Ma Huang Tang is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine for inducing sweating and relieving surface symptoms. It is mainly composed of Ma Huang, Gui Zhi, Xing Ren, and Gan Cao. It has excellent detoxifying effects for treating wind-cold type of common cold. Now, let's learn more about Ma Huang Tang!
[Composition of Ma Huang Tang]
Ma Huang Tang is a Chinese medicine formulation composed of Ma Huang, Gui Zhi, Xing Ren, and Gan Cao. It has the effects of inducing sweating, dispersing lung qi, and relieving asthma.
Ma Huang in Ma Huang Tang is warm and acrid in nature, and belongs to the lung and bladder meridians. It is good at opening the pores to induce sweating, dispelling wind-cold from the surface, and dispersing lung qi to relieve asthma. Therefore, it is the principal herb in this formula.
Gui Zhi can relax the muscles, disperse surface symptoms, and warm the meridians. It can enhance the ability of Ma Huang to induce sweating and increase the sweating effect. It also promotes the circulation of the nutritive and defensive qi, relieving pain symptoms. The combination of these two herbs is a common combination of warm and acrid herbs for inducing sweating.
Xing Ren can descend and disperse lung qi. When combined with Ma Huang, one herb induces sweating while the other descends lung qi, together they restore the balance of lung qi and enhance the function of dispersing lung qi and relieving asthma. Therefore, it is an essential assistant herb in this formula.
Zhi Gan Cao can harmonize the actions of Ma Huang and Xing Ren, and moderate the strong actions of Ma Huang and Gui Zhi. It prevents excessive sweating that may damage the healthy qi. It acts as a helper herb to promote the functions of other herbs in the formula.
The combination of these four herbs can dispel cold from the surface, promote the circulation of the nutritive and defensive qi, and disperse lung qi, thus resolving various symptoms.
[Effects of Ma Huang Tang]
Ma Huang Tang is mainly used to treat external wind-cold patterns with surface symptoms. The clinical manifestations include aversion to cold, fever, headache, absence of sweating, wheezing, thin white tongue coating, wiry and tight pulse, and floating and tight pulse.
It is suitable for treating respiratory infections such as epidemic influenza, acute bronchitis, and bronchial asthma that belong to the wind-cold pattern of surface symptoms.
It should be avoided in cases of excessive sweating and physical weakness to prevent the occurrence of collapse.
[Precautions]
Ma Huang Tang is a strong sweating agent, and should not be taken again once sweating has occurred. It is contraindicated in cases of spontaneous sweating due to external deficiency, wind-heat type of external pathogen, and external pathogen invading the body with underlying deficiency.
Ma Huang Tang has a strong sweating effect, and should not be used in cases of cold-type influenza with sweating, hot-type influenza, cold-type influenza with weak constitution, postpartum women, and patients with blood loss. Misuse may lead to collapse due to excessive sweating.
After taking Ma Huang Tang and sweating occurs, if the symptoms are relieved, it is unnecessary to take Ma Huang Tang again. If the symptoms of the cold are not completely relieved, Gui Zhi Tang can be used as an alternative treatment.
