Skip to content
Cura x Cura

Chai Ge Jie Ji Tang柴葛解肌汤

Bupleurum and Kudzu Decoction to Release the Muscle Layer (Bupleurum & Pueraria Combination)

Releasing the Exterior 解表剂Release Wind-Heat 辛凉解表

Ingredients8 herbs

柴Chai Hu柴胡6g君 ChiefCourses out the shao yang and lifts the pathogen outward with Ge Gen
干Ge Gen干葛9g君 ChiefReleases the muscle layer and vents heat out of the yang brightness; eases the stiff neck and back
甘Gan Cao甘草3g使 EnvoyHarmonizes the warm and cold herbs and protects the Stomach黄Huang Qin黄芩6g臣 DeputyClears heat from the shao yang and the Lung羌Qiang Huo羌活3g臣 DeputyDisperses the wind-cold remaining in the greater yang, relieves aching limbs白Bai Zhi白芷3g臣 DeputyOpens the yang-brightness channel of the face, relieving brow-ridge and orbital pain and the dry nose
芍Bai Shao芍药6g佐 AssistantPreserves yin and blood so the many acrid dispersing herbs do not exhaust fluids
桔Jie Geng桔梗3g佐 AssistantDiffuses Lung qi and lifts the formula to the upper body

Indications

Releases the exterior and the muscle layerClears interior heatResolves a three-yang presentation

Exterior wind-cold transforming into interior heat: fever now outweighs aversion to cold, yang-brightness signs such as orbital pain, dry nose and irritability have appeared, yet the surface has not opened and there is still no sweat.

Clinical Manifestations

  • Febrile cold where fever is overtaking the chills
  • Aching eyes and orbital pain with a dry nose
  • Headache and generalized body ache without sweating
  • Irritability and disturbed sleep as the fever rises
  • Influenza-like illness in its second stage
TongueThin yellow coating, dry
PulseFloating and slightly flooding

Health Categories

Respiratory HealthImmune SupportCold & Flu Relief

Modern Applications

InfluenzaAcute febrile illnessUpper respiratory infectionSinus headacheFever with body aches

Common adjustments

  • Aversion to cold gone, interior heat dominant — reduce or omit Qiang Huo 羌活 and increase Shi Gao 石膏
  • Strong chills, tight surface, no sweat at all — the original text adds Ma Huang 麻黄 for winter presentations
  • Marked thirst and dryness — add Zhi Mu 知母, Tian Hua Fen 天花粉
  • Cough with sputum — add Xing Ren 杏仁, Qian Hu 前胡

Contraindications

Not for plain exterior wind-cold without heat signs — the cold herbs hold the pathogen at the surface. Nor for a fully interior yang-brightness excess with high fever, profuse sweating, great thirst and a flooding pulse, which is Bai Hu Tang territory. It contains Shi Gao and Huang Qin, so patients with a cold, weak middle burner and loose stools need modification, and the formula is meant for short acute courses only.

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

Pregnancy

Use in pregnancy only under practitioner supervision and for the shortest necessary course — the formula is strongly dispersing and contains cold Shi Gao and Huang Qin.

Related Formulas

References

Source Shang Han Liu Shu 《伤寒六书》 · Ming dynasty

「治足阳明胃经受证，目疼鼻干，不眠，头疼眼眶痛，脉来微洪。」
— 《伤寒六书》(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.