Xiang Su San香苏散
Cyperus and Perilla Powder
Ingredients4 herbs
Indications
Exterior wind-cold with qi constraint in the interior. Cold has closed the surface while the qi of the middle burner is already knotted, so a formula that only sweats will leave half the problem untouched.
Clinical Manifestations
- Wind-cold common cold with chest tightness
- Chills and fever, headache, no sweating
- Loss of appetite and fullness during a cold
- Colds in the elderly or in people who react badly to strong diaphoretics
- Cold accompanied by nausea, belching or a stuffy epigastrium
Health Categories
Modern Applications
Common adjustments
- Chills marked, the surface needs a little more opening — add Cong Bai 葱白 and Dan Dou Chi 淡豆豉 — Xiang Su Cong Chi Tang 香苏葱豉汤
- Wind-cold with headache and generalized aching — add Jing Jie 荆芥, Fang Feng 防风, Qin Jiao 秦艽 and Man Jing Zi — Jia Wei Xiang Su San 加味香苏散
- Nausea and vomiting — add Sheng Jiang 生姜 and Ban Xia 半夏
- Epigastric and abdominal distension predominant — add Zi Su Geng 紫苏梗 or Hou Po 厚朴
- Cough with copious thin phlegm — add Chen Pi 陈皮 in larger dose with Jie Geng 桔梗
Contraindications
Not for wind-heat colds with sore throat, thirst and yellow phlegm, and not once the patient is sweating freely from an exterior-deficient pattern — the acrid warm herbs are then working against the picture. Its gentleness also means it is not the formula for a severe high fever.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.
Pregnancy
Generally regarded as acceptable in pregnancy under practitioner supervision — Zi Su Ye and Xiang Fu are both long used in obstetric prescriptions — but a fever during pregnancy should be clinically assessed rather than self-treated.
Related Formulas
References
Source Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang 《太平惠民和剂局方》 · Song dynasty
「治四时瘟疫、伤寒。」
- 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）— 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.