生脉散

Converted to 5:1 granules:

31 g raw herbs ÷ 5 = 6.2 g of granules.

Granule dose: Take in 2 doses daily, morning and evening, dissolved in warm water, about 3 g per dose.

5. Cautions and clinical notes

• Contraindications:
  1. This formula is a tonifying preparation; it is contraindicated when an exterior pattern from external contraction has not resolved, or in summer-heat disease with pronounced heat in which qi and yin have not yet been damaged.
  2. This formula has an astringent nature; it should be used with caution when there is interior excess heat or damp-heat, or at the onset of cough, or at the early eruption stage of rashes.
• Clinical modifications: This formula has a concise composition and is often used as a base formula combined with other formulas. A modern proprietary preparation, "Sheng Mai Injection," is used in emergency treatment.
• Modern applications: This formula is widely used for coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, chronic heart failure, myocarditis, arrhythmia, pulmonary tuberculosis, chronic bronchitis, neurasthenia, and for emergency treatment of shock and postoperative recovery, in cases where the pattern is identified as dual deficiency of qi and yin.
• Duration of use: This formula is a regulating preparation and requires sustained use over a certain course to become effective; it may be taken long-term as directed by a practitioner.