百合固金丸
By mchern • Mar 15th, 2008 • Category: Cough, Herbs & Substances, LungsHere’s my poetic version of this formula:
- 百合固金二地黄
- 玄麦贝母归芍藏
- 再加桔梗生甘草
- 喘咳痰血肺家伤
You’ll first notice that the first line outlines the ingredients 伤寒论’s 百合病. The second line puts together a team of yin-supporting herbs for the lungs - excluding 归 and 芍 which are more like blood regulators. And the third is a set of two qi-supporting herbs for the lungs.
We could of course take inspiration from 《温病条辨》’s 益胃汤 and 沙参麦冬汤 and throw in 沙参 and perhaps even 玉竹,天花粉 and 桑叶.
[…] Of course, in thinking about treating weak lungs, we must consider the representative 百合 formula for the lungs: 百合固金丸. […]
Note that this formula is usually used for chronic illnesses, and seldom if never used for colds or upper respiratory bacteria infections.
Most of the herbs are there to ‘fill in on a deficiency’. The few we can think of as for cough and phlegm are 贝母、桔梗、生甘草.