Shen Lu Yin参芦饮
Ginseng Head Drink
Ingredients1 herbs
Indications
Phlegm congesting the chest in a deficient patient. The pattern is the same location as Gua Di San — an obstruction sitting high — but the constitution cannot bear a toxic emetic, so a single mild one is used instead. In modern practice this remains an obsolete method: weakness is a reason not to induce vomiting at all.
Clinical Manifestations
- Phlegm lodged in the chest in a patient too weak for Gua Di San (classical use)
- Persistent drool and phlegm with fatigue and a frail build (classical use)
- A stuffed chest that neither clears nor tolerates a harsh purge (classical use)
Health Categories
Modern Applications
Common adjustments
- Vomiting does not come — the classical response was to stop, not to escalate to Gua Di San — the patient's weakness was the reason for choosing this formula in the first place
- Marked exhaustion after vomiting — classical practice follows with a qi-tonifying formula such as Si Jun Zi Tang 四君子汤; in modern terms, fluid and electrolyte replacement is the priority
- Patient is taking Li Lu or any preparation containing it — incompatible under the — Li Lu opposes Ren Shen,, Dan Shen, Xuan Shen, Ku Shen, Xi Xin and
Contraindications
The single ingredient is the least toxic in this chapter — is not classed as a toxic herb, and the recorded adverse effects are those of over-vigorous vomiting rather than of poisoning. That is not the same as safe. The vomiting method itself is what carries the risk: stomach contents can be aspirated into the lungs and cause pneumonia, repeated vomiting loses sodium, potassium and chloride and dehydrates quickly, and retching can tear the lower oesophagus — and a frail patient decompensates from all three faster than a robust one. The incompatibility applies directly: ginseng material must never be combined with Li Lu, and the wider rule pairs Li Lu against Ren Shen,, Dan Shen, Xuan Shen, Ku Shen, Xi Xin and. The sibling formulas of this chapter are frankly toxic — Gua Di (cucurbitacins), Li Lu (cardiotoxic veratrum alkaloids), Chang Shan (hepatotoxic), Dan Fan (copper sulfate, causing haemolysis and liver and kidney failure) — and none of them may be substituted in when this one fails to act. Absolutely contraindicated in pregnancy and postpartum, in children, in the elderly, in anyone with a bleeding tendency, ulcer disease or oesophageal varices, in heart disease, arrhythmia or hypertension, and in anyone whose consciousness is impaired. Suspected poisoning is a medical emergency requiring emergency services and modern care; do not induce vomiting.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.
Pregnancy
Contraindicated in pregnancy and postpartum. However mild the herb, the purpose of the formula is to make the patient vomit, and deliberately induced vomiting is unsafe in pregnancy. Not used while breastfeeding.
References
- 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.