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Xiao Qing Long Tang小青龙汤

Minor Blue Dragon Decoction

Releasing the Exterior 解表剂Release Wind-Cold 辛温解表

Ingredients8 herbs

麻Ma Huang麻黄去节9g君 ChiefOpens the exterior and diffuses Lung qi so the wheeze can settle
芍Bai Shao芍药9g佐 AssistantNourishes blood and preserves yin against the warm dispersing herbs
细Xi Xin细辛6g臣 DeputyPenetrating and warm, it scatters lodged fluid and opens the nose干Gan Jiang干姜6g臣 DeputyWarms the Lung and dries the cold thin mucus at its source甘Zhi Gan Cao甘草炙6g佐使 Assistant–EnvoyHarmonizes the dispersing and restraining halves of the formula桂Gui Zhi桂枝去皮9g君 ChiefHelps release the cold and warms yang so the retained fluid can move五Wu Wei Zi五味子6g佐 AssistantAstringes Lung qi so the acrid herbs cannot scatter it半Ban Xia (prepared)半夏洗9g佐 AssistantDries damp, transforms phlegm and settles rebellious Stomach qi

Indications

Releases the exterior with acrid warmthWarms the Lung and transforms thin watery mucusStops cough and calms wheezing

Exterior cold with congested thin fluids: an unresolved wind-cold surface pattern lying on top of cold rheum lodged below the heart and rising into the Lung. Because neither half resolves without the other, both are treated in one move.

Clinical Manifestations

  • Cough and wheezing with copious thin, frothy white sputum
  • Cold-pattern asthma set off by cold air
  • Chronic bronchitis that flares each winter
  • Allergic rhinitis with clear watery discharge and sneezing
  • Chest fullness with a heavy, slightly puffy body
TonguePale body with a moist, slippery white coating
PulseFloating and tight

Health Categories

Respiratory HealthAllergy ReliefCold & Flu Relief

Modern Applications

AsthmaChronic bronchitisAllergic rhinitisCoughCOPD exacerbationCommon cold

Common adjustments

  • Rheum beginning to turn to heat — irritability, thicker yellow sputum — add Shi Gao 石膏 — the classical Xiao Qing Long Jia Shi Gao Tang
  • Wheezing dominant, exterior signs slight — add Xing Ren 杏仁 and reduce or omit Ma Huang — the route the retail capsule takes
  • Nasal blockage and clear discharge prominent — add Xin Yi 辛夷 and Cang Er Zi 苍耳子
  • Sweats easily, Lung qi already weak — increase Wu Wei Zi 五味子 and Bai Shao 白芍 so the acrid herbs are held in check

Contraindications

Not for a dry cough from yin deficiency, for phlegm-heat with thick yellow sputum, or where there is blood in the sputum — the formula is warm and drying throughout. Ma Huang and Gan Jiang make it unsuitable for people with marked hypertension, arrhythmia or hyperthyroidism, and it is intended for short courses that stop when the pattern clears, not for maintenance.

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

Pregnancy

Avoid in pregnancy. Ma Huang, Xi Xin and Ban Xia are each contraindicated or restricted in pregnancy, and the formula's strong dispersing action is not appropriate then — a practitioner will choose another approach for a cold-pattern cough.

Related Formulas

References

Source Shang Han Lun 《伤寒论》 · Eastern Han

「伤寒表不解，心下有水气，干呕发热而咳，或渴，或利，或噎，或小便不利、少腹满，或喘者，小青龙汤主之。」
— 《伤寒论》(classical source, public domain)
  1. 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.