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"Cold Quell is the best Chinese patent medicine ever I've used. Period."Jim Butler, L.Ac.Arlington, VA
Wind heat external contraction and possible heat toxins with an underlying liverspleen disharmony resulting in a defensive qi vacuity, an inhibited qi mechanism, concomitant internal heat, and deeplying phlegm dampness
Resolves the exterior and dispels wind, clears heat and resolves toxins, disinhibits the throat and abates fever at the same time as harmonizing the liverspleen, transforming phlegm, and eliminating dampness
This formula is for the treatment of a wind heat external invasion exterior pattern in a person with a righteous qi vacuity and liver depression qi stagnation. There may also be phlegm nodulation and/or heat toxins. Although Xiao Chai Hu Tang is the classic Chinese formula for a shao yang division disease, one can use the above modification of this formula whether or not the patient has a shao yang pattern. In this case, the rationale for this formula is not based on Zhang Zhongjing’s original indications, but rather on an analysis of each ingredient.
In terms of disease diagnosis, this formula is for common cold and epidemic influenza with possible bronchitis and especially in women as opposed to men, and even more especially perimenstrually. However, if the patient’s pattern conforms, this formula may be taken by men and women alike and regardless of phase in the menstrual cycle. For instance, this formula is also often indicated for postpartum fevers and flus and for the recurrent fevers, sore throats, and swollen glands of people with chronic fatigue syndrome (cfs).
Common cold or flu after sore throat has abated or common cold without sore throat
THE SYMPTOMS OF WIND HEAT EXTERNAL INVASION EXTERIOR PATTERN ARE PRIMARILY
IF THERE IS A SHAO YANG PATTERN, THERE WILL BE
PHLEGM NODULATION IS EVIDENCED BY
HEAT TOXINS ARE EVIDENCED BY
RIGHTEOUS QI VACUITY IN THIS CASE MEANS BOTH A QI AND BLOOD VACUITY.
QI VACUITY MEANS PRIMARILY SPLEEN QI VACUITY EVIDENCED BY
LIVER DEPRESSION QI STAGNATION IS EVIDENCED BY
IF THIS DEPRESSION HAS TRANSFORMED INTO HEAT, THERE MAY BE
Chai Hu (Radix Bupleuri), Lian Qiao (Fructus Forsythiae), Jin Yin Hua (Flos Lonicerae), and Niu Bang Zi (Fructus Arctii) all resolve the exterior and clear heat. Jin Yin Hua, Lian Qiao, Niu Bang Zi, Xuan Shen (Radix Scrophulariae), and Ban Lan Gen (Radix Isatidis/Baphicacanthi) clear heat and resolve toxins. Niu Bang Zi, Xuan Shen, and Jie Geng (Radix Platycodi) disinhibit the throat. Chai Hu also courses the liver and rectifies the qi. Ban Xia and Jie Geng transform phlegm, while Xuan Shen scatters nodulation. Uncooked Sheng Jiang (uncooked Rhizoma Zingiberis) primarily helps Ban Xia and Jie Geng transform phlegm and eliminate dampness, but also harmonizes and opens the stomach, thus helping to restore the appetite. Huang Qin (Radix Scutellariae) clears heat, especially from the lungs, stomach, and livergallbladder. Sheng Di (uncooked Radix Rehmanniae) clears heat and cools the blood, engenders fluids and enriches yin. Combined with Dang Gui (Radix Angelicae Sinensis) and Bai Shao (Radix Alba Paeoniae), these ingredients prevent evil heat from damaging yin blood. They also harmonize both the constructive and defensive, and the liver. Chuan Xiong moves the qi within the blood and also acts as a messenger, leading the other medicinals upward. Thus Chuan Xiong (Rhizoma Chuanxiong) relieves head and throat pain by quickening the blood. Dang Shen (Radix Codonopsis), mixfried Gan Cao, and Da Zao all fortify the spleen and supplement the qi, thus supporting the righteous. Further, Gan Cao (Radix Glycyrrhizae), Da Zao (Fructus Jujubae), and Sheng Jiang harmonize all the other ingredients in the formula, thus protecting the stomach qi.
Premenstrually, the blood in women collects in the uterus. The blood is the mother of the qi. Therefore, this may A) leave the defensive and constructive unharmonized, allowing easy invasion by external evils, and B) may leave the liver undernourished. Blood must nourish the liver in order for the liver to do its duty of controlling coursing and discharge. This means that a liver blood vacuity may cause or aggravate liver depression qi stagnation. If the liver becomes depressed, the spleen becomes vacuous. A vacuous spleen cannot move and transform body fluids normally which, therefore, gather and collect and may transform into phlegm. A vacuous spleen cannot engender and transform the qi and blood, including the defensive qi. If liver depression worsens or endures, it may transform into depressive heat. Heat by its nature rises to collect in the florid canopy above, i.e., the lungs. Therefore, the lungs often harbor deeplying or hidden heat due to liver depression transforming heat below. If external evils invade because of a defensive qi vacuity in turn due to spleen vacuity, these external evils hinder the lungs’ dispersion and downbearing. Thus, remembering that the lungs are the upper source of water, body fluids may gather and collect, transforming into phlegm. Then this dampness and phlegm may hinder and obstruct the free flow of qi all the more. In addition, external heat evils may mutually inflame depressive heat in the lungs, stomach, and liver. In other words, wind heat evils may mutually engender depressive heat already harbored in the body or make the transformation of depression into heat all the more likely. When depressive heat is engendered internally, it tends to move outward and upward.
The above are the mechanisms when women have recurrent flus or colds before, during, or after their menses, and the combination of Xiao Chai Hu Tang and Si Wu Tang is the standard TCM gynecological treatment of this complicated pattern. For more information about this, see Bob Flaws’s A Compendium of Menstrual Diseases in Chinese Medicine published by Blue Poppy Press.
Three capsules two times per day. This formula is made from a 10:1 extract. That means the above dosage is equivalent to not less than 30 grams of bulk herbs. However, because our extraction process is so much more efficient than stovetop decoction, we believe this amount it is actually more like the equivalent to 45-60 grams of bulkdispensed herbs.
Thirtythree patients with wind cold allergic rhinitis and an underlying lungspleen vacuity were given a single course of treatment with this formula and then followed for six months. In six cases, their symptoms disappeared and did not recur for the full six months of the study. In 23 cases, their symptoms recurred after more than three months but less than six months. However, repeat treatment was able to eliminate their symptoms. Only four cases got no effect. Thus the total effectiveness of this formula was 87.8%.
MY PATIENT DOES HAVE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF
Wind heat external invasion: Yes - No Shao yang pattern: Yes - No (Not absolutely necessary) Qi & blood vacuity: Yes - No Phlegm nodulation: Yes - No (Not absolutely necessary) Heat toxins: Yes - No (Not absolutely necessary) Liver depression: Yes - No
Creating a line of exceptional products for Chinese medical practitioners requires quality assurance that incorporates traditional knowledge as well as science. At Blue Poppy, we deeply value the traditional knowledge and techniques of Chinese medicine, and we meticulously reproduce the traditional decoction process with only the best raw herbs.
Our herbs are carefully selected by experts trained in traditional herbal quality discernment, and we rely upon a stable network of GAP farms and trusted wholesalers for all of our raw materials. An in-house sourcing expert at our manufacturing facility evaluates the herbs with both traditional assessment techniques and modern methods incorporating TLC and HPLC, and our own on-staff herbal expert Eric Brand personally travels to China to verify their authenticity and quality.
Blue Poppy products undergo one of the most comprehensive testing regimes in the industry. We are the only company in the industry to use a third-party certified FDA cGMP manufacturing facility in conjunction with third-party lab testing for every batch of every formula. We test every formula for microbiologic contaminants, heavy metals and pesticide residue.
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