越婢加半夏汤
By mchern • Apr 6th, 2008 • Category: Lungs, formula, jinkuiyaolueThis decoction appears in 《金匮要略》as treatment for the lungs. Although the original text does not say it’s damp heat, the textbooks infer from the herbs included that 半夏 is for the 痰饮 while 越婢汤’s 麻、膏 is for the heat in the lung and the breathing difficulties.
“咳而上气，此为肺胀，其人喘，目如脱状，脉浮大者，越婢加半夏汤主之。”
The original text gives a definition for 肺胀 - literally translated as ‘bloated lungs’. 肺胀 includes:
- coughing with qi moving upward, which causes the eyes to be bloated from the continual upward pressure
- breathing difficulty
- a pulse that is floating and big: floating means exterior or upper jiao, big means a strong pathogen is causing strong defensive reaction. This guy is probably a replete person who can react in such a manner.
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Note1: Both 越婢汤 (dealing with edema) and 越婢加半夏汤 (dealing with damp-heat in lungs) are in 《金匮要略》
Note2: What we know as 越婢加术汤 is an extended version of 越婢汤’s function, with 术 to get rid of damp internally, when dealing with edema-typoe problems.