Jiu Ji Xi Xian San救急稀涎散
Emergency Powder to Thin the Drool
Ingredients2 herbs
Indications
Phlegm-drool congesting the throat in a closed-type sudden collapse: the classical reading is that thick phlegm has blocked the qi dynamic at the throat, so a small dose loosens it and the breath comes back. In modern terms this presentation is a stroke, a seizure or an obstructed airway until proven otherwise.
Clinical Manifestations
- Sudden collapse of the closed type with phlegm rattling in the throat (classical use)
- Clamped jaw with copious drool (classical use)
- Throat obstruction with thick phlegm (classical use)
- Recorded as a stop-gap while proper treatment was arranged — modern equivalent is emergency medical care
Health Categories
Modern Applications
Common adjustments
- The classical limit on the dose — only a small amount was given, with the intent that phlegm be thinned and partly expelled — not that the stomach be emptied; the text stops short of a full emetic dose
- Once the breath returns — the formula stops; classical practice moves to treatment of the underlying pattern, and modern practice moves the patient to hospital
- Flaccid limbs, open mouth, incontinence — the abandoned type — absolutely not this formula; the collapse-with-abandonment pattern is one of collapse of yang qi, and an emetic would hasten it
Contraindications
Constituent by constituent: Zhu Ya Zao (the small pods of Gleditsia sinensis) is an irritant saponin drug, classed as toxic — it inflames mucous membranes, its saponins are haemolytic, and in overdose it causes severe vomiting and diarrhoea, headache and, at worst, respiratory depression. Bai Fan (potassium aluminium sulfate) is corrosive to the gut lining in more than a small amount, and a repeated aluminium load is undesirable in renal impairment. The related mineral emetic Dan Fan is copper sulfate, and it must never be substituted in: copper poisoning causes haemolysis, liver failure and kidney failure. Other emetics of this class are equally serious — Gua Di through cucurbitacins, Chang Shan through hepatotoxicity, and Li Lu, which is cardiotoxic and belongs to the incompatibilities that forbid its combination with Ren Shen,, Dan Shen, Xuan Shen, Ku Shen, Xi Xin and. The method itself is the larger hazard here, because the patient is by definition not fully conscious: material brought up in an obtunded person is aspirated into the lungs, causing pneumonia that can kill; vomiting also strips sodium, potassium and chloride, and retching can tear the oesophagus. Absolutely contraindicated in pregnancy and postpartum, in children, in the elderly and frail, in the abandoned type of collapse, in anyone with a bleeding tendency, ulcer, or oesophageal varices, and in heart disease, arrhythmia or hypertension. Collapse, stroke, seizure and airway obstruction are emergencies: call emergency services and do not put anything into the mouth of an unresponsive person. Suspected poisoning likewise needs hospital care, not an emetic.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.
Pregnancy
Absolutely contraindicated in pregnancy and postpartum. Zhu Ya Zao is a toxic irritant traditionally forbidden in pregnancy, and deliberately induced vomiting is unsafe in pregnancy in its own right. Not used while breastfeeding.
Related Formulas
References
Source Sheng Ji Zong Lu 《圣济总录》 · Northern Song
- Classical source named in the source fields (pre-1900, public domain).
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）— chapter placement, 功用 and 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.