Wu Tou Tang - 烏頭湯 - Aconite Decoction

English:	Aconite Decoction
Also Known As:

Herbs And Actions

Pharmaceutical Latin	Pin Yin	Dosage	Actions
Rx. Aconiti Preparata	Zhi Chuan Wu	9-15g	Expels Wind-Dampness, disperses Cold, warms and activates the Channels and stops pain. With Ma Huang and Bai Shao, for generalized joint pain with restrictions in range of motion.
Hb. Ephedrae	Ma Huang	6-9g	Disperses Cold, Induces sweating, Promotes urination, Releases the exterior. With Zhi Chuan Wu, for Wind-Cold Bi.
Rx. Paeoniae Alba	Bai Shao	6-15g	Alleviates pain and nourishes Blood. With Gan Cao, for muscle spasms especially in the calf, due to Blood Deficiency.
Rx. Astragali	Huang Qi	6-15g	Nourishes Blood, Stabilizes the Exterior, Strengthens the Spleen, Tonifies Qi, Tonifies Wei Qi.
Rx. Glycyrrhizae	Gan Cao	3-9g	Alleviates pain and moderates, Harmonizes the properties of the other herbs, Tonifies Qi, Tonifies the Spleen.

Formula Actions

• Disperses Cold
• Reinforces Yang
• Replenishes Qi and Blood
• Stops pain
• Warms the channels
• Disperses Wind

Syndromes

• Wind-Cold-Damp Bi - Cold Predominant
• Long-term Wind-Cold Dampness invades the channels
• Cold Bi in patients with Qi Deficiency

Clinical Manifestations

Severe difficulty in flexion and extension Severe pain Cold hands and feet Aversion to Cold Fatigue Loose Stools Severe pain and coldness of muscles and joints Severely restricted motion of joints Cold extremities

Whole body pain, especially in the hands and feet Anorexia Heavy feeling in muscles Catches cold easily No thirst T: Pale with slight teethmarks C: Greasy and white P: Deep and thready or Wiry, tight and slow or Slightly slippery

Treats

Osteoarthritis Panarthralgia Painful obstruction Scapulohumeral periarthritis Neck pain and stiffness Shoulder pain Whole body pain

Leg Qi Arthralgia Carpal tunnel syndrome Brachial plexus neuritis Upper back pain Low back pain Hip pain

Contraindications And Herb/Drug Interactions

Notes

• Zhi Chuan Wu should be decocted first for about thirty to sixty minutes with 60g of honey to reduce its toxicity, before adding the other ingredients.

Modifications

For more severe Cold:		For Blood Stasis:
+ 3g Rx. Aconiti Lateralis Preparata	Zhi Fu Zi	+ Sm. Persicae	Tao Ren
+ Flos Carthami	Hong Hua
+ 6g Rz. Zingiberis	Gan Jiang	+ Rx. Paeoniae Rubra	Chi Shao
+ 3g Hb. cum Rx. Asari	Xi Xin	+ Squama Manitis	Chuan Shan Jia
+ 6g Ram. Cinnamomi	Gui Zhi	+ Sp. Gleditsiae	Zao Jiao Ci
For carpal tunnel syndrome:		+ Major Invigorate the Collaterals Special Pill Da Hu Luo Dan
- Hb. Ephedrae	Ma Huang
+ 9g Ram. Mori	Sang Zhi	For osteoarthritis:
+ 9g Rx. et Rz. Notopterygii	Qiang Huo	+ 9g Rz. Atractylodis Macrocephalae	Bai Zhu
+ 9g Fructus Luffae Retinervus	Si Gua Luo	For osteoarthritis with more severe Dampness:
+ 9g Rz. Atractylodis Macrocephalae	Bai Zhu
+ 6g Ram. Cinnamomi	Gui Zhi
For osteoarthritis with severely cold extremities:		+ 18g Sm. Coicis	Yi Yi Ren
+ 9g Rz. Atractylodis	Cang Zhu
+ 9g Rz. Atractylodis Macrocephalae	Bai Zhu	For osteoarthritis with Blood Stasis with pricking pain:
+ 3g Hb. cum Rx. Asari	Xi Xin	+ 9g Rz. Atractylodis Macrocephalae	Bai Zhu
For osteoarthritis with pain in the upper extremities:
+ 6g Olibanum	Ru Xiang
+ 9g Rz. Atractylodis Macrocephalae	Bai Zhu	+ 6g Myrrh	Mo Yao
For osteoarthritis with pain in the lower extremities:
+ 9g Ram. Cinnamomi	Gui Zhi
For osteoarthritis with knee pain:		+ 9g Rz. Atractylodis Macrocephalae	Bai Zhu
+ 9g Rz. Atractylodis Macrocephalae	Bai Zhu
+ 9g Rx. Angelicae Pubescentis	Du Huo
+ 9g Rx, Achyranthis Bidentatae	Niu Xi
For osteoarthritis with shoulder pain:
For osteoarthritis with pain in the spinal column:		+ 9g Rz. Atractylodis Macrocephalae	Bai Zhu
+ 9g Rz. Atractylodis Macrocephalae	Bai Zhu
+ 9g Rz. Curcumae Longae	Jiang Huang
+ 9g Rx. Gentianae Macrophyllae	Qin Jiao
For osteoarthritis with low back pain:
For enduring osteoarthritis with Kidney and Liver Deficiency:		+ 9g Rz. Atractylodis Macrocephalae	Bai Zhu
+ 9g Rz. Atractylodis Macrocephalae	Bai Zhu
+ 9g Cx. Eucommiae	Du Zhong
For periarthritis of the shoulder:
+ 9g Rx. Dipsaci	Xu Duan	+ 6g Ram. Cinnamomi	Gui Zhi
+ 9g Cx. Eucommiae	Du Zhong	+ 6g Rz. Curcumae Longae	Jiang Huang
+ 9g Rx, Achyranthis Bidentatae	Niu Xi
For chronic periarthritis of the shoulder:
For brachial plexus neuritis:		- Rx. Aconiti Preparata	Zhi Chuan Wu
+ 12g Rz. Chuanxiong	Chuan Xiong	+ 6g Ram. Cinnamomi	Gui Zhi
+ 12g Rx. Angelicae Sinensis	Dang Gui	+ 6g Rz. Curcumae Longae	Jiang Huang
+ 10g Rx. Paeoniae Rubra	Chi Shao	+ 9g Rx. et Rz. Notopterygii	Qiang Huo
+ 12g Hb. Siegesbeckiae	Xi Xian Cao	+ 9g Rx. Angelicae Sinensis	Dang Gui
+ 12g Rz. et Rx. Notopterygii	Qiang Huo	+ 9g Rx. Codonopsis	Dang Shen
For brachial plexus neuritis with pain radiating to the back:
+ 12g Cx. Erythrinae	Hai Tong Pi
+ 12g Rx. Curcumae	Yu Jin	+ 12g Rz. Chuanxiong	Chuan Xiong
For brachial plexus neuritis with pain radiating to the arm and fingers:		+ 12g Rx. Angelicae Sinensis	Dang Gui
+ 12g Rz. Chuanxiong	Chuan Xiong	+ 10g Rx. Paeoniae Rubra	Chi Shao
+ 12g Rx. Angelicae Sinensis	Dang Gui
+ 12g Hb. Siegesbeckiae	Xi Xian Cao
+ 10g Rx. Paeoniae Rubra	Chi Shao
+ 12g Rz. et Rx. Notopterygii	Qiang Huo
+ 12g Hb. Siegesbeckiae	Xi Xian Cao
+ 12g Cx. Erythrinae	Hai Tong Pi
+ 12g Rz. et Rx. Notopterygii	Qiang Huo	+ 12g Rx. Curcumae	Yu Jin
+ Rx Puerariae	Ge Gen
+ 12g Cx. Erythrinae	Hai Tong Pi	+ Rz. Cibotii	Gou Ji
+ 12g Rx. Curcumae	Yu Jin	+ Colla Cervi Cornus	Lu Jiao Jiao
+ Caulis Spatholobi	Ji Xue Teng	For brachial plexus neuritis with Phlegm-Damp Obstruction and occult Blood:
For neck pain and stiffness:
+ 6g Ram. Cinnamomi	Gui Zhi	+ 12g Rz. Chuanxiong	Chuan Xiong
+ 12g Rx. Angelicae Sinensis	Dang Gui
+ 12g Rx. Puerariae	Ge Gen
+ 9g Rz. et Rx. Notopterygii	Qiang Huo
+ 10g Rx. Paeoniae Rubra	Chi Shao
For upper back pain:
- Rx. Astragali	Huang Qi	+ 12g Hb. Siegesbeckiae	Xi Xian Cao
+ 9g Ram. Cinnamomi	Gui Zhi
+ 9g Rx. Gentianae Macrophyllae	Qin Jiao	+ 12g Rz. et Rx. Notopterygii	Qiang Huo
+ 9g Rx. Saposhnikoviae	Fang Feng	+ 12g Cx. Erythrinae	Hai Tong Pi
+ 9gm Rx. Puerariae	Ge Gen	+ 12g Rx. Curcumae	Yu Jin
For shoulder pain:		+ Cx. Cinnamomi	Rou Gui
- Rx. Aconiti Kusnezoffii Preparata	Zhi Cao Wu	+ Arisaema cum Bile	Dan Nan Xing
+ Flos Carthami	Hong Hua
+ 6g Ram. Cinnamomi	Gui Zhi	+ Sm. Persicae	Tao Ren
+ 3g Rz. Curcumae Longae	Jiang Huang	+ Bombyx Batryticatus	Jiang Can
+ Scorpio	Quan Xie
For chronic shoulder pain with Qi and Blood Deficiency:		+ Zaocys	Wu Shao She
For hip pain with aversion to Cold:
- Rx. Aconiti Preparata	Zhi Chuan Wu	+ 3g Hb. cum Rx. Asari	Xi Xin
- Rx. Aconiti Kusnezoffii Preparata	Zhi Cao Wu	For hip pain radiating to the legs:
+ 10g Rx. Cyathulae	Chuan Niu Xi
+ 6g Ram. Cinnamomi	Gui Zhi	For hip pain with swollen hip joints:
+ 3g Rz. Curcumae Longae	Jiang Huang	+ 10g Rz. Atractylodis	Cang Zhu
+ 10g Caulis Akebiae	Mu Tong
+ 9g Rz. et Rx. Notopterygii	Qiang Huo	For hip pain with Cold in the lower limbs:
+ 10g Rx. Angelicae Pubescentis	Du Huo
+ 9g Rx Angelicae Sinensis-	Dang Gui
+ 5g Cx. Cinnamomi	Rou Gui
+ 9g Rx. Codonopsis	Dang Shen	For severe hip pain:
+ 10g Rz. Curcumae Longae	Huang Jing