Five Plagues Pill，*Song of Life Preservation* (Baoming Ge Kuo), Volume 6.，
Five Plagues Pill
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Formulas Name : Five Plagues Pill
Chinese Name : 五瘟丹
Drug Formulation
Licorice (any amount; on the day of the Start of Winter, take a section of green bamboo, leaving a node at one end; insert the licorice inside, plug the opening with a wooden stopper, and place it in a chamber pot to soak; remove it three days before the Winter Solstice, sun-dry, and use.(In Jia and Ji years, it serves as the principal herb); Scutellaria baicalensis (in Yi and Geng years, it serves as the principal herb); Phellodendron amurense (in Bing and Xin years, it serves as the principal herb); Gardenia jasminoides (in Ding and Ren years, it serves as the principal herb); Coptis chinensis (in Wu and Gui years, it serves as the principal herb); Cyperus rotundus (soaked in children’s urine, stir-fried, and processed); Atractylodes lancea (soaked in rice washing water, stir-fried);Perilla (adjuvant), Dried Tangerine Peel (adjuvant), Realgar (water-floated), Cinnabar (water-floated).
Source
*Song of Life Preservation* (Baoming Ge Kuo), Volume 6.
Processing
Of the first five ingredients, use double the amount of the one designated as the “sovereign” for that year, and halve the amounts of the four designated as “ministers.” For the subsequent six ingredients designated as “assistants,” reduce their amounts by half again compared to the “ministers.” On the day of the Winter Solstice, grind each into a fine powder and mix them evenly; however, for cinnabar and realgar, use half for the medicine and reserve the other half for the coating. For adults, make pills the size of a paulownia seed; for children, the size of a millet grain.
Instructions for Use
Take 50 pills per dose on an empty stomach, facing east and well after a meal. Decoct in freshly drawn well water and take while hot. Take three doses daily. Use snowmelt water to pound the pills into shape. If unavailable, Longquan water is an excellent substitute.
Copyright: Excerpt from *Song of Life Preservation* (Baoming Ge Kuo), Volume 6., Copyright belongs to the Original Author and all original sources, This article was shared by DeDe on August 31, 2026, Please credit the source and include a link to the original article when reposting.
Terminology Proofreading: [Cheng Bo] | August 31, 2026 Reviewed by: [Wang Zhongxiang, Associate Chief TCM Physician (China)] | August 31, 2026
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Five Plagues Pill