Gun Tan Wan滚痰丸
Vaporize Phlegm Pill
Ingredients4 herbs
Indications
Old phlegm bound with excess heat. The phlegm is long-standing and heat-transformed, and the pattern is one of surplus throughout — a strong pulse, a loaded tongue, a bowel that does not move.
Clinical Manifestations
- Mania, agitation or violent restlessness from phlegm-fire
- Intractable insomnia with a thick yellow greasy coating
- Palpitations and dizziness in a robust patient with constipation
- Copious thick phlegm with chest oppression
- Scrofulous nodules along the neck in an excess pattern
Health Categories
Modern Applications
Common adjustments
- Mania severe — used together with a spirit-settling prescription containing heavy minerals such as Long Gu 龙骨 and Mu Li 牡蛎
- Phlegm copious but heat mild — the Da Huang 大黄 is reduced — the purge is not the goal in itself
- Nodules in the neck predominant — Xia Ku Cao 夏枯草 and Zhe Bei Mu 浙贝母 are added
- Patient begins to tire, stools become watery — the formula is stopped and the Spleen supported — this is the point at which it has done its work
Contraindications
Contraindicated in the weak, the elderly, patients recovering from illness, and anyone whose phlegm is cold or deficiency-type — the tongue and pulse must show real excess heat. Contraindicated in pregnancy and during breastfeeding. Not for chronic use: it is taken until the bowel opens and the agitation settles, then stopped. Repeated or self-directed use causes Spleen injury, dependence on the purgative effect and fluid loss. Mania and severe insomnia need medical assessment; this formula is used within a care plan, not instead of one.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.
Pregnancy
Contraindicated in pregnancy. Da Huang in this quantity is a strong purgative that stimulates the bowel and, by extension, the uterus, and is a heavy mineral driven downward — neither is acceptable in pregnancy. Not to be used while breastfeeding either, since the purgative effect passes on. Phlegm-fire agitation in pregnancy is managed by a physician with a purpose-built prescription.
References
Source 《泰定养生主论》，录自《玉机微义》 · Yuan
- Classical source (public domain) — 《泰定养生主论》, Yuan dynasty, 王珪; widely transmitted through 《玉机微义》.
2. 《方剂学》（全国中医药行业高等教育规划教材）— 祛痰剂·清热化痰, pattern analysis cross-checked.
3. Scheid, Bensky, Ellis & Barolet. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies, 2nd ed. — composition & dosage cross-checked.
4. Chinese Pharmacopoeia monographs on 礞石 and 大黄 — preparation, dose and duration limits.
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.