Cinnabar Cool the Diaphragm Pill

Jusayanggyeok-hwan

한글 주사양격환 · Pinyin Zhu Sha Liang Ge Wan

朱砂凉膈丸

Pill formula, bulk amounts: powdered and bound with honey into pills the size of parasol-tree seeds; 5–7 pills with boiled water, three times daily. **Note on modern practice: cinnabar is a mercury sulfide and is omitted from contemporary preparations; borneol is available synthetically.**

Composition 構成

Hwangryeon Huang Lian
黃連 황련 · Coptis

40 g
Chief 君
Chija Zhi Zi
梔子 치자 · Gardenia

40 g
Chief 君
Insam Ren Shen
人蔘 인삼 · Ginseng

20 g
Deputy 臣
Jeokbokryeong Chi Fu Ling
赤茯苓 적복령 · Poria (red)

20 g
Deputy 臣
Jusa Zhu Sha
朱砂 주사 · Cinnabar (toxic)

12 g
Assistant 佐
Yongnoe Long Nao
龍腦 용뇌 · Borneol

2 g
Assistant 佐

Total 134 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

Cools a vacuous heat lodged in the upper burner
Settles the Qi that surges up through the throat like smoke

Indications 主治

Pattern-based

Vacuous heat of the upper burner (上焦虛熱)
Qi in the lung cavity
throat
and diaphragm rising as though smoke were rushing up (如烟搶上)
Chest and throat heat with restlessness

Biomedical correlates

Upper-body heat with throat discomfort
Reflux-type burning sensations
Restlessness with chest heat

Source text 原文

Donguibogam 東醫寶鑑

治上焦虛熱, 肺脘咽膈有氣, 如烟搶上. 黃連ㆍ梔子各一兩, 人參ㆍ赤茯苓各五錢, 朱砂三錢, 龍腦五分. 右爲末, 蜜丸梧子大. 熟水下五七丸, 日三服. 《東垣》

Translation

Treats vacuous heat of the upper burner, with Qi in the lung cavity, throat, and diaphragm rising as though smoke were rushing up. Coptis and gardenia, 1 nyang each; ginseng and red poria, 5 don each; cinnabar 3 don; borneol 5 fun. Powder the above and bind with honey into pills the size of parasol-tree seeds; take 5–7 pills with boiled water, three times daily. — Dongwon 東垣 (Donguibogam · Hwa)

Clinical commentary 臨床

The image in the indication is the thing to keep — Qi rising through the lung cavity and throat *as though smoke were rushing up*, which is as good a description of a rising burn in the chest as any patient gives. The formula is small and taken in small doses (five to seven pills), because the heat it addresses is vacuous: coptis and gardenia cool, ginseng and poria supply, and the minerals weight what is rising. — Eui Young (Justin) Chung, L.Ac., Dipl. O.M.