小柴胡汤

Chai Hu (bupleurum root) 24 g + Huang Qin (scutellaria root) 9 g + Ban Xia (pinellia rhizome) 9 g + Sheng Jiang (fresh ginger) 9 g + Ren Shen (ginseng) 9 g + Da Zao (jujube) 12 g + Zhi Gan Cao (honey-fried licorice root) 9 g = 81 g.

Converted to 5:1 granules:

81 g raw herb ÷ 5 = 16.2 g granules.

Granule dosage: Take dissolved in warm water in 2 doses, morning and evening, about 8 g per dose.

5. Cautions and clinical notes

• [Contraindications]:
  1. This formula is used for the Shaoyang pattern of half-exterior half-interior disease. It is not suitable for Taiyang exterior patterns or Yangming interior excess heat patterns.
  2. Use with caution in those with yin deficiency and scanty blood.
• [Safety warning]: Ban Xia in this formula is toxic; ProCare Herbs granules must be prepared using processed Ban Xia (such as Fa Ban Xia) to ensure safe use.
• [Characteristics]: This formula has an extremely broad range of application. Whenever the pathomechanism involves impaired function of the Shaoyang pivot with constrained Gallbladder qi, whether from external contraction or internal damage, it may be used with modifications, hence the saying "for the hundred diseases of Shaoyang, this is the ancestral formula."
• Modern applications: Widely used for the common cold, influenza, chronic hepatitis, chronic cholecystitis, acute mastitis, bile reflux gastritis, postpartum infection, menstrual-period common cold, and other conditions where the pattern is identified as Shaoyang pattern.
• Duration of use: This formula is a harmonizing preparation and may be taken for a certain duration of use according to the needs of the condition. Because it supports the correct qi while dispelling pathogenic qi, its action is relatively mild.