san ao tang

Name: san ao tang
Creator: Bencao Index

Three-unbinding Decoction

About san ao tang

San Ao Tang, Three-Unbinding Decoction, is Ma Huang, Xing Ren and Gan Cao. The catalogue classes it among the formulas that release Exterior Cold, and records it as releasing the Exterior and spreading Lung Qi.

Ingredients

Herb	Amount
ma huang	6 g
xing ren	6 g
gan cao	3 g

Actions and indications

Releases the Exterior

Wind-Cold contracted from outside
Aversion to cold without sweating
Aching head and body, with distending headache
Blocked nose and sneezing
Tongue normal with a thin white coat; pulse superficial or normal

Spreads Lung Qi

Cough and wheezing with lots of thin, white sputum
Gasping, and a full, distended chest
Hoarse voice

Modern uses

Common cold
Influenza
Cough
Pertussis
Bronchitis
Pneumonia
Asthma
COPD
Gasping
Hoarseness
Loss of voice
Headache
Arthralgia

Symptoms

Anhidrosis
Aversion to cold
Body aches
Chest fullness
Copious sputum
Cough
Headache
Hoarseness
Nasal congestion
Shortness of breath
Sneezing
Thin white sputum
Wheezing

Modifications

Severe Wind-Cold: + gui zhi
Too much thick sputum that is hard to cough up: + gua lou pi, + dong gua zi
Too much thick sputum that is hard to cough up, alternative additions: + jing jie, + fang feng
Lung Heat: + shi gao
Rhinitis with headache and aching body: + bai zhu, + gui zhi
Rheumatism and arthritis: + yi yi ren
Weak patients who catch a cold or flu: + zhi fu zi
Colds and flu: + gui zhi
Fever with thirst: + shi gao, + gui zhi, + sheng jiang, + da zao
Fever with sudden itching (combined with Gui Zhi Tang)
Early coughing stage of whooping cough (combined with Sang Ju Yin)
Cough (combined with Dai Ge San)

Show all 18 modifications

Cough (combined with Xing Su San)
Cough with dyspnoea (combined with Xing Su San): + zi su zi
Cough, further option (combined with Xing Su San): + gui zhi
Pneumonia: + zhi ban xia, + zi su zi, + lai fu zi, + bai jie zi, + chen pi, − gan cao
Further option listed after pneumonia (combined with Xing Su San): + hou po, + cang zhu, + yi yi ren
Pneumonia with cold limbs and a slimy tongue coat: + zhi ban xia, + zi su zi, + lai fu zi, + bai jie zi, + chen pi, + zhi fu zi, + xi xin, − gan cao

Names

Pinyin	san ao tang
English Name	Three-unbinding Decoction

Classification

Category: Release Exterior Cold

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