ma huang tang  麻黃湯   (in English and Chinese 中英文)

Translated and Edited by: Joe Hing Kwok Chu   按此中文 Name of formula: ma huang tang (Shang Han Lun)

Application: Influenza

Syndrome: cold symptoms with no sweat, achy bones, headache, large and rapid pulse. (use gui zhi tang in cold with sweat)

Prescription

gui zhi 4 qian, bai shao 4 qian, gan cao 3 qian, sheng jiang 3 slices,

da zao 5 pieces (cut open), ma huang 3 qian.

Boil with 3 bowls of water. Simmer till one bowl is left.

Drink while warm. Drink some warm rice porridge.

Cover the body with blanket and let the body sweat.

See cold symptoms with sweat.

Note 1 qian = 3.75 grams (traditional measurement), in original formula. It seems that the weight of herbs in this formula should be lighter for most people.

Warning: patients who are deficient, with instant sweating, cough with asthma due to qixu, pixu with edema, or patients  with heart problems, or hypertension or prostatitis,  and patients with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency should not use ma huang.

See yin jiao san for cold or flu.