Almond, Perilla, and Dried Ginger Decoction，From *Proven Tea, Decoction, and Soup Recipes for Common Ailments*,Warms the lungs and resolves phlegm. Suitable for chronic pulmonary heart disease of the “cold phlegm lurking in the lungs” pattern, characterized by cough with copious, white, and thin phlegm; shortness of breath and wheezing; aversion to wind and easy sweating; a pale tongue; and a fine or irregular pulse.
Almond, Perilla, and Dried Ginger Decoction
Herbal Tea Name: Almond, Perilla, and Dried Ginger Decoction
Chinese Name: 杏苏干姜饮
Formula
15 grams of apricot kernels, 15 grams of perilla seeds, 10 grams of dried ginger, and 10 grams of brown sugar.Main Ingredients
How To Make
Rinse the dried ginger, slice it finely, and place it in a clay pot with the apricot kernels and perilla seeds. Add water and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain the liquid, then stir in the brown sugar while still hot until dissolved.
Efficacy
Warms the lungs and resolves phlegm. Suitable for chronic pulmonary heart disease of the “cold phlegm lurking in the lungs” pattern, characterized by cough with copious, white, and thin phlegm; shortness of breath and wheezing; aversion to wind and easy sweating; a pale tongue; and a fine or irregular pulse.
Usage
Take one dose in the morning and one in the evening.
Commentary
Apricot kernels (Xing-ren) assume the leading (chief) role; warm and bitter, slightly warm in character, its action follows the Lung, Large Intestine meridians, working chiefly to descend counter-flow lung qi and dissolve phlegm-stagnation to stop cough, moisten the intestines. Perilla seeds (Zi-su-zi) act as the deputy ingredient, pungent-warm in property, acting through the Lung, Large Intestine meridians to descend qi, resolve phlegm, relieve cough and wheezing, moisten the intestines. Dried ginger (Gan-jiang) adds further support, working to warm the middle and disperse cold, revive yang and dry dampness. Finally, brown sugar (Hong-tang) plays the envoy role, unifying the formula; its role is to warm the middle, activate blood and harmonize the formula and coordinate the herbs. In sum, the prescription warm the lungs and resolve phlegm, aimed squarely at the phlegm and cold pattern rather than at isolated symptoms.