HERB FORMULAS

SHAO YAO TANG - 芍藥湯 - PEONY DECOCTION

English: Peony Decoction
Also Known As: Peony Combination

HERBS AND ACTIONS

Pharmaceutical Latin
Pin Yin
Dosage
Actions
Rx. Paeoniae Alba Bai Shao 15-30g Nourishes Blood, regulates menstruation, astringes Yin, adjusts the Ying and Wei, calms Liver Yang and Liver Wind, softens the Liver and alleviates pain.
With Gan Cao. regulates the relationship between the Liver and Spleen and nourishes sinews, for abdominal pain due to disharmony between the Liver and Stomach, epigastric, hypochondriac or flank pain and muscle spasms, pain and numbness, especially in the calf, due to Blood Deficiency.
With Huang Qin, for dysenteric disorders with abdominal pain due to Heat entering the Interior.
With Huang Qin and Huang Lian, for Damp-Heat dysenteric disorders.
With Dang Gui, nourishes Yin and Blood.
Rx. Scutellariae Huang Qin 9-15g Clears Heat toxin from the Intestines, dries Dampness, drains Fire, detoxifies and calms ascending Liver Yang.
With Bai Shao, for Damp-Heat dysentery with fever and tenesmus.
With Huang Lian, drains pathogenic Heat from the upper and middle Jiaos for high fever, redness, swelling and pain of the head and face, dry mouth, parched throat, ulcerations of the mouth and tongue, epistaxis, rashes and irritability in warm-febrile disease, toothache and explosive diarrhea and dysentery with burning pain in the anus or fitted, filthy stools and abdominal pain.
With Da Huang, for constipation.
Rx. Angelicae Sinensis Dang Gui 6-15g Nourishes and invigorates Blood, moistens the Intestines, unblocks the bowels and alleviates pain.
With Bai Shao, regulates and harmonizes Qi and Blood for Blood Deficiency Heat.
With Gan Cao, moderates spasms and relieves abdominal pain.
Sm. Arecae Bing Lang 9-12g Moves Qi, eliminates stasis, drains and unblocks bowels, promotes urination and stops nausea.
With Bai Shao, Mu Xiang and Huang Lian, for Damp-Heat dysenteric disorders with tenesmus.
Rz. Coptidis Huang Lian 6-15g Resolves toxic Heat in the Intestines, drains Stomach Fire and dries Dampness.
With Huang Qin, clears and drains and assists Da Huang in clearing Heat through the stool.
With Huang Qin and Da Huang, for hematemesis and rectal bleeding due to Blood Heat.
With Mu Xiang, for Heat type dysentery.
With Rou Gui, for insomnia with disturbing dreams, palpitations which are worse at night and irritability due to lack of communication between the Heart and Kidneys.
With Mu Xiang and Bing Lang, for hot dysenteric disorders with Qi Stagnation and Damp-Heat in the Middle Jiao with intense tenesmus.
Rx. et Rz. Rhei Da Huang 3-9g Drains Heat through the stool, drains Fire, drains Heat from the Blood, invigorates the Blood and dispels Blood Stasis and reduces Fire toxicity.
With Huang Lian, for fullness and distention due to Heat accumulation.
With Huang Lian and Huang Qin, for hematemesis, or epistaxis due to Blood Heat and whole body Damp-Heat.
With Dang Gui, for Blood Stasis.
With Rou Gui, for chronic constipation.
Rx. Aucklandiae Mu Xiang 6-9g Moves Qi, eliminates stasis, adjusts and regulates stagnant Qi in the Intestines, dispels Damp-Heat and harmonizes the Liver and Spleen .
With Bing Lang, for Qi Stagnation in the Stomach and Intestines due to Food Stagnation with abdominal distention, and fullness and distention, anorexia, aversion to the smell of food, nausea without the ability to vomit and an uncomfortable urge to defecate which is often unsuccessful and relieves tenesmus and the passage of mucus in dysenteric disorders.
With Bing Lang and Da Huang, for epigastric and abdominal fullness, distention, and pain with constipation, or red and white dysenteric diarrhea due to Stagnation in the Stomach and Intestines transforming into Damp-Heat.
With Huang Lian, for dysentery and diarrhea, with tenesmus and abdominal distention and pain.
With Bai Shao, for diarrhea with profuse pus and Blood.
Rx. Glycyrrhizae Gan Cao 3-6g Tonifies the Spleen, augments Qi, moderates spasms, alleviates pain and moderates and harmonizes the harsh properties of other herbs.
With Bai Shao and Huang Qin, for abdominal pain and dysenteric diarrhea from Damp-Heat.
With Bai Shao, Huang Qin, Huang Lian, Da Huang and Bing Lang, for diarrhea, dysentery, and abdominal pain caused by Damp-Heat.
Cx. Cinnamomi Rou Gui 1-7.5g Assists the generation and circulation of Qi and Blood and prevents the Cold, bitter properties of the other herbs from injuring the Yang.
 With Da Huang, invigorates the Blood.
With Huang Lian, for irritability, restlessness, coolness of the lower limbs and difficulty falling asleep due to Disharmony between the Heart and Kidneys and chronic dysentery.

FORMULA ACTIONS

  • Regulates and Harmonizes Qi and Blood
  • Clears Heat
  • Dries Dampness
  • Relieves toxicity
  • Relieves pain

SYNDROMES

  • Damp-Heat In Colon (Dysentery)
  • Gu Syndrome

CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS

  • Abdominal pain
  • Tenesmus
  • Difficulty with defecation
  • Diarrhea with pus and blood (equal amounts)
  • Purulent stools
  • Maybe borborygmus
  • Burning sensation around the anus
  • Dark, scanty urine
  • Oliguria with reddish urine
  • T: Red
  • C: Yellow and greasy or Thick, yellow and greasy
  • P: Rapid or Slippery and rapid or Superficial

TREATS

CONTRAINDICATIONS AND HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS

CONTRAINDICATIONS
  • Contraindicated for those with chronic dysenteric disorders from Deficiency Cold
  • Contraindicated for those with External/Biao conditions.
HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS

NOTES

MODIFICATIONS

For Gu Syndrome:
 For Heat that has depleted the Fluids with a dry tongue coat:
+ Fol. Perillae Zi Su Ye - Cx. Cinnamomi Rou Gui
+ Hb. Menthae Bo He
For indigestion:
+ Rx. Angelicae Dahuricae Bai Zhi + Fr. Crataegi Shan Zha
For white pus:
For severe toxic Heat:
+ Rz. Zingiberis Gan Jiang + Flos Lonicerae Jin Yin Hua
For severe hemorrhage:
+ Rx. Pulsatillae Bai Tou Weng
+ Cx. Moutan Radicis Mu Dan Pi
For dark (purple) stool (increased toxins):
+ Rx. Sanguisorbae Di Yu + Cx. Phellodendri Huang Bai
For Damp-Heat toxin:
For a thick tongue coat and a slippery pulse (Food Stagnation):
+ Rx. Sanguisorbae Di Yu - Rx. Glycyrrhizae Gan Cao
+ Flos Sophorae Huai Hua + Fr. Crataegi Shan Zha
For more severe signs of Dampness:
+ Massa Medicata Fermentata Shen Qu
+ Rz. Atractylodis Cang Zhu
or
+ Poria Fu Ling + Fr. Crataegi Shan Zha
+ Fr. Amomi Sha Ren + Massa Fermentata Shen Qu
For more Blood than pus in the stool:
For abdominal fullness and distention:
- Rx. Angelicae Sinensis Dang Gui - Cx. Cinnamomi Rou Gui
+ Extremitas Rx. Angelicae Sinensis Dang Gui Wei - Rx. Glycyrrhizae Gan Cao
+ Cx. Moutan Mu Dan Pi + Fr. Aurantii Immaturus Zhi Shi
For bloody diarrhea:
For cloudy dark Blood in the stool due to toxins in the Spleen:
+ More Rx. et Rz. Rhei Da Huang + Cx. Phellodendri Huang Bai
For severe tenesmus:
For dysentery with Qi Deficiency and chronic illness:
+ Fr. Aurantii Zhi Ke
For dysentery with nausea and vomiting:
+ Rz. Atractylodis Macrocephalae Bai Zhu
+ Hb. Agastaches Huo Xiang
+ Caulis Bambusae in Taeniam Zhu Ru + Rx. Pseudostellariae Tai Zi Shen
For severe bloody dysentery:
For bacterial dysentery:
+ Rx. Pulsatillae Bai Tou Weng
+ Flos Lonicerae Jin Yin Hua + Hb. Taraxaci Pu Gong Ying
+ Rx. Sanguisorbae Di Yu + Rx. Sanguisorbae Di Yu
+ Rx. Pulsatillae Bai Tou Weng
For colitis with undigested food in the stools:
+ Sm. Coicis Yi Yi Ren + Fr. Crataegi Shan Zha
For colitis with Spleen and Stomach Yang Deficiency:
+ Fr. Oryzae Germinatus Gu Ya
+ Fr. Hordei Germinatus Mai Ya
+ Rz. Atractylodis Macrocephalae Bai Zhu
For colitis with Dampness:
+ Sm. Coicis Yi Yi Ren
+ Poria Fu Ling + Sm. Lablab Bai Bian Dou
+ Rz. Dioscoreae Shan Yao
For colitis with constipation and abdominal fullness:
+ Fr. Psoraliae Bu Gu Zhi
For ulcerative colitis with pus and Blood in the stool:
- Cx. Cinnamomi Rou Gui
+ Fr. Aurantii Immaturus Zhi Shi
+ Rx. Pulsatillae Bai Tou Weng + Cx. Magnoliae Officinalis Hou Po
+ Hb. Portulacae Ma Chi Xian
For ulcerative colitis with Qi and Blood Deficiency:
For ulcerative colitis with chronic diarrhea:
+ Fr. Mume Wu Mei
+ Rx. Astragali Huang Qi + Per. Granati Shi Liu Pi
+ Rx. Codonopsis Dang Shen
For ulcerative colitis with severe hematochezia:
+ Colla Corii Asini E Jiao + Rx. Sanguisorbae Di Yu
For ulcerative colitis with severe abdominal pain:
+ Rz. Bletillae Bai Ji
For ulcerative colitis without abdominal pain:
+ More Rx. Paeoniae Alba Bai Shao - Rx. Aucklandiae Mu Xiang
- Sm. Arecae Bing Lang
For early-stage dysentery or if the Heat is intense:
For bacillary dysentery:
+ 30g Hb. Portulacae Ma Chi Xian
- Cx. Cinnamomi Rou Gui + 20g Rx. Isatidis Ban Lan Gen
+ 18-30g Flos Lonicerae Jin Yin Hua
For amoebic dysentery:
For dysentery with Dampness predominant:
+ 15g Rx. Pulsatillae Bai Tou Weng
+ 15-30g Sm. Coicis Yi Yi Ren
For dysentery with Heat predominant:
+ 12-15g Poria Fu Ling - Cx. Cinnamomi Rou Gui
+ 9-12g Rz. Alismatis Ze Xie + 18-30g Flos Lonicerae Jin Yin Hua
+ 6-9g Rz. Atractylodis Cang Zhu + 9-12g Rx. Paeoniae Rubra Chi Shao
+ 9-12g Cx. Magnoliae Officinalis Hou Po
+ 9-12g Cx. Moutan Mu Dan Pi
For dysentery with significant bleeding:
For dysentery with significant abdominal pain:
+ 12-15g Rx. Sanguisorbae Di Yu + 9-12g Rx. Linderae Wu Yao
+ 12-15g Fr. Aurantii Immaturus Zhi Shi
+ 12-15g Fol Callicarpae Zi Zhu
For dysentery with Exterior signs and symptoms:
For dysentery with mild Food Stagnation:
+ 2 or 3 of the following:
+ 12g Rx. Puerariae Ge Gen 15g Massa Medicata Fermentata Shen Qu
+ 12g Hb. Schizonepetae Jing Jie
15-30g Dry-fried Fr. Hordei Germinatus Chao Mai Ya
+ 9-12g Fr. Forsythiae Lian Qiao
+ 30g Flos Lonicerae Jin Yin Hua 15g Fr. Crataegi Shan Zha
For dysentery with True Heat and False Cold:
15g Dry-fried Sm. Raphani Chao Lai Fu Zi
+ Frigid Extremities Powder
Si Ni San
For dysentery with more Dampness than Heat or more white mucus than Blood:
For dysentery with more Heat than Dampness or more Blood white mucus or only Blood:
+ 9g Rz. Atractylodis Cang Zhu
- Peony Decoction
Shao Yao Tang
+ 6g Cx. Magnoliae Officinalis Hou Po
+ Pulsatilla Decoction
Bai Tou Weng Tang
+ 12g Sm. Coicis Yi Yi Ren
For dysentery with a headache, aversion to Cold and body aches from the outset:
For dysentery with Food Stagnation, tenesmus and abdominal pain which resists pressure:
+ 9g Rx. Puerariae Ge Gen
- Peony Decoction
Shao Yao Tang
+ 6g Rz. Schizonepetae Jing Jie
+ 6g Rx. Saposhnikoviae Fang Feng
+ Unripe Bitter Orange Pill to Guide out Stagnation
Zhi Shi Dao Zhi Wan
For Damp-Heat fever:
- Cx. Cinnamomi Rou Gui
For bacillary dysentery:
+ 12g Rx. Pulsatillae Bai Tou Weng
- Rx. Angelicae Sinensis Dang Gui
For bacillary dysentery with chills and fever:
- Cx. Cinnamomi Rou Gui - Rx. Angelicae Sinensis Dang Gui
+ 30g Flos Lonicerae Jin Yin Hua - Cx. Cinnamomi Rou Gui
+ 30g Hb. Portulacae Ma Chi Xian + 30g Flos Lonicerae Jin Yin Hua
+ 10g Fr. Aurantii Zhi Ke + 30g Hb. Portulacae Ma Chi Xian
    + 10g Fr. Aurantii Zhi Ke
    + 15g Rx. Puerariae Ge Gen