Ma huang fu zi gan cao tang
ma huang 6 fu zi 6 zhi gan cao 6
In shao yin disease that has lasted two or three days, promote sweating mildly with ma huang fu zi gan cao tang. In two or three days, if there are no interior signs then one should promote sweating mildly.
It treats an exterior and interior pattern with severe deficiency but it is less severe than ma huang xi xin fu zi tang because zhi gan cao is replacing xi xin.
This formula is a modification of ma huang xi xin fu zi tang. This is the representative formula for surface cold in shao yin deficient patients. By taking out the xi xin and adding the zhi gan cao it now treats shao yin heart yang deficiency.
We see ma huang treating tai yang and tai yin cold and fu zi treating shao yin cold.
Ma huang, Ephedrae herba is bitter descending of the lung. It is pungent dispersing of the imperial and ministerial fire. It enters the lung and bladder channel, it opens the surface, and dispels the cold on the surface. Further it dissipates lung qi and pacifies panting through opening the closed lung qi.
Ma huang is not enough to promote sweating and is therefore used with fu zi to free the congested nutritive and the flow of yang. Ma huang strongly tonifies the heart yang.
Ma huang is pungent and bitter and enters the lung and bladder channel, it opens the surface, promotes sweating and dispels the cold on the surface. Further it dissipates lung qi and pacifies panting through opening the closed lung qi.
Fu zi, Aconiti radix lateralis praeparata is pungent dispersing of liver blood and the ministerial fire in the san jiao. It is pungent dispersing of the heart and kidneys. It is pungent dispersing of the tai yang channels. It is pungent dispersing of excess water.
Fu zi warms the yang and eliminates internal cold due to imperial fire deficiency. Fu zi can assist ma huang in dispersing the surface without damaging the yang qi while warming shao yin.
Zhi gan cao, Glycyrrhizae radix prep is sweet tonifying and nourishing of all organs but especially the heart.
Zhi gan cao is sweet and mildly warm tonifying and nourishing of yin fluids. It nourishes yin fluids in the tai yin and shao yin. It calms wind in the jue yin.
It balances the pungent ma huang and fu zi with its sweet moderation and nourishing.