Formulas · Transform Phlegm 化痰 · Junggyeong (仲景)

Fresh Ginger and Pinellia Decoction

Saenggangbanha-tang

한글 생강반하탕 · Pinyin Sheng Jiang Ban Xia Tang

生薑半夏湯

Composition 構成

Banha Ban Xia
半夏 반하 · Pinellia

20 g
Chief 君
Saenggang Sheng Jiang
生薑 생강 · Fresh Ginger

—
Chief 君

half a cup of the juice, stirred in after decocting

Total g per packet (첩) · representative dosage — verify against source texts. Excludes 1 ingredient measured by count or used as a vehicle, shown as —.

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

Treats a state in the chest like panting but not panting
like retching but not retching
like hiccup but not hiccup
with a muddled wretchedness reaching through to the heart

Indications 主治

Pattern-based

Phlegm rheum obstructing the chest with indefinable distress

Biomedical correlates

Functional dyspepsia with nausea and chest discomfort

Source text 原文

Donguibogam 東醫寶鑑

治胸中似喘不喘ㆍ似嘔不嘔ㆍ似噦不噦, 徹心中憒憒然無柰者. 半夏五錢, 水一盞半, 煎至半盞, 入薑汁半盞, 和勻, 緩緩服之. 《仲景》 ○大凡嘔吐藥, 忌一時頓服, 宜緩緩服. 《入門》

Translation

Treats a state in the chest like panting but not panting, like retching but not retching, like hiccup but not hiccup, with a muddled wretchedness reaching through to the heart that the patient cannot bear. Pinellia, 5 don, in one cup and a half of water decocted down to half a cup; stir in half a cup of ginger juice, mix evenly, and give it slowly. ○ As a general rule, medicines for vomiting should not be taken all at once but slowly. — Junggyeong 仲景 · Uihak Immun 入門 (Donguibogam · Guto)

Clinical commentary 臨床

The indication is the best-written sentence in the chapter and it describes something real: a patient who cannot say what is wrong, in whom every named symptom is almost but not quite present. 憒憒然無柰, a muddled wretchedness one cannot bear, is the Junggyeong phrase for it. The dose instruction at the end is a general rule and belongs to the whole chapter: an antiemetic swallowed in one draught comes straight back, so it is given slowly, which is the same advice as Bojung-tang's 稍冷頻服. **Contains pinellia, which is toxic in the raw state; the large quantity of ginger juice is both the vehicle and the detoxifying partner, and the drug must not be used unprocessed.** — Eui Young (Justin) Chung, L.Ac., Dipl. O.M.