桑菊饮

Conversion to 5:1 granules:

38.5 g raw herbs ÷ 5 = 7.7 g granules.

Recommended dose and method of administration:

• Standard adult daily dose: the classic decoction is usually one dose per day, taken in 2-3 divided doses.
• Converted to ProCare Herbs granules:

o The total daily dose is 7.7 g of granules.

o Taken in two doses: approximately 4 g per dose, twice daily.

o Taken in three doses: approximately 2.5 g per dose, three times daily. (For milder conditions or for children, dividing into three doses is more suitable.)

• Recommended to take after meals.

5. Cautions and clinical notes

• Contraindications:
  1. This formula is a "light, acrid-cooling formula" with mild strength of action; it is therefore unsuitable for wind-cold cough (with thin, clear white phlegm and marked aversion to cold) or for severe patterns of exuberant wind-heat (high fever, severe cough and wheezing).
  2. This formula should not be decocted for a long time.
• Relationship to modern medicine: This formula is a typical TCM prescription for the initial stage of the common cold or influenza, with symptoms concentrated in the upper respiratory tract. It is comparable to modern symptomatic supportive therapy, aiming to relieve catarrhal symptoms such as cough and sore throat.
• Modern application: Mainly used for the common cold, influenza, acute bronchitis, acute pharyngitis, and the initial stage of measles, in cases where the pattern is identified as a mild pattern of wind-heat invading the Lungs.
• Duration of use: This formula is for newly contracted external contraction disorders; discontinue once the disorder resolves. It is generally taken for 2-3 days, and may be stopped once symptoms subside.