Xiangru San

Xiangru San

(He Ji Ju Fang)

[Composition] Xiangru 500 grams, Houpo (processed with ginger) 250 grams, Bai Bian Dou 250 grams

[Usage] Grind into coarse powder, take 9 grams each time, and brew in water. In modern times, it is prepared as a decoction, taken orally, named Xiangru Yin.

[Indications] Summer with dampness.

[Indications] Fever with chills, chest tightness without sweating, abdominal pain with vomiting and diarrhea, white, greasy tongue coating, and a floating, rapid pulse.

[Functions] Clear summer heat and release the exterior, promote dampness elimination.

[Formula Explanation] This condition arises when people consume cold drinks during the summer months, causing external cold to combine with exterior symptoms, while internal dampness leads to dampness. Fever with chills and lack of sweating indicate exterior cold; head heaviness, chest tightness, abdominal pain with vomiting and diarrhea, and greasy tongue coating all indicate dampness. In the formula, Xiangru is fragrant and warm, resembling “long summer mahuang”—it disperses exterior cold and transforms internal dampness, making it a key remedy for releasing exterior and eliminating dampness in summer. Houpo transforms dampness and warms the stomach, while Bai Bian Dou clears summer heat and strengthens the spleen; together, these two herbs work to transform dampness and harmonize the middle, serving as auxiliary agents.

[Clinical Additions and Subtractions]

① Remove Xiangru if there are no exterior symptoms; remove Houpo and Bai Bian Dou if there is no abdominal pain or vomiting and diarrhea; add Huanglian for severe heat and thirst, forming the Four-Flavor Xiangru Yin; remove Bai Bian Dou, forming Huanglian Xiangru Yin, used to treat dampness accumulating internally; remove Huanglian if abdominal distension and diarrhea occur, and add茯苓 and Gan Cao, forming the Five-Flavor Xiangru Yin; for those with mid-level qi and excessive sweating, add Ginseng, Huangqi, Bai Zhu, Chen Pi, and Loquat, forming the Ten-Flavor Xiangru Yin.

② Remove Bai Bian Dou from this formula, and add Er Hua, Lianqiao, and fresh Bai Bian Dou flowers, forming the New Xiangru Yin (Wen Bing Tiao Bian), used to treat Taiyin summer heat, resembling typhoid fever, with a right pulse that is large and a left pulse that is small, a red face and thirst, but no sweating.

[Reference Materials]

① “Li Shizhen said: ‘Some people in high-rise buildings suffer from summer heat because they overcool themselves and drink too much cold water—yang qi is suppressed by yin evil and instead enters the interior, leading to headaches and chills. Using Xiangru to disperse yang qi and clear water and warm the spleen will cure the condition.’ Wang Lu said: ‘This is not summer heat—it’s more like a type of typhoid fever.’ According to him, Xiangru is a medicine for sweating in summer, with a warm and hot nature; it is only suitable for people who feel cold. If someone with summer heat takes it, it can actually be harmful. Those with weak original qi should use it cautiously—too much of it can actually worsen summer heat. Today, people say it can relieve summer heat, but they often use it as tea substitute, which is like opening the door to invite thieves.’ (Cheng Fang Qie Yong)

② “Xiangru is a warm, fragrant, and dispersing herb—suitable for yin summer heat, but not for yang summer heat. When yin summer heat lacks sweating, Xiangru is used to disperse it; when yang summer heat causes excessive sweating, can it really be used safely? Li Shizhen said: ‘Xiangru is a medicine for releasing exterior in summer, just like mahuang in winter.’ From this perspective, its ability to release exterior is evident. Today, people do not distinguish between yin and yang, and use it indiscriminately—this is a serious mistake.” (Shi Bing Lun)

[Commentary] This formula can be used for gastrointestinal colds and acute gastroenteritis in summer.