Plant Herbal Treasures®

Three-Nut Decoction

Chinese Prescription: San Ren Tang

English Translation: Three-Nut Decoction

Formula Type: Clear Damp-Heat

Actions: Disseminated the qi, facilitates the qi mechanisms, & clears damp-heat.

Indications: Headache, chills, afternoon fever, a heavy sensation in the body, generalized pain, pale yellow complexion, a stifling sensation in the chest, loss of appetite, an absence of thirst, a white tongue coating, & a wiry, thin, & soggy pulse.

Contraindications: It is important to prescribe this formula ony for damp-warmth or damp-heat disorders whree dampness is prominent. Practitioners must be careful to distinguish the presence of these disorders from others with which they share certain symptoms. These include cold damage, yin deficiency, & internal clumping in the Intestines.

Xing Ren / Apricot Kernel
Xing Ren (Bei) - Apricot Kernel - Northern Xing Ren (Nan) - Apricot Kernel - Southern
Taste: Bitter • Temperature: Slightly Warm • Category: Tranform Phlegm & Stop Coughing • Sub Category: Relieve Coughing & Wheezing
Dosage 3-9g	Actions 1. Stops coughing & calms wheezing: used quite broadly for many kinds of cough disorders caused by either heat or cold, depending on the combination. Because the herb is moist in nature, it is especially useful for externally contracted dry cough. 2. Moistens the Intestines & unblocks the bowels: this secondary use of the herb derives from its high oil content. Apricot Kernel - Northern - Bei Xing Ren is bitter. It is better for cough due to heat (excess condition). Apricot Kernel - Southern - Nan Xing Ren is sweeter. It is better for cough due to deficiency.	Meridians Large Intestine, Lung	Cautions Use with caution in treating infants & in cases of diarrhea. May antagonize huang qi, huang qin, & ge gen. Slightly toxic.

Bai Dou Kou / Cardamon (White Fruit)
Taste: Acrid • Temperature: Warm • Category: Transform Damp - Aromatic • Sub Category:
Dosage 3-6g decoction, 1.5-4.5g directly as pwdr preferred	Actions 1. Aromatically transforms dampness: used in damp warm-febrile diseases with such symptoms as a stifling sensation in the chest, lack of appetite, & a very greasy tongue coating. 2. Warms the middle burner & causes rebellious qi to descend: for vomiting due to cold from deficiency of the Spleen & Stomach with such symptoms as fullness in the chest or epigastrium with distention & lack of appetite.	Meridians Lung, Spleen, Stomach	Cautions Contraindicated in cases of yin & blood deficiency. Use with caution in cases without damp-cold.

Hou Po / Magnolia Bark
Taste: Bitter, Acrid • Temperature: Warm • Category: Qi Regulating / Moving; Transform Damp - Aromatic • Sub Category:
Dosage 3-9g	Actions 1. Regulates qi & reduces stagnation of the middle jiao: Key herb for treatment of qi stagnation of the Spleen & Stomach that is causing epigastric & abdominal fullness & distention, loss of appetite, & poor digestion. Indispensable herb when treating bloating, distention, & other related signs of qi stagnation. 2. Regulates qi circulation & dries dampness. Clinically qi stagnation with accumulation of dampness in the middle jiao is characterized by epigastric & abdominal fullness, nausea, vomiting, decreased intake of food, & a greasy tongue coat. 3. Descends qi, dissolves phlegm, relieves wheezing: treats cough & wheezing when phlegm blacks the normal circulation of qi in the Lung. Best for tightness in the chest, dyspnea, & cough & wheezing accompanied by profuse phlegm.	Meridians Large Intestine, Lung, Spleen, Stomach	Cautions Use with caution during pregnancy or in cases of qi deficiency. Hou po has a mild anticoagulant effect, & should be used with caution in patients who take anticoagulant or antiplatelet medications. Unprocessed hou po is sometimes irritating to the throat & may cause nausea. Processing it with sheng jiang reduces bitterness & the stimulatory effect, & is less likely to cause nausea & stomach discomfort.

Ban Xia / Pinellia (Prepared)
Ban Xia - Pinellia - Brown (Southern) Ban Xia Jiang - Pinellia prepared with Ginger Ban Xia - Pinellia prepared with Licorice
Taste: Acrid • Temperature: Warm • Category: Transform Phlegm & Stop Coughing • Sub Category: Warm & Transform Phlegm Cold
Dosage 4.5-12g	Actions 1. Dries dampness, transforms phlegm, & causes rebellious qi to descend: for cough with copious sputum, as in conditions of phlegm-cold in the Lungs. Especially effective in transforming phlegm due to dampness of the Spleen. 2. Harmonizes the Stomach & stops vomiting: for lingering phlegm-dampness in the Stomach that rebels upward, causing nausea & vomiting. 3. Dissipates nodules & reduces distention: for nodules, pressure, distention, or pain due to phlegm lingering in the chest, phlegm nodules in the neck (such as those of goiter & scrofula), or obstructions caused by phlegm anywhere in the body. Also for focal distention in the chest & epigastrium.	Meridians Lung, Spleen, Stomach	Cautions Contraindicated in all cases of bleeding, cough due to yin deficiency, or depleted fluids. Use with caution in all cases with heat. May be incompatible with wu tou. Toxic: overdosage symptoms include feeling of burning & numbness in the throat, lips, queasy stomach & nausea, & a feeling of pressure in the chest. For recovery, administer raw ginger orally.

Yi Yi Ren / Coix Seeds, Job's Tears Seeds
Taste: Sweet, Bland • Temperature: Slightly Cold • Category: Drain Damp • Sub Category:
Dosage 9-30g	Actions 1. Promotes urination & leaches out dampness: for edema, urinary difficulty, & damp leg qi. 2. Strengthens the Spleen & stops diarrhea: has a mild effect in treating Spleen deficiency with damp diarrhea. 3. Clears heat & expels pus: for soft, pustulated carbuncles as well as Lung or Intestinal abscess. 4. Expels wind-dampness: for wind-dampness painful obstruction. Especially effective for increasing joint mobility & reducing spasms in chronic cases. 5. Clears damp-heat: for any damp-heat disorder at any level characterized by a greasy tongue coating & digestive problems. 6. Also used in the treatment of plantar warts.	Meridians Spleen, Lung, Kidney	Cautions Use with caution during pregnancy.

Tong Cao / Rice Paper Pith
Taste: Sweet, Bland • Temperature: Slightly Cold • Category: Drain Damp • Sub Category:
Dosage 3-6g	Actions 1. Promotes urination & clears heat: for damp warm-febrile diseases or damp-heat painful urinary dysfunction. Usually prescribed as an assistant or envoy. 2. Promotes lactation in cases where it is insufficient or absent.	Meridians Lung, Stomach	Cautions Use with caution during pregnancy and in cases of qi or yin deficiency.

Dan Zhu Ye / Lophatherum Stem and Leaves
Taste: Sweet, Bland • Temperature: Cold • Category: Clear Heat • Sub Category: Drain Fire
Dosage 6-9g	Actions 1. Clears heat & eliminates irritability: for heat patterns with irritability & thirst. Also used for mouth sores & swollen, painful gums due to heat in the Heart or Stomach channels. 2. Promotes urination & clears damp-heat: for rough, scanty, painful urination. Especially useful for heat in the Small Intestine channel with the above symptoms plus irritability & a dark red tip on the tongue.	Meridians Heart, Small Intestine, Stomach	Cautions Use with caution during pregnancy.

Hua Shi / Talcum
Taste: Sweet, Bland • Temperature: Cold • Category: Drain Damp • Sub Category:
Dosage 9-18g	Actions 1. Promotes uriantion & drains heat from the Bladder: an important substance in treating hot painful urinary dysfunction or any condition with dark, painful, burning, & scanty urine. Also used for damp-heat generated diarrhea. 2. Clears heat & releases summerheat: for summerheat disorder with fever, urinary difficulty, irritability, & thirst. 3. Absorbs dampness: applied topically for damp skin lesions. 4. Expels damp-heat through the urine: used adjunctively for heat in the qi level with dampness manifested in uremitting fevers, a heavy feeling in the body, thirst, & a yellow tongue coating.	Meridians Stomach, Bladder	Cautions Contraindicated for Spleen qi deficiency or spermatorrhea, for depleted fluids due to a warm-febrile disease, & for excessive urination. Use with caution during pregnancy. Toxicity: can stimulate the growth of granulomas in the colon & vagina.

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