Ma Huang Jia Zhu Tang麻黄加术汤
Ephedra Decoction plus Atractylodes
Ingredients5 herbs
Indications
Wind-cold with damp lodged in the exterior: cold seals the surface and damp saturates the flesh and joints, so the ache is heavy and dull rather than sharp.
Clinical Manifestations
- Wind-cold-damp aching of the whole body
- Heavy limbs with no sweating in a damp climate
- Early damp bi with fever and chills
- Cold that settles as body ache after a soaking
Health Categories
Modern Applications
Common adjustments
- Joint pain is the main complaint — add Qiang Huo 羌活 or Du Huo 独活
- Damp turning warm with a yellow coating — shift toward Ma Huang Xing Ren Yi Yi Gan Cao Tang, which is cooler and lighter
Contraindications
Still a sweating formula: not for exterior deficiency with spontaneous sweating, nor for the frail or the yin-depleted. The classical warning against treating damp patterns with fire or a violent sweat applies here — force the sweat and the damp stays while the fluids go.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.
Pregnancy
Contraindicated in pregnancy — it is Ma Huang Tang with one herb added, and the Ma Huang objection stands unchanged.
Related Formulas
References
Source Jin Gui Yao Lue 《金匮要略》 · Eastern Han
「湿家身烦疼，可与麻黄加术汤发其汗为宜，慎不可以火攻之。」
- 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）— 附方 note under 麻黄汤, 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.