HERB FORMULAS

XIAO CHAI HU TANG

English: Minor Bupleurum Decoction
Also Known As: Minor Bupleurum Combination

HERBS AND ACTIONS

Pharmaceutical Latin
Pin Yin
Dosage
Actions
Rx. Bupleuri Chai Hu 7-24g Resolves Shao Yang disorders, reduces fever, spreads Liver Qi and relieves Stagnation.
With Huang Qin, for Heat in the Shao Yang with alternating chills and fever, and nausea and for restoring normal function of the Liver and Gallbladder.
With Huang Qin, Zhi Ban Xia and Ren Shen, for Shao Yang Heat.
With Huang Qin, Zhi Ban Xia, Ren Shen and Zhi Gan Cao, for weak patients.
Rx. Scutellariae Huang Qin 3-10g Clears Lung Heat, drains Fire and calms ascending Liver Yang.
Rz. Pinelliae Preparatum. Zhi Ban Xia 5-24g Dries Dampness, transforms Phlegm, descends Rebellious Qi, harmonizes the Stomach and stops vomiting.
With Huang Qin, for Phlegm-Heat induced Rebellious Qi with cough, nausea, and vomiting.
With Sheng Jiang, for vomiting due to Cold, Thin Mucus.
Rz. Zingiberis Recens Sheng Jiang 2-9g Releases the exterior, disperses Cold, stops vomiting, stops cough and reduces the toxicity of other herbs.
With Da Zao, alleviates epigastric pain, nausea, and vomiting by strengthening the Spleen.
With Zhi Ban Xia, for vomiting and productive cough due to Phlegm-Dampness.
Rx. Ginseng Ren Shen 3-9g Tonifies Yuan, Spleen, Stomach, Lung and Heart Qi.
Fried Rx. Glycyrrhizae Zhi Gan Cao 2-9g Resolves Phlegm, stops cough, clears Heat. and moderates and harmonizes the properties of other herbs.
With Ren Shen, relieves palpitations and anxiety.
With Sheng Jiang, enhances the effects of other Qi and Blood tonifying herbs by facilitating their digestion and absorption.
Fr. Jujube Da Zao 3-9g Strengthens the Spleen, tonifies Qi and moderates and harmonizes the harsh properties of other herbs.
With Sheng Jiang, enhances effects of other Qi and Blood tonifying herbs by facilitating their digestion and absorption.

FORMULA ACTIONS

  • Harmonizes and releases Shao Yang Stage disorders
  • Relieves the Liver
  • Harmonizes the Liver and Spleen

SYNDROMES

  • Shao Yang Stage disorders
  • Gu Syndrome

CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS

  • Alternating chills and fever
  • Dry throat
  • Bitter or sour taste in the mouth
  • Dizziness
  • Sensation of fullness in the chest and hypochondrium
  • Irritability
  • Heartburn
  • Chest distention
  • Difficulty taking deep breaths
  • Hardness beneath the Heart
  • Hypochondriac pain with pressure
  • Stress
  • Being downcast with no desire to eat
  • Anorexia
  • Vertigo
  • May be palpitations
  • Dysphoria
  • Retching
  • Abdominal pain
  • Stomach ache
  • Reduced appetite
  • Subcostal bloating
  • Depression
  • Amenorrhea
  • Tendency to diarrhea
  • Nervousness
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • May be urinary dysfunction
  • Restlessness
  • Sometimes fatigue
  • Nausea/vomiting (occasional)
  • Headaches (side of head)
  • Rib pain
  • Achiness
  • Ear infection
  • Hearing difficulty
  • Red eyes
  • Stiff shoulders
  • Throat pain
  • Hip pain
  • T: Pink
  • C: Thin and white
  • P: Wiry

TREATS

  • Upper respiratory tract infection
  • Influenza
  • Bronchitis
  • Bronchial asthma
  • Pulmonary tuberculosis
  • Epidemic parotitis
  • Jaundice
  • Malaria
  • Hepatitis C
  • Hepatic fibrosis
  • Postpartum fever
  • Acute pyelonephritis
  • Cholecystitis
  • Lymphadenitis
  • Intercostal neuralgia
  • Weak digestion
  • Chronic hepatitis
  • Gastric prolapse
  • Ulcer
  • General weakness
  • Prolonged cold/flu
  • Common cold with lingering fever
  • Acute pancreatitis
  • Conjunctivitis
  • Perimenstrual fevers
  • Premenstrual syndrome
  • Angina pectoris
  • Intercostal neuralgia
  • Parotiditis
  • Hepatocellular carcinoma
  • Nephritis
  • Acute parotitis
  • Measles
  • Meniere's disease
  • Depression
  • Dysmenorrhea
  • Morning sickness
  • Candidiasis
  • Allergic rhinitis
  • Postpartum fevers
  • Postpartum infection
  • Reflux esophagitis
  • Fever in cancer
  • Hepatic carcinoma
  • Pneumonia
  • Pleuritis
  • Pleurisy
  • Cholelithiasis
  • Gastritis
  • Antral gastritis
  • Sour stomach
  • Tonsillitis
  • Stomatitis
  • Suppurative otitis media
  • Mumps
  • Mastitis
  • Neck stiffness
  • Epilepsy
  • Seizures
  • Pyelitis
  • Puerperal fever
  • Stuttering
  • Epilepsy
  • Impotence in young men
  • Neurosis
  • Alopecia
  • Mental instability in children
  • Biliary tract infection
  • Typhoid fever
  • Migraine headache
  • Periaural eczema
  • Mastitis
  • Chronic renal insufficiency
  • Chronic fatigue syndrome
  • Leaky gut syndrome
  • Giardiasis

CONTRAINDICATIONS AND HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS

CONTRAINDICATIONS
  • Contraindicated for those with Excess above and deficiency below.
  • Contraindicated for those with Liver Fire.
  • Contraindicated for those with bleeding gums.
  • Use with caution for those with Liver Yang Rising.
  • Use with caution for those with hypertension.
  • Use with caution for those with hematemesis due to Yin Deficiency.
  • Use with caution for those with Yin and/or Blood Deficiency.
HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS
  • Acute Pneumonitis maybe associated with interferon in combination with this formula.
  • Concurrent use of this formula and Interleukin 2 may have a synergistic anti-tumor effect against murine renal cell carcinoma.
  • Concurrent use of this formula and antiviral drugs such as zidovudine (AZT), lamivudine (3TC), or AZT plus 3TC may have a synergistic antiviral effect.
  • Concurrent use of this formula and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) may have a synergistic in treating of cancer.
  • This formula has a beneficial effect in preventing and/or treating damage induced by drugs such as halothane, danazol, D-galactosamine, and carbon tetrachloride.

NOTES

MODIFICATIONS

For muscle tension and chronic intestinal disorders: For abdominal pain:
+ Ram Cinnamomi Gui Zhi - Rx. Scutellariae Huang Qin
+ Rx. Paeoniae Alba Bai Shao + Rx. Paeoniae Alba Bai Shao
For stomach upset, edema and severe thirst:
or
+ Five Ingredient Powder with Poria
Wu Ling San
 + Fr. Amomi Sha Ren
For rough, scanty, dark and painful urination:
 + Rx. Aucklandiae Mu Xiang
+ Hb. Lysimachiae JIn Qian Cao
For fever, aversion to Wind, headache, a stifling sensation in the chest, constipation, anorexia, dark urine, thirst, a yellow tongue coat and a tight pulse:
+ Hb. Hedyotidis Bai Hua She She Cao + Sm. Cannabis Huo Ma Ren
For malarial disorders:
 + Fr. Aurantii Immaturus Zhi Shi
+ Hb. Artemesiae Annuae Qing Hao
For fever, coughing yellow sputum and chest pain:
+ Rx. Dichroae Chang Shan + Rx. Platycodi Jie Geng
or
 + Rx. Trichosanthis Gua Lou
+ Rx. Dichroae Chang Shan + Bul. Fritillariae Cirrhosae Chuan Bei Mu
+ Fr. Tsaoko Cao Guo
For coughs that are more severe around midnight, alternating chills and fever, and a and urgent, frequent urination:
or
 + Rz. Zingiberis Gan Jiang
+ Rx. Dichroae Chang Shan + Hb. Asari Xi Xin
Sm. Arecae
Bing Lang + Fr. Schisandrae Wu Wei Zi
+ Fr. Mume Wu Mei
For pre-menstrual tension and menstrual irregularity:
For urinary tract infection with chills, fever bitter taste in the mouth:
 + Rz. Cyperi Xiang Fu
+ Six-Ingredient Pill with Rehmanniae
Liu Wei Di Huang Wan
 + Rx. Paeoniae Alba Bai Shao
For Lung weakness:
For Kidney weakness, lower abdominal bloating, morning diarrhea, chronic yeast infection and thirst:
+ Fr. Schisandrae Wu Wei Zi
+ Scl. Poriae Cocos
 Fu Ling
+ Rx. Astragali Huang Qi + Rz. Alismatis Ze Xie
For recurrent Lung Heat:
 + Rx. Dioscoreae Shan Yao
+ Rz. Coptidis Huang Lian + Sm. Cuscutae Tu Si Zi
+ Sm Trichosanthis Gua Lou Ren
For productive cough:
For dry cough:
 + Sm Trichosanthis Gua Lou Ren
+ Rx. Ophiopogonis Mai Men Dong + Rx. Platycodi Jie Geng
+ Caul. Bambusae in Taenium Zhu Ru + Fr. Aurantii Immaturus Zhi Shi
For pleurisy and wasting diseases involving the Lungs:
or
+ Rx. Gentianae Macrophyllae Qin Jiao + Rx. Platycodi Jie Geng
+ Cx. Lycii Di Gu Pi + Gypsum Shi Gao
+ Rx. Asteris Zi Wan
For no vomiting:
+ Rx. Angelicae Sinensis Dang Gui - Rz. Pinelliae Preparatum Zhi Ban Xia
+ Sm. Mume Wu Mei - Rx. Ginseng Ren Shen
For pronounced thirst:
 + Fr. Trichosanthis Gua Lou
- Rz. Pinelliae Preparatum Zhi Ban Xia
For a severe stifling sensation in the chest and epigastrium:
- Rx. Ginseng Ren Shen + Rz. Cyperi Xiang Fu
+ Rx. Trichosanthis Tian Hua Fen + Fr. Aurantii Immaturus Zhi Shi
For Yin Deficiency:
For abdominal fullness and pain:
+ Carapax Trionycis Bie Jia + Rz. Corydalis Yan Hu Suo
+ Hb. Artemesiae Annuae Qing Hao + Rz. Cyperi Xiang Fu
For sinusitis with stuffy nose, yellow nasal discharge, red tongue, a thin white coat and a wiry pulse:
 + Fr. Aurantii Immaturus Zhi Shi
+ Fr. Xanthii Cang Er Zi
For Heat evil in the uterus:
For hard focal distention and firmness below the ribs:
+ Fol. Perillae Zi Su Ye
- Fr. Jujube Da Zao
For palpitations in the epigastrium and inhibited urination due to Phlegm accumulation:
+ Concha Ostreae Mu Li - Rx. Scutellariae Huang Qin
For lack of thirst and a slight fever in the exterior:
+ + Scl. Poriae Cocos Fu Ling
- Rx. Ginseng Ren Shen
For cough:
+Ram. Cinnamomi Gui Zhi - Fr. Jujube Da Zao
For Heat in the Blood Chamber:
- Rx. Ginseng Ren Shen
+ Sm. Persicae Tao Ren - Rz. Zingiberis Recens Sheng Jiang
+ Flos Carthami Hong Hua + Fr. Schisandrae Wu Wei Zi
+ Cx. Moutan Mu Dan Pi + Rz. Zingiberis Gan Jiang
For vertigo:
For coughs that are more severe around midnight, alternating fever and chills and a bitter taste or coughs that do not respond to other treatment
+ Flos Chrysanthemi Ju Hua + Rz. Zingiberis Gan Jiang
+ Ram. cum Uncis Uncariae Gou Teng + Rx. et Rz. Asari Xi Xin
+ Sm. Cassiae Jue Ming Zi + Fr. Schisandrae Wu Wei Zi
For thirst and irritability from Deficiency Heat:
For headache:
+ Rx. Ophiopogonis Mai Men Dong + Rx. Chuanxiong Chuan Xiong
+ Fr. Schisandrae Wu Wei Zi
For irritability:
For more nausea and vomiting:
+ Hb. Lophatheri Dan Zhu Ye
+ Rz. Zingiberis Recens Sheng Jiang + Sm. oryzae Geng Mi
+ Per. Citri Reticulatae Chen Pi
For indigestion in children:
For gum pain due to Yin Deficiency:
+ Rz. Atractylodis Macrocephalae Bai Zhu
+ Gypsum Fibrosum Shi Gao + Per. Citri Reticulatae Chen Pi
For palpitations and dysuria:
+ Scl. Poriae Cocos Fu Ling
- Rx. Scutellariae Huang Qin + Fr. Crataegi Shan Zha
+ Scl. Poriae Cocos Fu Ling
For severe hypochondriac pain:
For a stifling sensation in the chest:
+ Per. Citri Reticulatae Viride Qing Pi
+ Fr. Aurantii Immaturus Zhi Shi + Rx. Paeoniae Alba Bai Shao
+ Per. Citri Reticulatae Viride Qing Pi + Rz. Cyperi Xiang Fu
For Damp-Heat jaundice:
For icteric jaundice and hepatitis:
+ Hb. Artemisiae Scopariae Yin Chen Hao + Fr. Aurantii Immaturus Zhi Shi
+ Fr. Aurantii Immaturus Zhi Shi + Hb. Artemisiae Scopariae Yin Chen Hao
+ Rx. Isatidis Ban Lan Gen + Rx. Paeoniae Alba Bai Shao
For common colds:
+ Hb. Lysimachiae Jin Qian Cao
+ Hb. Schizonepetae Jing Jie
For jaundice with more Heat:
+ Rx. Saposhnikoviae Fang Feng + Fr. Aurantii Immaturus Zhi Shi
+ Rx. Puerariae Gen Gen + Cx. Phellodendri Huang Bai
For acute bronchitis:
For influenza:
+ Rx. Platycodi Jie Geng + Flos Lonicerae Jin Yin Hua
+ Fr. Aurantii Zhi Ke + Fr. Forsythiae Lian Qiao
+ Sm. Armeniacae Xing Ren + Rx. Isatidis Ban Lan Gen
+ Rx. Stemonae Bai Bu
For chronic bronchitis:
For acute otitis media:
+ Scl. Poriae Cocos Fu Ling
+ Rx. Gentianae Long Dan Cao + Per. Citri Reticulatae Chen Pi
+ Fr. Gardeniae Zhi Zi + Rx. et Rz. Asteris Zi Wan
For postpartum Wind invasion with perspiration:
 + Flos Farfare Kuan Dong Hua
- Rx. Bupleuri Chai Hu
For urinary tract infection:
For postpartum Wind invasion without fever:
+ Hb. Polygoni Avicularis Bian Xu
- Rx. Scutellariae Huang Qin + Hb. Plantaginis Che Qian Cao
For postpartum Wind invasion with marked Deficiency:
+ Spora Lygodii Hai Jin Sha
+ More Rx. Ginseng Ren Shen
for distending pain over the abdomen:
For postpartum Wind invasion with increased nausea or vomiting:
- Rx. Ginseng Ren Shen
+ More Rz. Zingiberis Recens Sheng Jiang - Fried Rx. Glycyrrhizae Zhi Gan Cao
For Gu Syndrome:
 + Rz. Cyperi Xiang Fu
+ Fol. Perillae Zi Su Ye + Fr. Aurantii Zhi Ke
+ Hb. Menthae Bo He
For allergic rhinitis with severe nose itching and sneezing:
+ Rx. Angelicae Dahuricae Bai Zhi + Flos Magnolia Xin Yi
For allergic rhinitis with profuse nasal discharge:
+ Flos Chrysanthemi Ju Hua
+ Rz. Atractylodis Cang Zhu
For allergic rhinitis with severe sinus swelling and congestion:
+ Rz. Cimicifugae Sheng Ma + Rx. Angelicae Dahuricae Bai Zhi
For allergic rhinitis with severe inflammation:
+ Hb. Menthae Bo He
+ Rx. Scutellariae Huang Qin
For allergic rhinitis with nasal polyps:
+ Rz. Chuanxiong Chuan Xiong + Sm. Persicae Tao Ren
For allergic rhinitis with Lung and Spleen Qi Deficiency, deep lying Phlegm and Stomach Heat:
 + Rx. Puerariae Ge Gen
- Rx. Ginseng Ren Shen
For dysmenorrhea due to Liver Qi Stagnation Transforming into Fire:
+ 9g Rx. Codonopsis Dang Shen + Fr. Gardeniae Zhi Zi
+ 15g Rx. Astragali Huang Qi + Rx. Scutellariae Huang Qin
+ 12g Rz. Atractylodis Macrocephalae Bai Zhu
For hepatitis C with costal pain:
+ 9g Per. Citri Reticulatae Chen Pi + Fr. Toosendan Chuan Lian Zi
+ 9g Poria Fu Ling
For hepatitis C with Blood Stagnation:
+ 9g Rx. Saposhnikoviae Fang Feng + Rx. Curcumae Yu Jin
For hepatitis C with Blood Stagnation causing menstrual cramps:
or
+ Flos Carthami Hong Hua + Rz. Corydalis Yan Hu Suo
or
For hepatitis C with Blood Stagnation in the Luo channels:
+ Hb. Leonuri Yi Mu Cao + Hb. Lycopi Ze Lan
or
or
+ Rx. Salviae Miltiorrhizae Dan Shen + Hb. Eupatorii Pei Lan
For hepatitis C due to Spleen Qi and Yang Deficiencies with poor appetite, gas and nausea:
   
+ Minor Bupleurum Decoction
Xiao Chai Hu Tang