Xiao cheng qi tang
hou po 6 da huang 12 zhi shi 3
In yang ming disease, the pulse is slow, and regardless of the sweating there is no aversion to cold, so the body must be imperatively heavy, and there is shortness of breath, with abdominal fullness and panting, along with tidal fever, for this means that the external pattern is about to resolve, and the interior can be purged, if the abdomen is greatly full and constipated, one can give xiao cheng qi tang to mildly harmonize stomach qi, but do not allow any great precipitation.
It clears yang ming excess stool and heat. It is a purging formula that strongly clears accumulation.
Hou po, Magnoliae cortex is bitter and aromatic. It is bitter descending of dampness in the stomach domain, chest and lungs. It is pungent dispersing of dampness.
Warm, bitter, and aromatic hou po opens the middle and promotes the downward qi flow of the yang ming and Metal mandate.
Opens the chest and descends upper burner obstruction. It transforms and moves damp phlegm, while descending upper burner phlegm stagnation thru yang ming.
Da huang, Rhei rhizoma is bitter draining of excess heat and dry stool in the stomach domain.
Cold bitter it clears yang ming congestion by disinhibiting bowel movement and clears the bowels of congested excessive heat.
Da huang descends yang ming and frees Metal from Fire by opening and descending the intestines and expelling pathogens.
Zhi shi, Aurantii fructus immaturus is bitter draining and descending of the stomach domain. It is bitter draining of the liver, gall bladder and san jiao.
Zhi shi is used to enhance the descending movement of Metal. Zhi shi widens the middle, breaks stagnation and descends yang ming dryness.
The use of zhi shi makes this formula a yang ming and shao yang level pattern. Zhi shi moves the shao yang gall bladder downward to descend yang ming stomach and large intestine qi and restores the descent of qi to eliminate stagnation and create space for the rising of clear yang of jue yin liver and tai yin spleen.
We see zhi shi and da huang together in da chai hu tang which clears dryness in the yang ming in a shao yang yang ming pattern. If there is also chest bind add hou po.