Great Blue Dragon Decoction，*Treatise on Cold Damage*.，For external invasion by wind-cold with internal stagnant heat, characterized by severe fever and chills, headache and body aches, absence of sweat and restlessness, and a floating and tight pulse; or for coughing and shortness of breath; or for cases of excessive fluid retention with both exterior syndrome and internal heat.For Taiyang wind-stroke with a floating and tight pulse, fever, aversion to cold, body pain, absence of sweating, and restlessness; or for typhoid fever with a floating and slow pulse, no body pain but a sensation of heaviness (with occasional brief relief), and no signs of Shao Yin syndrome.For cases of fluid retention. Symptoms include wheezing and coughing, thirst with a desire to drink water, a sensation of fluid rising to the head, or body pain and aversion to wind and cold. Used for high fever at the onset of acute febrile illnesses, such as upper respiratory tract infections, influenza, acute bronchitis (wind-cold type), asthmatic bronchitis, and epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis.
Great Blue Dragon Decoction
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Formulas Name : Great Blue Dragon Decoction
Chinese Name : 大青龙汤
Drug Formulation
Ephedra 6 liang (knots removed), Cinnamomum twig 2 liang (peeled), Licorice 2 liang (roasted), Apricot kernels 40 (peeled and tips removed), Fresh ginger 3 liang (sliced), Jujubes 12 (split), Gypsum the size of a chicken’s egg (crushed).
Source
*Treatise on Cold Damage*.
Benefits
For external invasion by wind-cold with internal stagnant heat, characterized by severe fever and chills, headache and body aches, absence of sweat and restlessness, and a floating and tight pulse; or for coughing and shortness of breath; or for cases of excessive fluid retention with both exterior syndrome and internal heat.For Taiyang wind-stroke with a floating and tight pulse, fever, aversion to cold, body pain, absence of sweating, and restlessness; or for typhoid fever with a floating and slow pulse, no body pain but a sensation of heaviness (with occasional brief relief), and no signs of Shao Yin syndrome.For cases of fluid retention. Symptoms include wheezing and coughing, thirst with a desire to drink water, a sensation of fluid rising to the head, or body pain and aversion to wind and cold. Used for high fever at the onset of acute febrile illnesses, such as upper respiratory tract infections, influenza, acute bronchitis (wind-cold type), asthmatic bronchitis, and epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis.
Instructions for Use
Boil Ephedra in 9 sheng of water; when the volume has reduced by 2 sheng, skim off the foam, add the remaining herbs, and boil until 3 sheng remain. Strain and take 1 sheng while warm. Induce a slight sweat; if excessive sweating occurs, apply warm talcum powder to the body. If sweating occurs after the first dose, discontinue subsequent doses. If another dose is taken, excessive sweating may lead to yang depletion, resulting in deficiency, aversion to wind, restlessness, and insomnia.
Note
If the pulse is weak and the patient is sweating and averse to wind, do not administer this formula.
Copyright: Excerpt from *Treatise on Cold Damage*., Copyright belongs to the Original Author and all original sources, This article was shared by DeDe on August 20, 2026, Please credit the source and include a link to the original article when reposting.
Terminology Proofreading: [Cheng Bo] | August 20, 2026 Reviewed by: [Wang Zhongxiang, Associate Chief TCM Physician (China)] | August 20, 2026
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Great Blue Dragon Decoction,For external invasion by wind-cold with internal stagnant heat, characterized by severe fever and chills, headache and body aches, absence of sweat and restlessness, and a floating and tight pulse; or for coughing and shortness of breath; or for cases of excessive fluid retention with both exterior syndrome and internal heat.For Taiyang wind-stroke with a floating and tight pulse, fever, aversion to cold, body pain, absence of sweating, and restlessness; or for typhoid fever with a floating and slow pulse, no body pain but a sensation of heaviness (with occasional brief relief), and no signs of Shao Yin syndrome.For cases of fluid retention. Symptoms include wheezing and coughing, thirst with a desire to drink water, a sensation of fluid rising to the head, or body pain and aversion to wind and cold. Used for high fever at the onset of acute febrile illnesses, such as upper respiratory tract infections, influenza, acute bronchitis (wind-cold type), asthmatic bronchitis, and epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis.