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Cura x Cura

Xiao Er Hui Chun Dan小儿回春丹

Children's Return of Spring Special Pill

Opening the Orifices 开窍剂Cool Opening 凉开

Ingredients19 herbs

川Chuan Bei Mu川贝母37.5gClears heat, moistens and transforms sticky phlegm in the chest陈Chen Pi陈皮37.5gRegulates qi in the middle burner so phlegm has somewhere to go木Mu Xiang木香37.5gMoves qi and relieves the abdominal distension that accompanies the pattern白Bai Dou Kou白豆蔻37.5gAromatic; wakes the Spleen and stops vomiting枳Zhi Ke枳壳37.5gBreaks up stagnant qi in the chest and abdomen法Fa Ban Xia法半夏37.5gDries damp, transforms phlegm and settles the stomach against vomiting沉Chen Xiang沉香37.5gDirects rebellious qi downward and settles the breath天Tian Zhu Huang天竺黄37.5gClears Heart heat and phlegm — the classic paediatric phlegm herb for fright僵Jiang Can僵蚕37.5gExtinguishes wind and dissolves phlegm nodules with Quan Xie全Quan Xie全蝎37.5gPowerfully settles internal wind and unblocks the channels. Toxic — dose-limited檀Tan Xiang檀香37.5gAromatic qi-mover for the chest and diaphragm牛Niu Huang牛黄12gClears Heart heat, cuts phlegm and opens the orifices麝She Xiang麝香12gOpens the blocked orifices and rouses consciousness. CITES-listed; contraindicated in pregnancy胆Dan Nan Xing胆南星60gClears heat-phlegm and settles the wind behind the convulsion钩Gou Teng钩藤240gBy far the largest ingredient — cools the Liver, extinguishes wind and stops the convulsion大Da Huang大黄60gPurges accumulated heat downward — in children this pattern often sits on a blocked bowel天Tian Ma天麻37.5gCalms Liver wind, steadying the tremor and rigidity甘Gan Cao甘草26gHarmonizes a large and forceful formula and protects a child's stomach朱Zhu Sha朱砂Settles fright and anchors the spirit. Toxic — a mercury mineral, and children are the group least able to tolerate accumulation

Indications

Opens the orifices and settles convulsionsClears heat and transforms phlegmExtinguishes wind and calms frightMoves qi and unblocks the middle burner

Acute convulsive disorder in childrenfrom phlegm-heat stirring wind. Heat generates phlegm, phlegm blocks the orifices, and the trapped heat rouses Liver wind — so consciousness and muscle control fail together.

Clinical Manifestations

  • Acute childhood convulsive disorder with fever
  • High fever with agitation and clouded consciousness in a child
  • Phlegm rattling with rough breathing in a febrile child
  • Common cold in a child complicated by fright and phlegm
  • Fretfulness and vomiting with food stagnation and heat
TongueRed with a yellow greasy coating
PulseSlippery and rapid; in infants, a dark stagnant finger vein

Health Categories

Digestive HealthRespiratory HealthCold & Flu Relief

Modern Applications

Febrile seizuresPaediatric high feverBronchitis with wheezeInfantile convulsionsVomiting in children

Common adjustments

  • Convulsions severe and repeated — Zi Xue is the chapter's dedicated wind-extinguishing formula and is often used instead in older children; urgent medical assessment comes first
  • Very high fever with deep clouding — An Gong Niu Huang Wan at a reduced paediatric amount is the stronger heat-clearing option, on a practitioner's decision
  • Marked food stagnation with a distended, tender abdomen — food-dispersing herbs are added to an accompanying decoction alongside the Da Huang 大黄 already in the formula
  • The child is pale, limp and cold rather than hot and tense — this is chronic childhood convulsive disorder, a deficiency pattern; this formula is wrong for it and would deplete the child further

Contraindications

Not for chronic childhood convulsive disorder— the pale, limp, cold, deficient picture — where the cold, dispersing and purging actions here do harm. Not for collapse patterns. Because of the cinnabar, the course must be as short as the crisis requires and must never be repeated as a routine remedy for a fretful, teething or poorly sleeping child; mercury accumulates and children are the group least able to tolerate it. Do not use alongside other cinnabar-containing products. Quan Xie is toxic and further limits the dose. A child who is convulsing, unrousable, or febrile and deteriorating requires urgent medical assessment; this formula does not substitute for it.

For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.

Pregnancy

This is a paediatric formula and is not intended for adults, but the question still has a clear answer: contraindicated in pregnancy. It contains She Xiang musk, a classical abortifacient, Zhu Sha cinnabar (mercury), Quan Xie scorpion and Da Huang, all of which are avoided in pregnancy on their own. It is likewise not taken while breastfeeding, since cinnabar and musk reach the infant through milk.

Related Formulas

References

Source Jing Xiu Tang Yao Shuo 《敬修堂药说》 · Qing

  1. Classical source (public domain) — 《敬修堂药说》, Qing dynasty.
    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.
    4. Pharmacopoeial monographs on 朱砂 cinnabar and 全蝎 scorpion, and paediatric restrictions on mercury-containing preparations.

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.