升麻葛根汤

Converted to 5:1 granules:

27 g raw herb ÷ 5 = 5.4 g granules.

Granule dose: Take in two to three doses, 3 g per dose. Continue until the body feels cool.

5. Cautions and clinical notes

• Contraindications:
  1. This formula is suitable for the early stage of measles and similar rash disorders, when the rash is about to erupt but has not yet done so, or is erupting incompletely. It is strictly contraindicated once the rash has already fully erupted, or if the rash toxin has sunk inward.
  2. This formula is cool and cold in nature, so it should be used with caution in patients with qi deficiency or yang deficiency and weak constitution.
• Key point: The key to applying this formula lies in grasping the pathogenesis of the rash toxin being "about to erupt but not yet erupted." The essential pattern-identification point is a rash that is hidden and fails to emerge, accompanied by exterior patterns such as fever and cough.
• Modern applications: Besides measles, this formula may also be used for herpes zoster, varicella, herpes simplex, common cold, and allergic dermatitis, where the pattern is one of pathogenic factors stagnating in the exterior with the rash unable to erupt.
• Duration of use: This formula addresses the branch (symptomatic manifestation); it is intended to expel the pathogen outward. It should be discontinued once the treatment goal is achieved—once the rash has erupted evenly and the fever has begun to subside, the formula should be stopped, or the prescription adjusted according to the changed pattern.