Formulas · Regulate Qi 理氣 · Bomyeongjip (保命集)

Magnolia Bark and Bitter Orange Decoction

Hubak-jisil-tang

한글 후박지실탕 · Pinyin Hou Po Zhi Shi Tang

厚朴枳實湯

鬼賊 — the ghost-robber — is the channel-theory name for a transmission from the greater yin to the lesser yin.

Composition 構成

Hubak Hou Po
厚朴 후박 · Magnolia Bark

8 g
Chief 君

ginger prepared
Gaja He Zi
訶子 가자 · Chebula

8 g
Chief 君

rind, half raw and half cooked
Jisil Zhi Shi
枳實 지실 · Immature Bitter Orange

8 g
Deputy 臣

bran stir-fried
Mokhyang Mu Xiang
木香 목향 · Costus Root

4 g
Assistant 佐
Daehwang Da Huang
大黃 대황 · Rhubarb

2.4 g
Assistant 佐
Hwangryeon Huang Lian
黃連 황련 · Coptis

1.6 g
Assistant 佐
Gamcho Gan Cao
甘草 감초 · Licorice

1.6 g
Envoy 使

roasted

Total 33.6 g per packet (첩) · representative dosage — verify against source texts.

Received this formula from your practitioner? Amounts shown here are classical reference values — granule and prepared products differ. Always follow your prescribed dosage and directions.

Actions 效能

Guards against a vacuity-slippery diarrhoea long unhealed turning into dysentery

Indications 主治

Pattern-based

Enduring slippery stool on the point of becoming dysentery
Greater yin passing to the lesser yin

Biomedical correlates

Chronic diarrhoea progressing to colitis

Source text 原文

Donguibogam 東醫寶鑑

虛滑久不愈, 多傳變爲痢. 太陰傳少陰, 是爲鬼賊, 宜以此防其傳變. 厚朴(薑製)ㆍ訶子皮(半生半熟)ㆍ枳實(麩炒) 各二錢, 木香一錢, 大黃六分, 黃連ㆍ甘草(灸) 各四分. 右剉, 作一貼, 煎服. 《保命》

Translation

A vacuity-slippery stool long unhealed often passes over and changes into dysentery. The greater yin passing to the lesser yin is called the ghost-robber; this should be used to guard against the change. Ginger-prepared magnolia bark, chebula rind half raw and half cooked, and bran-stir-fried bitter orange, 2 don each; costus root, 1 don; rhubarb, 6 fun; coptis and roasted licorice, 4 fun each. Cut up, make one packet and decoct. — Bomyeongjip 保命 (Donguibogam · Daebyeon)

Clinical commentary 臨床

A prophylactic formula, which is unusual: it is given not for dysentery but to stop a chronic diarrhoea from becoming one. The reasoning is channel transmission, the greater yin passing to the lesser yin, and the composition is accordingly mixed — binders and qi movers with small doses of rhubarb and coptis, so that the bowel is both held and cleared. The clinical observation underneath is sound: a long-standing diarrhoea that begins to pass blood and mucus has changed in kind, and watching for that change is good practice. — Eui Young (Justin) Chung, L.Ac., Dipl. O.M.