Three Seed Soup, a prescription in traditional Chinese medicine, is a dampness-expelling remedy. It is mentioned in the book "Differentiation and Treatment of Warm Diseases" and is known for its ability to promote the smooth flow of qi, clear damp-heat, and treat conditions where dampness is more prominent than heat in the early stages of damp-warm syndrome or during the summer when dampness is combined with heat.
【Functions and Indications】
It promotes the transformation and movement of qi, clears heat and eliminates dampness. It is used for conditions such as headache, heavy body, chest tightness, nausea, afternoon fever, white tongue coating, and slippery pulse caused by the combination of dampness and heat. It can also be used in the early stage of typhoid fever, severe summer cold, or acute exacerbation of pyelonephritis with the aforementioned symptoms.
【Dosage and Administration】
Take eight bowls of water and boil it down to three bowls. Take one bowl per dose, three times a day. Modern usage: decoction for oral administration.
【Composition and Explanation of the Prescription】
The apricot kernel in Three Seed Soup promotes the movement of lung qi, which helps transform dampness. The white cardamom seed has a fragrant aroma and can transform dampness, promote the movement of qi, and regulate the spleen. The coix seed has a sweet and bland taste, a cold nature, and can permeate dampness, promote diuresis, and strengthen the spleen, helping damp-heat to be eliminated from the lower jiao.
The combination of these three seeds helps to eliminate the dampness in the three burners and is considered as the sovereign medicine. The slippery elm, rhubarb, and bamboo leaf have a sweet, cold, and bland nature, which enhances the ability of the sovereign medicine to eliminate dampness and clear heat, and they are considered as the minister medicine. The pinellia ternate and magnolia bark promote the movement of qi, transform dampness, and disperse accumulation, which makes them the assistant medicine.
【Modifications and Applications】
If the damp-warm syndrome is in the early stage and the symptoms of the defensive qi are more prominent, herbs like patchouli and mosla can be added to release the exterior and transform dampness. If there is alternating hot and cold, herbs like Artemisia annua and fruit of Chinese blackberry can be added to harmonize and transform dampness.
【Contraindications】
It is not suitable for use in cases where the tongue coating is yellow and greasy, and heat is more prominent than dampness.
