Hou po qi wu tang
gui zhi 6 sheng jiang 15 da zao 6 zhi gan cao 9 hou po 24 da huang 9 zhi shi 6
In the disease of abdominal fullness, when there is fever for ten days, and a floating pulse that is rapid, but food intake is as normal, then hou po qi wu tang governs.
This formula is a version of gui zhi tang. The bai shao has been removed to strengthen the yang qi even more. The sour and astringing action of bai shao can hold back the descending action of the formula. If we left the bai shao in the formula we end up with the formula gui zhi jia da huang tang.
This formula can treat two different patterns. It can treat a tai yang wind strike pattern with a yang ming bowel disease. It can treat a yang ming bowel pattern with yang qi deficiency.
Hou po qi wu tang is a stronger at treating yang qi than gui zhi jia da huang tang.
Gui zhi, sheng jiang, da zao, and zhi gan cao warm tai yang, tai yin while moistening yang ming through tai yin. Gui zhi and gan cao for the formula gui zhi gan cao tang which tonifies heart yang qi.
It also contains the formula xiao cheng qi tang but now the dose for the hou po is double so there is more of a descending action in yang ming.
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.
Hou po opens the chest and middle to allow descent.
Da huang, Rhei rhizoma is bitter draining of excess heat and dry stool in the stomach domain.
Da huang clears yang ming congestion by disinhibiting bowel movement.
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 promotes the descending movement of Metal. Zhi shi widens the middle, breaks stagnation and descends yang ming.