Formulas · Release the Exterior 解表 · Donguibogam · Japbyeong (Cold Damage)

Kudzu Decoction

Galgeun-tang

한글 갈근탕 · Pinyin Ge Gen Tang

葛根湯

Composition 構成

Galgeun Ge Gen
葛根 갈근 · Kudzu Root

12 g
Chief 君
Mahwang Ma Huang
麻黃 마황 · Ephedra

8 g
Deputy 臣
Gyeji Gui Zhi
桂枝 계지 · Cinnamon Twig

6 g
Deputy 臣
Baekjakyak Bai Shao
白芍藥 백작약 · White Peony

6 g
Assistant 佐
Saenggang Sheng Jiang
生薑 생강 · Fresh Ginger

4 g
Assistant 佐
Daejo Da Zao
大棗 대조 · Jujube

4 g
Assistant 佐
Gamcho Gan Cao
甘草 감초 · Licorice

4 g
Envoy 使

Total 44 g per packet (첩) · representative dosage — verify against source texts.

Actions 效能

Releases the exterior
Relaxes the muscle layer of the neck and upper back

Indications 主治

Pattern-based

Wind-cold with stiff neck and upper back
No sweating with aversion to wind
Early-stage exterior conditions

Biomedical correlates

Cervical stiffness with cold onset
Tension at the nape
Early cold with body aches

Clinical commentary 臨床

Gyeji-tang plus Galgeun and Mahwang. The signature symptom — stiffness across the nape and upper back — makes this one of the most pattern-recognizable formulas in practice. — Eui Young (Justin) Chung, L.Ac., Dipl. O.M.