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Cura x Cura

Gou Teng Yin钩藤饮

Uncaria Drink

Dispelling Wind 治风剂平熄内风

Ingredients6 herbs

人Ren Shen人参3gAugments the qi drained by the convulsion and the fever — the change that makes this a formula for a depleted child全Quan Xie全蝎去毒1gGrips the convulsion directly — toxic, so the paediatric dose is small and weight-adjusted羚Ling Yang Jiao羚羊角0.5gCools the Liver and settles fright — a restricted species, so lawful substitution is standard天Tian Ma天麻6gExtinguishes wind and settles the spasm without cooling further甘Zhi Gan Cao甘草炙1.5gHarmonizes and relaxes spasm钩Gou Teng钩藤9gCools the Liver and stops convulsion — gentle enough to be the chief herb in a child

Indications

Extinguishes wind and stops convulsionClears heat and cools the LiverAugments qi so a depleted child can bear the illness

Acute convulsive disorder of childhood: heat stirs Liver wind in a body whose qi is easily exhausted, so convulsion and depletion appear together.

Clinical Manifestations

  • Acute childhood convulsion with fever, as supportive care
  • Twitching and clenched jaw during a febrile illness in a child
  • Eyes staring or rolling upward with fright and agitation
  • Convulsion in a child who is visibly weak or exhausted
  • Recurrent post-febrile twitching under practitioner supervision
TongueRed body with a thin coating
PulseRapid, or floating and rapid

Health Categories

Cold & Flu Relief

Modern Applications

Febrile seizuresPaediatric convulsionsEncephalitisHigh fever in children

Common adjustments

  • Any seizure in a child — immediate medical assessment comes first; this formula is only ever supportive
  • High fever predominant — heat-clearing herbs such as Shi Gao 石膏 are added, and the full Ling Jiao Gou Teng Tang may be the better fit
  • Copious phlegm with noisy breathing — phlegm-clearing herbs such as Tian Zhu Huang 天竺黄 are added
  • The child is not depleted and the pattern is purely excess — Ren Shen 人参 is unnecessary and may be removed

Contraindications

Never a substitute for emergency care. In a child, seizure with a non-blanching rash, neck stiffness, drowsiness, breathing difficulty, a bulging fontanelle, or a seizure over five minutes long is an emergency. Not for convulsion from deficiency without heat, and not for the chronic, cold-natured childhood convulsive pattern, where cooling herbs are wrong. Quan Xie is toxic, is not given to infants without careful weight-based reduction, and is contraindicated in anyone with a known insect allergy. Ren Shen is unsuitable while a high fever with an excess pattern is raging unmodified. Only lawfully sourced horn is acceptable: saiga antelope is CITES-listed and Shan Yang Jiao or Shui Niu Jiao is used instead.

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

Pregnancy

This is a paediatric formula and is not intended for use in pregnancy. Were it considered for an adult, it would be contraindicated: Quan Xie is toxic and a classical pregnancy prohibition. Convulsion in a pregnant patient is an obstetric emergency and may indicate eclampsia.

Related Formulas

References

Source Yi Zong Jin Jian 《医宗金鉴》 · Qing

  1. Classical source 《医宗金鉴·幼科心法要诀》 (public domain); no line quoted here.
    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）— listed as an appended formula to 羚角钩藤汤.
    4. CITES listing for Saiga tatarica and the pharmacopoeial monograph on 全蝎 — sourcing restrictions, toxicity and paediatric dose reduction.

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.