Mulberry Leaf and Apricot Kernel Decoction

Mulberry Leaf and Apricot Kernel Decoction

Mori Folium (Sang Ye) 1 qian (3g), Armeniacae Semen Amarum (Xing Ren) 1.5 qian (4.5g), Glehniae Radix (Bei Sha Shen) 2 qian (6g), Fritillariae Thunbergii Bulbus (Zhe Bei Mu) 1 qian (3g), Sojae Semen Praeparatum (Dan Dou Chi) 1 qian (3g), Gardeniae Pericarpium (Zhi Zi Pi) 1 qian (3g), Gardeniae Pericarpium (Li Pi) 1 qian (3g)

Decoct the ingredients with 2 cups of water until it is reduced to 1 cup. Take the strained decoction once a day. If the condition is severe continue to take 1 cup each day. (Modern use: prepare the ingredients as a decoction).

Clears and diffuses warm-dryness, moistens the lung and dissolves phlegm.

Sang Xing Tang is indicated for the pattern of externally-contracted warm-dryness. The symptoms are mild fever, thirst, dry throat and nasal cavities, dry cough without sputum, or with scanty, and sticky sputum. The tongue body is red with a thin, white and dry coating. The pulse is floating and rapid and is large on the right side.

Sang Xing Tang is designed to treat mild patterns of externally-contracted warm-dryness injuring the lung fluids. Since warm-dryness invades the lung-wei in autumn, the resulting condition is mild and occurs at the exterior level to induce a mild fever. Dryness also depletes the lung fluids causing failure of the lung qi to purify leading to symptoms such as thirst, dry throat and nasal cavities, dry cough without sputum, or with scanty, and sticky sputum. This pattern resembles exterior wind-heat, yet this pattern is caused by warm-dryness. The lung fluids have been depleted and therefore the therapeutic principle is to clear and diffuse dryness-heat at the exterior, moisten the lung and dissolve phlegm in the interior.

1. Essential pattern differentiation Sang Xing Tang is a formula commonly used to treat mild patterns of warm-dryness that have damaged the lung. This clinical pattern is marked by mild fever, dry cough without sputum, or with scantyand sticky sputum, rapid and large pulse on the right. 2. Modern applications This formula may be used in the following biomedically defined disorders when the patient shows signs of externally-contracted warm-dryness invading lung-wei: upper respiratory tract infection, acute and chronic bronchitis, haemoptysis and pertussis. 3. Cautions and contraindications The medicinals in this formula should be used in small dosage and should only be cooked for a short period of time because the pathogens are not severe and are located in the superficial layer. It was explained in a postscript from the formula’s source text: “Light medicinals should not be used in large dosage or decocted for a long time because if they are, light medicinals cannot act at the qi level but will act on the other levels” .