Xiao Xian Xiong Tang小陷胸汤
Minor Sinking into the Chest Decoction
Ingredients3 herbs
Indications
Phlegm and heat bound together in the chest — the lesser chest-bind pattern. The area below the sternum is blocked rather than hard, and tenderness on pressure is what separates it from simple fullness, which is not tender.
Clinical Manifestations
- Fullness below the sternum that is tender to pressure
- Cough with thick yellow sputum
- Chest oppression with nausea or acid reflux
- Bitter taste with a yellow greasy tongue coating
- Chest tightness in phlegm-heat patterns
Health Categories
Modern Applications
Common adjustments
- Chest pain radiating to the back — Xie Bai 薤白 is added to unblock the chest yang
- Constipation with a hot dry interior — Da Huang 大黄 is added so the heat drains downward
- Alternating chills and fever, rib-side fullness — combined with Xiao Chai Hu Tang — the classical result being Chai Hu Xian Xiong Tang
- Sputum copious and hard to raise — Zhe Bei Mu 浙贝母 and Jie Geng 桔梗 are added
Contraindications
Not for a cold-phlegm or deficiency-cold fullness — the tongue must show heat. Not for the greater chest-bind pattern with a hard, tender, board-like chest and constipation, which needs a much stronger prescription and urgent assessment. The Gua Lou loosens the bowel, so use cautiously with loose stools or a weak Spleen. Not combined with // preparations, since both Ban Xia and Gua Lou are partners of aconite. New chest pain always needs medical assessment before it is treated as a phlegm pattern.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.
Pregnancy
Use in pregnancy only on a practitioner's decision. Gua Lou moves the bowel and is traditionally used cautiously in pregnancy, Huang Lian is very bitter and cold, and Ban Xia is used in pregnancy only with a clear reason and in processed form. Chest pain or upper abdominal pain in pregnancy needs medical assessment first.
Related Formulas
References
Source Shang Han Lun 《伤寒论》 · Eastern Han
「小结胸病，正在心下，按之则痛，脉浮滑者，小陷胸汤主之。」
- Classical source (public domain) — 《伤寒论》, Eastern Han, 张仲景.
2. 《方剂学》（全国中医药行业高等教育规划教材）— 祛痰剂·清热化痰, pattern analysis cross-checked.
3. Scheid, Bensky, Ellis & Barolet. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies, 2nd ed. — composition & dosage cross-checked.
4. Chinese Pharmacopoeia monograph on 半夏 — toxicity of the raw drug and the 3–9 g range for processed forms.
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.