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Xing Su San杏苏散

Apricot Kernel and Perilla Leaf Powder

Treating Dryness 治燥剂Gently Disperse External Dryness 轻宣外燥

Ingredients11 herbs

苏Su Ye苏叶9g君 ChiefOpens the surface with a light acrid warmth to scatter cool dryness
半Zhi Ban Xia半夏9g佐 AssistantDries damp and transforms the thin phlegm cool dryness produces茯Fu Ling茯苓9g佐 AssistantLeaches damp and strengthens the Spleen, cutting off phlegm at its source前Qian Hu前胡9g臣 DeputyScatters the lingering exterior evil and settles rebellious qi with phlegm
苦Jie Geng苦桔梗6g臣 DeputyLifts and opens Lung qi, frees the throat and expels phlegm
枳Zhi Ke枳壳6g臣 DeputyDescends qi against Jie Geng's ascent, loosening the chest甘Gan Cao甘草3g佐使 Assistant–EnvoyHarmonizes the group and, with Jie Geng, soothes the throat生Sheng Jiang生姜3片佐 AssistantWarms the middle, helps the surface open and moderates Ban Xia大Da Zao大枣3枚佐 AssistantHarmonizes nutritive and defensive qi and protects fluids against the drying herbs杏Xing Ren杏仁9g君 ChiefDirects Lung qi downward and moistens dryness to stop the cough
橘Chen Pi橘皮6g佐 AssistantRegulates qi so phlegm moves rather than sits

Indications

Lightly disperses cool dryness and releases the exteriorRestores the Lung's dispersing and descendingTransforms thin phlegm and stops cough

External cool dryness: dry cold seals the surface and the Lung's qi can neither spread outward nor settle downward. Dryness is present but the cold aspect leads, so the picture reads like a wind-cold with a dry throat rather than like a hot, thirsty dryness.

Clinical Manifestations

  • Autumn cough with thin, watery white sputum
  • Chills with little or no sweating and a mild headache
  • Blocked nose with a dry throat
  • Cough that lingers after a chill in dry, cold weather
  • Fullness in the chest with a poor appetite during a cold
TongueThin white coating, moist rather than dry
PulseWiry, sometimes wiry and tight

Health Categories

Respiratory HealthAllergy ReliefImmune SupportCold & Flu Relief

Modern Applications

Common coldAcute bronchitisCoughUpper respiratory infectionRhinitis

Common adjustments

  • No sweating with a markedly wiry or tight pulse — add Qiang Huo 羌活 to coax a light sweat
  • Cough persisting after the sweat has come — remove Su Ye and Qiang Huo, use Zi Su Geng 紫苏梗 instead — it moves qi without pushing the surface again
  • Loose stool with abdominal fullness — add Cang Zhu 苍术 and Hou Po 厚朴
  • Headache extending to the brow ridge — add Bai Zhi 白芷
  • Marked heat signs — add Huang Qin 黄芩 — but not when there is diarrhoea and abdominal fullness

Contraindications

Not for warm dryness— thirst, a red dry tongue, scanty sticky sputum, a sore dry throat — where the acrid-warm and drying herbs here would take away the little fluid that is left; that pattern belongs to Sang Xing Tang or Qing Zao Jiu Fei Tang. Also unsuitable for cough on a background of yin deficiency with heat.

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

Pregnancy

Use with caution in pregnancy — the formula contains prepared Ban Xia and Zhi Ke, both given cautiously to pregnant patients, so it should only be taken under a practitioner's supervision.

References

Source Wen Bing Tiao Bian 《温病条辨》 · Qing

「燥伤本脏，头微痛，恶寒，咳嗽稀痰，鼻塞，嗌塞，脉弦，无汗，杏苏散主之。」
— 《温病条辨》(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）治燥剂·轻宣外燥 — pattern analysis and modifications 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.