Formulas · Purge Downward 瀉下 · Seui Deukhyobang (世醫得效方)

Three Generals Pill

Samjanggun-won

한글 삼장군원 · Pinyin San Jiang Jun Yuan

三將軍元

Equal parts, powdered and bound with a rice paste into pills the size of parasol-tree seeds; 50–70 pills with a bitter orange husk decoction. Note on modern practice: rhubarb is a stimulant purgative; short courses only.

Composition 構成

Osuyu Wu Zhu Yu
吳茱萸 오수유 · Evodia

40 g
Chief 君
Mogwa Mu Gua
木瓜 모과 · Chinese Quince

40 g
Chief 君
Daehwang Da Huang
大黃 대황 · Rhubarb

40 g
Chief 君

Total 120 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

Opens a bowel bound in leg qi surging into the Heart
Warms and purges together

Indications 主治

Pattern-based

Leg qi surging into the Heart with the stool not passing (脚氣衝心大便不通)
Emergency constipation with upward surge
Cold with binding

Biomedical correlates

Acute decompensation with obstipation
Emergency purgative therapy
Rescue therapy

Source text 原文

Donguibogam 東醫寶鑑

治脚氣衝心, 大便不通. 吳茱萸ㆍ木瓜ㆍ大黃各等分. 右末, 米糊和丸梧子大, 枳殼湯下五七十丸. 《得效》

Translation

Treats leg qi surging into the Heart with the stool not passing. Evodia, chaenomeles, and rhubarb, in equal parts. Powder the above and bind with a rice paste into pills the size of parasol-tree seeds; take 50–70 pills with a bitter orange husk decoction. — Deukhyo 得效 (Donguibogam · Jok)

Clinical commentary 臨床

Three generals, equal in rank — evodia to warm, chaenomeles to lead down, rhubarb to force the passage. Pairing a hot drug with a cold purgative in the same formula looks contradictory until you read the indication: the Qi has surged upward and the bowel is shut, so something must warm the surge back down while something else opens the door. — Eui Young (Justin) Chung, L.Ac., Dipl. O.M.