Da Ding Feng Zhu大定风珠
Major Arrest Wind Pearl
Ingredients11 herbs
Indications
Yin depleted to the point that wind stirs, typically at the late stage of a warm-febrile disease, or after mistaken sweating or purging has drained what heat had already damaged. The pattern is one of emptiness with a tendency to collapse.
Clinical Manifestations
- Twitching and tremor at the end of a prolonged febrile illness
- Exhaustion with fine involuntary movements of the hands and feet
- Weak, thready pulse with a dry, deep-red tongue after fever
- Convalescent depletion with restlessness and unstable sleep
- Yin-deficient tremor in the elderly, under practitioner supervision
Health Categories
Modern Applications
Common adjustments
- Qi is collapsing with sweating and a faint pulse — Ren Shen 人参 is added to hold the qi, with emergency medical care in parallel
- Palpitations that feel like the heart is pounding loose in the chest — the appended San Jia Fu Mai Tang addresses that presentation directly
- Residual heat with a persistent low fever — Qing Hao 青蒿 and Bie Jia 鳖甲 are emphasised for the deficient-heat pattern
- Digestion cannot handle the rich ingredients — loose stools, poor appetite — E Jiao 阿胶 and the moistening herbs are reduced, and Spleen support is given first
- Raw egg is unsafe or unacceptable to the patient — pasteurised egg yolk is used instead; it is not simply omitted, as it is a chief ingredient
Contraindications
Not for wind from excess heat — high fever, a forceful pulse, agitation and convulsion belong to Ling Jiao Gou Teng Tang, and these rich cloying tonics would hold the heat in. Not while an infection is still active with a strong pulse and thick tongue coating. The formula is heavy and greasy: with a weak Spleen it causes fullness, nausea and loose stools, and it is not started until the digestion can take it. Raw egg yolk carries a salmonella risk and should be pasteurised, and avoided altogether in anyone immunocompromised. E Jiao is a donkey-derived gelatin — a consideration for vegetarian patients and one with its own sourcing concerns — and Gui Ban and Bie Jia come from species that in some cases are protected, so lawful sourcing applies. A patient at the end of a severe illness with a failing pulse needs medical assessment first.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.
Pregnancy
Generally compatible in pregnancy with practitioner supervision — the formula nourishes rather than attacks, and E Jiao in particular is used in pregnancy for blood deficiency and to settle a restless fetus. Two cautions still apply: the raw egg yolk must be pasteurised, since salmonella infection in pregnancy can be serious, and the formula is rich enough to unsettle the digestion. Tremor, twitching or convulsion in a pregnant patient must be assessed medically — it may indicate eclampsia — before any herbal treatment is considered.
Related Formulas
References
Source Wen Bing Tiao Bian 《温病条辨》 · Qing
「热邪久羁，吸烁真阴，或因误表，或因妄攻，神倦瘛疭，脉气虚弱，舌绛苔少，时时欲脱者，大定风珠主之。」
- 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.
4. Food-safety guidance on raw egg and salmonella; CITES and national listings for testudines used as 龟板 and 鳖甲.
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.