbs are accepted — a decision for an experienced practitioner
  • Very faint pulse — add Ren Shen 人参
  • Diarrhoea severe — increase Gan Jiang 干姜 and add Chi Shi Zhi 赤石脂

Contraindications

Absolutely not for a red face arising from real heat or from yin-deficient fire. Because prepared Gan Cao has been removed, the formula is harsher than Si Ni Tang and less forgiving of a wrong diagnosis.

For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.

Pregnancy

Contraindicated in pregnancy. Prepared Fu Zi is a toxic aconite root requiring processed material and prolonged pre-decoction, and here it is not buffered by prepared Gan Cao, which normally moderates both its harshness and its toxicity. Use only in a physician-assessed emergency, never as self-medication.

Related Formulas

References

Source Shang Han Lun 《伤寒论》 · Eastern Han

「少阴病，下利，白通汤主之。」
— 《伤寒论》(classical source, public domain)
  1. Classical source (public domain), cited in the source-quote section.
    2. Scheid, Bensky, Ellis & Barolet. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies, 2nd ed. — composition & dosage cross-checked.
    3. 《方剂学》（全国中医药行业高等教育规划教材）— pattern analysis cross-checked.

Professional reference notice. Entries are scholarly references for licensed TCM practitioners and students — not medical advice, and not a recommendation to self-prescribe. Chinese herbal formulas should be used under the guidance of a qualified practitioner. Content is an original editorial compilation by Cura x Cura, cross-checked against the cited references.