Humor-Increasing Decoction

Humor-Increasing Decoction

Scrophulariae Radix (Xuan Shen) 1 liang (30g), Ophiopogonis Radix (Mai Dong) 8 qian (24g), Rehmanniae Radix (Sheng Di) 8 qian (24g)

Cook the ingredients with 8 cups of water and reduce it down to 3 cups. For patients with a dry mouth, take the entire decoction at once. Repeat this process if the patients do not have a bowel movement (Modern use: prepare the ingredients as a decoction for oral use).

Increases body fluids to moisten dryness.

Zeng Ye Tang is indicated for yangming warm-febrile disease with fluid inadequacy and constipation. The symptoms are constipation and thirst. The tongue is red and dry, and the pulse is thin and rapid or deep and forceless.

Constipation as a symptom of yangming warm-febrile disease is commonly caused by the binding of heat or drying up of fluids. For an excess pattern with intense heat and binding of heat, Da Cheng Qi Tang should be selected to drastically purge and preserve yin. However, in cases where yin and body fluids have already been severely damaged due to heat and dryness, “the boat cannot steer because there is no water; the dry and accumulated stool cannot be discharged” as stated in《Systematic Differentiation of Warm Diseases》. In this condition, it is necessary to employ the therapeutic method of “increasing the fluids to float the boat”. The constipation that is treated by this formula is caused by febrile disease which consumes fluids and leads to yin deficiency and drying of the fluids that moisten the intestines and facilitate the passage of stool. As yin fluids become depleted, they are unable to rise to the mouth, causing thirst. A dry, red tongue and thin, rapid pulse reflect internal heat from yin deficiency and a deep and forceless pulse indicates interior deficiency. The appropriate therapeutic method is to increase body fluids in order to moisten dryness.

1. Essential pattern differentiation Zeng Ye Tang is a common formula prescribed to treat constipation caused by intestinal dryness and fluid depletion. It is also a primary formula to treat yin deficiency and fluid depletion caused by internal damage. This clinical pattern is marked by constipation, thirst, dry and red tongue, thin, rapid or deep and forceless pulse. 2. Modern applications This formula can be used in the following biomedically defined disorders when the patient shows signs of yin-fluid deficiency: chronic pharyngitis, recurrent oral ulcer, diabetes, sjogren syndrome, fissure, and chronic periodontitis.

Zeng Ye Cheng Qi Tang (Humor-Increasing and Qi-Guiding Decoction 增液承气汤)