Source: Taiping Huimin Hejiju Fang (Benevolent Prescriptions from Taiping Pharmaceutical Bureau).
Ingredients:
No. 1 Zhichuanwu (Radix Aconiti Praeparatae) 180 g;
No. 2 Zhicaowu (Radix Aconiti Kusnezoffii Praeparatae) 180 g;
No. 3 Paotiannanxing (Rhizoma Arisaematis) (prepared) 180 g;
No. 4 Dilong (Lumbricus) 180 g;
No. 5 Ruxiang (Olibanum) (ground) 66 g;
No. 6 Moyao (Myrrha) (ground) 66 g.
Administration:
Grind the above drugs into fine powder and make it into boluses with honey, weighing 3 g each; take one bolus at one time and twice daily with mellow wine or warm boiled water or schizonepeta tea.
Actions:
Dispelling wind-dampness, removing phlegm and activating the collaterals, promoting blood circulation and relieving pain.
Clinical Application:
This recipe is indicated for arthralgia due to wind, cold and dampness, marked by contracture or pain of limbs, muscles and tendons, difficult movement of joints, migratory pain, aversion to cold and preference for warmth, pale tongue or purplish tongue, whitish fur, deep and thready pulse. It is applicable to rheumatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, hyperosteogeny, and others that are characterized by contracture and pain of limbs, preference for warmth and aversion to cold, pale tongue with whitish fur. In case of long-term illness concomitant with the deficiency of qi and blood as well as the liver and kidney, use Duhuo Jisheng Wan simultaneously.
Elucidation:
The syndrome arises when wind, cold and dampness retain in the meridians and collaterals for so long that qi and blood fail to circulate normally, and phlegm and blood stasis are generated. It should be treated by eliminating wind, cold and dampness to remove phlegm and blood stasis and activating the collaterals. The first two ingredients act as monarch drugs to dispel wind, cold and dampness, warm meridians and relieve pain. No. 3 can dry dampness, resolve phlegm, expel wind and activate the meridians and collaterals, acting as minister drug. No. 5 and No. 6 are used as adjuvant drugs to promote the circulation of qi and blood and alleviate pain.
No. 4 has the function of activating the meridians and collaterals and leading other drugs to the collaterals so as to eliminate pathogenic factors, and plays the part of guiding drug. Mellow wine can enhance the efficacy of drugs, promote the flow of qi and blood, and activate the meridians and collaterals. Schizonepeta tea can strengthen the effect of dispelling wind and cold. Therefore clinically they should be applied properly according to the actual condition.
Cautions:
This recipe is warm and dry in nature and drastic in potency, thus fit for patients with strong constitution and excess syndrome. It should be used with caution for those with heat syndrome due to yin deficiency or for pregnant women.