Shen Fu Tang参附汤
Ginseng and Aconite Decoction
Ingredients2 herbs
Indications
Sudden desertion of yang qi. Qi and yang leave together, so warming without tonifying leaves nothing to warm; the two herbs act as one.
Clinical Manifestations
- Sudden collapse with profuse cold sweating
- Cold limbs with shallow, feeble breathing
- A pulse verging on absent after severe blood loss or shock
- Extreme exhaustion after major illness, surgery or childbirth
- Collapse accompanying severe chronic heart weakness
Health Categories
Modern Applications
Common adjustments
- Sweating unstoppable — add Long Gu 龙骨 and Mu Li 牡蛎
- Qi and yin both collapsing — add Mai Men Dong 麦门冬 and Wu Wei Zi 五味子
- Interior cold marked with diarrhoea — add Gan Jiang 干姜 and Zhi Gan Cao 炙甘草
Contraindications
Not for collapse with heat signs, and not for a strong pulse with a hot, restless presentation. Sudden collapse is a medical emergency: conventional resuscitation and assessment come first, and herbal treatment is at most an adjunct.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.
Pregnancy
Contraindicated in pregnancy outside a physician-assessed emergency. Fu Zi is a toxic aconite root: only the processed form may be used and it must be pre-decocted long enough that the broth no longer numbs the tongue. Overdose or insufficient boiling causes numbness, arrhythmia and can be fatal.
Related Formulas
References
Source Zheng Ti Lei Yao 《正体类要》 · Ming
- Classical source (pre-modern, public domain) as recorded in the standard formula literature.
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.
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.