Ma Huang Tang - 麻黃湯 - Ephedra Decoction

English:	Ephedra Decoction
Also Known As:	Ma Huang Combination

Herbs And Actions

Pharmaceutical Latin	Pin Yin	Dosage	Actions
Hb. Ephedrae	Ma Huang	5-9g	Strongly promotes diaphoresis, relieves the Exterior, disperses Lung Qi, promotes urination and expels Cold. With Gui Zhi, for Wind-Cold Excess with fever, chills and anhidrosis and Wind-Cold-Damp Bi. With Xing Ren, for cough and wheezing due to Wind-Cold Attacks the Lungs.
Ram. Cinnamomi	Gui Zhi	4-9g	Promotes diaphoresis, warms the channels, disperses Cold, releases the exterior, assists the Yang, adjusts the Ying and Wei, warms and facilitates the flow of Qi through the channels and collaterals and Blood through the vessels and releases the muscle layer. With Zhi Gan Cao, for palpitations and shortness of breath due to injured Yang of the chest.
Sm. Armeniacae	Xing Ren	5-12g	Disperses Lung Qi, resolves Phlegm and stops cough and wheezing. With Ma Huang and Zhi Gan Cao, for cough with profuse sputum, nasal obstruction and a hoarse voice.
Rx. Glycyrrhizae Preparata	Zhi Gan Cao	1-6g	Tonifies Qi, resolves Phlegm, stops cough and moderates and harmonizes the harsh properties of other herbs. With Ma Huang and Xing Ren, for Wind-Cold Attacks the Lungs with coughing and/or wheezing.

Formula Actions

• Disperses Wind-Cold
• Stops Asthma
• Clears the Lungs

Syndromes

• Wind-Cold Attacks the Lungs
• Tai Yang Shang Han
• Wind-Cold Bi - Initial Stage
• Exterior Wind-Cold of excess type (Secondary source)

Clinical Manifestations

Itching or tickling in the throat Wheezing Sneezing Gasping Cough with expectoration of thin, watery or frothy white sputum General body aches No thirst Dyspnea Headache Chills with low grade fever

Maybe asthma Intolerance of Cold Anhidrosis Blocked and/or runny nose with watery nasal discharge Chest discomfort Neck stiffness T: Pink C: Thin, white and moist P: Superficial and tight

Treats

Bronchial asthma Common cold Rheumatoid arthritis (inflammation intense but short lived) Rhinitis Acute glomerulonephritis Infantile enuresis Painful menstruation Abdominal masses Acute pharyngitis Early stages of mastitis Lumbar strain Periarthritis of the shoulder Raynaud's disease Trigeminal neuralgia Sinusitis Asthma Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Pericardial effusions Urticaria Glomerulonephritis Benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) Phlebitis Peripheral neuropathy Epistaxis Cough Numbness Nasal congestion Allergic sinusitis Acute nephritis Toothache Whole body pain Sore throat

Upper respiratory tract infection Influenza Acute bronchitis Lobar pneumonia Allergies Wind-Cold nosebleeds Difficult labor Pelvic inflammatory disease Otitis media Traumatic arthropathy Cervical spine disease Ankylosing spondylitis Sciatica Migraine Scleroderma Hay fever Eczema Chilblains Pyelonephritis Ascites Solar dermatitis Enuresis Headache Painful obstruction Pediatric psoriasis Pulmonary emphysema Paresthesia Fever Allergic rhinitis Gasping Dyspnea Neck pain and stiffness Nasal pain

Contraindications And Herb/Drug Interactions

Notes

• Compared with Gui Zhi Tang: Ma Huang Tang is for exterior-excess Wind-Cold (no sweating, tight pulse), while Gui Zhi Tang is for exterior-deficiency Wind-Cold (sweating, moderate pulse).

Modifications

For Dampness:		For early stage Wind-Damp-Cold Bi:
+ Rz. Atractylodis	Cang Zhu	+ Rz Atractylodes Macrocephalae	Bai Zhu
For concurrent Yang Deficiency:		For sore throat:
+ Rx. Astragali	Huang Qi	- Ram. Cinnamomi	Gui Zhi
For wheezing, chest tightness and expectoration of white, watery sputum:		+ Rx. Trichosanthis	Tian Hua Fen
+ Fr. Perillae	Zi Su Zi	+ Rz. Belamcandae	She Gan
+ Per Citri Reticulatae	Chen Pi	For pediatric psoriasis:
+ Cx. Mori	Sang Bai Pi	+ Four Things Decoction Si Wu Tang
+ Poria	Fu Ling	For asthma and cough with profuse, clear sputum, mild chills, fever, body aches and headache:
For severe Wind-Damp-Cold Bi:		- Ram. Cinnamomi	Gui Zhi
+ Rz. Atractylodis	Cang Zhu	+ Rx. Peucedani	Qian Hu
+ Rx. Gentianae	Qin Jiao	For Interior Heat:
+ Caul. Lonicerae	Ren Dong Teng	+ Gypsum Fibrosum	Shi Gao
For concurrent Qi and Blood Deficiencies:		Or
+ Rx. Astragali	Huang Qi	+ Gypsum Fibrosum	Shi Gao
+ Rx. Ginseng	Ren Shen	+ Rz. Anemarrhenae	Zhi Mu
+ Rx. Rehmanniae Preparata	Shu Di Huang	Or
For a Wind-Cold Invasion accompanied by Dampness:		+ Gypsum Fibrosum	Shi Gao
+ Rx. Saposhnikoviae	Fang Feng	+ Rx. Scutellariae	Huang Qin
+ Rz. et Rx. Notopterygii	Qiang Huo	For traumatic injury accompanied by Wind-Cold:
+ Rz. Atractylodis Macrocephalae	Bai Zhu	+ Sm. Persicae	Tao Ren
For muscle aches and pains due to a Wind-Cold-Damp Attack:		+ Flos Carthami	Hong Hua
+ Rz. Atractylodis	Cang Zhu	For only slight Cold:
+ Sm. Coicis	Yi Yi Ren	- Ram. Cinnamomi	Gui Zhi
For concurrent Interior Heat with vexatious thirst and a higher fever:		For coughing and/or panting:
- Ram. Cinnamomi	Gui Zhi
+ 20g Gypsum Fibrosum	Shi Gao	+ 9g Fr. Perillae	Zi Su Zi
For cough:		+ 9g Cx. Mori	Sang Bai Pi
+ Fol. Eriobotryae	Pi Pa Ye	For cough with profuse sputum:
For cough with yellow, sticky sputum:		+ Fol. Eriobotryae	Pi Pa Ye
+ Fol. Eriobotryae	Pi Pa Ye	+ Arisaema cum Bile	Dan Nan Xing
+ Rx. Scutellariae	Huang Qin	+ Rz. Pinelliae Preparatum	Zhi Ban Xia
+ Gypsum Fibrosum	Shi Gao
For cough with hoarseness and a sore throat:		For cough with thick, sticky, difficult-to-expectorate sputum, and a red tongue with a thin coat:
+ Fol. Eriobotryae	Pi Pa Ye
+ Fr. Chebulae	He Zi	+ Fol. Eriobotryae	Pi Pa Ye
+ Rx. Trichosanthis	Tian Hua Fen	+ Rx. Scrophulariae	Xuan Shen
For cough with fatigue and profuse perspiration:		+ Rx. Ophiopogonis	Mai Men Dong
+ Fol. Eriobotryae	Pi Pa Ye	+ Rx. Glehniae/ Adenophorae	Sha Shen
+ Rx. Astragali	Huang Qi
+ Rx. Saposhnikoviae	Fang Feng	For peripheral neuropathy:
For enuresis:		- Sm. Armeniacae	Xing Ren
- Sm. Armeniacae	Xing Ren	+ Vascular Citri Reticulatae	Ju Luo
For enuresis in the summer:
- Sm. Armeniacae	Xing Ren	For enuresis in the winter:
+ Less Rx. Ephedrae	Ma Huang	- Sm. Armeniacae	Xing Ren
For enuresis with Qi Deficiency:		+ More Rx. Ephedrae	Ma Huang
- Sm. Armeniacae	Xing Ren	For enuresis with Yang Deficiency:
+ Rx. Codonopsis	Dang Shen	- Sm. Armeniacae	Xing Ren
For mastitis:		+ Rx. Morindae Officinalis	Ba Ji Tian
+ Hb Taraxaci	Pu Gong Ying
+ Flos Lonicerae	Jin Yin Hua	+ Fr. Alpiniae Oxyphyllae	Yi Zhi Ren
For mastitis with obstruction of breast milk:		For severe wheezing and hasty panting:
+ Hb Taraxaci	Pu Gong Ying	+ 9g Fr. Perillae	Zi Su Zi
+ Flos Lonicerae	Jin Yin Hua	+ 9g Rx. Peucedani	Qian Hu
+ Rx. Rhapontici	Lou Lu	For chest oppression:
For lack of External signs:		+ 9g Rx. Platycodi	Jie Geng
- Ram. Cinnamomi	Gui Zhi	+ 9g Fr. Aurantii	Zhi Ke
- Rx. Ephedrae	Ma Huang	For copious white, watery sputum:
+ Honey-fried Rx. Ephedrae	Zhi Ma Huang	+ Two or three of the following
9g Rz. Pinelliae Preparatum	Zhi Ban Xia
For severe fullness and stuffiness of the chest:
+ 9g Rx. Platycodi	Jie Geng	6g Per. Citri Reticulatae	Chen Pi
+ 9g Fr. Aurantii	Zhi Ke	6g Rz. Arisaematis Preparatum	Zhi Tian Nan Xing
+ 9g Ram. Perillae	Zi Su Geng
For neck pain and stiffness:		6g Sm. Sinapis	Bai Jie Zi
+ Rx. Puerariae	Ge Gen	For whole body pain:
For whole body pain with sweating:		+ 10g Rz. et Rx. Notopterygii	Qiang Huo
- Rx. Ephedrae	Ma Huang
+ 10g Rz. et Rx. Notopterygii	Qiang Huo	+ 10g Rx. Angelicae Pubescentis	Du Huo
+ 10g Rx. Angelicae Pubescentis	Du Huo	For whole body pain with a headache:
+ 10g Rz. et Rx. Notopterygii	Qiang Huo
+ 10g Rx. Paeoniae Alba	Bai Shao
+ 10g Rz. Zingiberis Recens	Sheng Jiang	+ 10g Rx. Angelicae Pubescentis	Du Huo
+ 10g Fr. Jujube	Da Zao	+ 10g Rz. Chuanxiong	Chuan Xiong
For whole body pain with a stiff neck:		+ 10g Rx. Angelicae Dahuricae	Bai Zhi
+ 10g Rz. et Rx. Notopterygii	Qiang Huo
For severe whole body pain with a Cold sensation:
+ 10g Rx. Angelicae Pubescentis	Du Huo
+ 10g Rz. et Rx. Notopterygii	Qiang Huo
+ 10g Rx. Puerariae	Ge Gen
+ 12g Rx. Paeoniae Alba	Bai Shao	+ 10g Rx. Angelicae Pubescentis	Du Huo
For nasal pain:
+ 3g Hb. cum Rx. Asari	Xi Xin	+ 10g Rz. Zingiberis	Gan Jiang
+ 6g Rx. Platycodi	Jie Geng	+ 12g Rz. Corydalis	Yan Hu Suo
For nasal pain with a stuffy nose:		For nasal pain with a fever and aversion to Cold:
+ 3g Hb. cum Rx. Asari	Xi Xin	+ 3g Hb. cum Rx. Asari	Xi Xin
+ 6g Rx. Platycodi	Jie Geng	+ 6g Rx. Platycodi	Jie Geng
+ 10g Rx. Angelicae Dahuricae	Bai Zhi	+ 10g Rz. et Rx. Notoptryigii	Qiang Huo
For nasal pain with coughing and expectoration of white Phlegm:		+ 5g Rx. Bupleuri	Chai Hu
For nasal pain with a headache:
+ 3g Hb. cum Rx. Asari	Xi Xin	+ 3g Hb. cum Rx. Asari	Xi Xin
+ 6g Rx. Platycodi	Jie Geng	+ 6g Rx. Platycodi	Jie Geng
+ 10g Rz. Pinelliae Preparatum	Zhi Ban Xia	+ 10g Rz. Chuanxiong	Chuan Xiong
+ 10g Rz. et Rx. Notoptryigii	Qiang Huo
+ 5g Per. Citri Reticulatae	Chen Pi