Zhi Bao Dan至宝丹
Greatest Treasure Special Pill
Ingredients10 herbs
Indications
Phlegm-heat closing the Pericardium. Heat and turbid phlegm bind together and block the orifices, so the picture is dominated by phlegm — a greasy coating and audible rattling — as much as by the heat itself.
Clinical Manifestations
- Coma or delirium with copious phlegm and noisy breathing
- Wind-stroke of the closed type with phlegm-heat
- Clouded consciousness in summerheat-stroke
- Convulsions in children with heavy phlegm
- Delirium in the later stages of a warm disease
Health Categories
Modern Applications
Common adjustments
- Heat toxin blazing more than phlegm — An Gong Niu Huang Wan clears heat and toxin more strongly and is the better of the three
- Convulsions and rigidity appear — Zi Xue is the wind-extinguishing choice; where a decoction can be given, Gou Teng 钩藤 is added
- Phlegm extremely thick and hard to move — phlegm-transforming herbs are given alongside, e.g. Dan Nan Xing 胆南星 with Tian Zhu Huang 天竺黄
- Bowels blocked with abdominal fullness — a purgative decoction using Da Huang 大黄 is added so heat and phlegm have a downward route
Contraindications
Contraindicated in collapse patterns, where aromatic opening scatters what little qi is left. Not for cold-type closure— pale face, white slippery coating, slow pulse — which belongs to Su He Xiang Wan. Not for clouded states from deficiency or exhaustion. Because it contains both cinnabar and realgar, repeated or prolonged courses are prohibited outright; mercury and arsenic accumulate and the reported poisonings come from exactly this pattern of use. Do not take it with alcohol, do not combine it with other cinnabar- or realgar-containing preparations, and avoid it in known liver or kidney impairment unless a physician decides otherwise.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.
Pregnancy
Contraindicated in pregnancy. She Xiang musk is a classical abortifacient, and the formula carries both Zhu Sha cinnabar (mercury) and Xiong Huang realgar (arsenic), which reach the fetus and are toxic to it. There is no dose considered acceptable in pregnancy; the only conceivable exception is a life-threatening emergency judged by the physician managing it. Not for use while breastfeeding.
Related Formulas
References
Source 《灵苑方》引郑感方，录自《苏沈良方》 · Song
- Classical source (public domain) — 《太平惠民和剂局方》, Song dynasty; the formula is also traced to 《灵苑方》 via 《苏沈良方》.
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. CITES Appendix I listings (rhinoceros, hawksbill turtle, musk deer) and pharmacopoeial monographs on 朱砂 and 雄黄.
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.