Sheng Xian Tang升陷汤
Raise the Sinking Decoction
Ingredients5 herbs
Indications
Sinking of the great qi of the chest. The qi that gathers in the chest and drives respiration has fallen below the level needed to support it.
Clinical Manifestations
- Shortness of breath that does not feel completed
- Laboured breathing resembling asthma but without phlegm or wheeze
- Dizziness or a sense of the chest being empty
- Profound exhaustion after prolonged illness or blood loss
Health Categories
Modern Applications
Common adjustments
- Marked qi deficiency — add Ren Shen 人参
- Concurrent yin deficiency with a dry mouth — add Shan Zhu Yu 山茱萸 to secure what is leaking away
- No heat and a cold constitution — reduce Zhi Mu 知母
Contraindications
Not for shortness of breath from phlegm, fluid retention or exterior invasion, and not for asthma driven by heat or excess — lifting the qi in those cases makes the breathing worse. Sudden severe breathlessness needs urgent medical assessment before any herbal treatment.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.
Pregnancy
Use with caution in pregnancy and only where the sinking-qi pattern is clearly present; the lifting action is strong. The treating practitioner decides.
Related Formulas
References
Source Yi Xue Zhong Zhong Can Xi Lu 《医学衷中参西录》 · Late Qing to Republican era
- 《医学衷中参西录》 (Zhang Xi-chun) — original formula record.
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.