Prepare the ingredients as a decoction. For an average case, take one dose daily and for a serious case, take two doses daily.
Action
Nourishes yin and clears lung heat, resolves toxins and improves the condition of the throat.
Indication
Yang Yin Qing Fei Tang is indicated for diphtheria due to yin deficiency and dryness-heat. The symptoms include white, curd-like spots in the throat that are hard to scrape off, a swollen and sore throat, with or without fever at the beginning of the disease, dry nose and lips, with or without coughing, raspy breathing resembling wheezing, a rapid, forceless or thin, rapid pulse.
Pathogenesis
Diphtheria usually occurs in those with constitutional yin deficiency and internal clumping of heat. Dry qi accompanies epidemic toxins that further attack the body and scorch the fluids which results in epidemic toxic heat fuming upward. As noted in the first volume of the《Jade Key to the Secluded Chamber》: “this condition usually arises in those with lung and kidney deficiency when they are exposed to prevalent dry qi or take too much acrid and spicy food.” The throat connects with the lung and the shaoyin kidney channel passes through the throat and links with the tongue. Thereby, lung and kidney yin deficiency may cause deficiency fire flaming upward to the throat. In this scenario it is accompanied with epidemic dry-heat toxins attacking upwards and lung qi failing to purify. As a result, the patient develops white, curd-like spots in the throat, swollen and sore throat, with or without coughing, raspy breathing resembling wheezing, etc. Dry nose and lips, a rapid, forceless or thin, rapid pulse are typical signs of dryness-heat damaging fluid and deficiency of vital qi with toxin accumulation. The first volume of《Jade Key to the Secluded Chamber》describes suitable therapeutic strategies “when treating this disorder, make sure the location is the lung and kidney. In general one must nourish yin and clear lung heat while the governing strategy is to combine this with acrid, cooling, and dispersing”.
Application
1. Essential pattern differentiation Yang Yin Qing Fei Tang is commonly used to treat diphtheria caused by yin deficiency and dryness-heat. This clinical pattern is marked by white, curd-like spots in the throat that are hard to scrape off, swollen and sore throat, dry nose and lips, rapid, forceless pulse. It is contraindicated to release the exterior when treating diphtheria and especially to induce sweating with acrid-warm medicinals. Instructions following the source formula say “if the patient has internal heat or fever, it is not necessary to use medicinals that release the exterior, only use this formula and the heat will be relieved consequently”. 2. Modern applications This formula is commonly used in the following biomedically defined disorders when the patient shows signs of yin deficiency and dryness-heat: acute tonsillitis, acute pharyngitis, and nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
Source
《Jade Key to the Secluded Chamber》Zhong Lou Yu Yao《重樓玉鑰》
Yin-Nourishing and Lung-Clearing DecoctionFormulation composition herbal medicine
