San Ren Tang, a traditional Chinese medicine formula. It is a dampness-expelling remedy that has the effect of promoting qi circulation and clearing damp-heat. San Ren Tang should not be used if the tongue coating is yellow and greasy, or if heat is more predominant than dampness!
Composition of San Ren Tang
San Ren Tang is mentioned in the book "Differentiation and Treatment of Warm Diseases".
This formula is composed of apricot kernel, pinellia tuber, talcum, coix seed, white atractylodes rhizome, cardamon, bamboo leaves, and magnolia bark.
Treating Damp-Warm Diseases with San Ren Tang
The main ingredients in this formula are apricot kernel, cardamon, and coix seed, hence the name "San Ren Tang" (Three Kernel Decoction). The main effect of San Ren Tang is to clear and promote qi circulation in the three burners (upper, middle, and lower).
It is used to treat early-stage damp-warm diseases and conditions caused by a combination of hot and damp factors, which manifest as headache, aversion to cold with little sweating, heaviness and pain in the body, pale yellow complexion, chest stuffiness without appetite, afternoon fever, heavy sensation in the head, greasy tongue coating, and thin and slippery pulse.
The months of July, August, and September are the hottest and the peak season for damp-warm diseases. During this time, the heat is scorching and the dampness is heavy. The spleen and stomach, located in the middle burner, prefer dryness and dislike dampness. When dampness is abundant, the function of the spleen and stomach becomes sluggish. If one consumes cold drinks excessively or sleeps in damp places, it will lead to external damp-heat invasion and internal injury to the spleen and stomach, resulting in the pathological mechanism of external dampness obstructing the defense system and internal dampness stagnating and damaging the spleen.
As the famous warm disease scholar Xue Shengbai said in the Qing Dynasty, "Internal injury to the taiyin (spleen) leads to the accumulation of dampness and pathogens, which in turn attract each other internally and externally, resulting in damp-heat diseases." San Ren Tang is designed for this purpose.
Therefore, the summer and autumn seasons, when dampness is more prevalent, are the most susceptible periods for warm diseases. San Ren Tang is particularly effective during this time.
