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Ephedrae Herba (Mahuang, 麻黄) [deprived of nodes] two liang; Adzuki Bean (Chi Xiaodou, 赤小豆) one sheng; Apricot Seed (Xingren, 杏仁) [deprived of skin and tip] forty pieces; Fresh Ginger (Shengjiang, 生姜) [sliced] two liang; Jujube (Dazao, 大枣) [split] twelve pieces; Licorice Root (Gancao, 甘草) [roasted] two liang; Cortex Catalpae Viridis (Shengzi Bapi, 生梓白皮) [sliced] one sheng; Forsythiae Radix (Lianyao, 连轺) two liang.

The above eight ingredients are decocted with one dou of rainwater. First, boil Mahuang until boiling, then skim off the foam on the surface. Add the remaining herbs, decoct to obtain three sheng of liquid, divide into three warm doses, and finish within half a day.

[Formula Analysis]
For jaundice caused by damp-heat without obvious exterior or interior syndromes: if heat is predominant, clear it; if urination is difficult, promote diuresis; if there is interior excess, purge it; if there is exterior excess, induce sweating. All these methods aim to provide an exit path for the pathogenic factors. Use Mahuang Tang (Mahuang Tang, Ephedra Decoction) to open the exterior, allowing the jaundice to dissipate from the outside. Guizhi (Guizhi, Cinnamon Twig) is omitted to avoid its heating nature; Shengjiang (Shengjiang, Fresh Ginger) and Dazao (Dazao, Jujube) are added to harmonize Yingwei (Yingwei, Nutritive and Defensive Qi); Lianyao (Lianyao, Forsythiae Radix) and Zibapi (Zibapi, Cortex Catalpae Viridis) are added to drain heat, and Chi Xiaodou (Chi Xiaodou, Adzuki Bean) is used to promote dampness drainage, jointly achieving the effect of treating exterior-excess jaundice. Lianyao refers to the root of Forsythia suspensa. If Zibapi is unavailable, Yinchen (Yinchen, Artemisiae Scopariae Herba) can be used as a substitute.

[Collection of Explanations]
Zhou Yangjun stated: This is also a method of simultaneously resolving the exterior and interior. Therefore, when using diaphoretic drugs, they must be combined with damp-draining agents. In cases where Shanghan (Shanghan, Cold Damage) leads to jaundice, the patient invariably has pre-existing damp-heat in the Taiyin Spleen, compounded by undissipated cold pathogens. The combination of these two pathogens steams and stagnates, resulting in jaundice.

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In Shanghan (Shanghan, Cold Damage) lasting seven to eight days, if the body is yellow like the color of an orange, accompanied by difficult urination and slight abdominal fullness, treat with Yinchenhao Tang (Yinchenhao Tang, Yin Chen Hao Decoction).

[Annotation]
Body yellowing is a disease caused by damp-heat. When dampness predominates over heat, the yellow color is dull; when heat predominates over dampness, the yellow color is bright. "Like the color of an orange" means the yellow is bright. After seven to eight days of Shanghan (Shanghan, Cold Damage), if the body is brightly yellow, urination is difficult, and there is slight abdominal fullness, this indicates deep interior heat. Therefore, use Yinchenhao (Yinchenhao, Artemisiae Scopariae Herba) as the sovereign drug for treating jaundice, supplemented by Dahuang (Dahuang, Rheum Palmati Radix et Rhizoma), and guided by Zhizi (Zhizi, Gardeniae Fructus), so that damp-heat is excreted through the large and small intestines. Consequently, body yellowing and abdominal fullness will naturally resolve.

[Collection of Annotations]
Tang Buyan stated: Xunhuang (Xunhuang, Smoked Yellow) belongs to Yin Jaundice (Yin Huang, Yin-type Jaundice); Orange-yellow belongs to Yang Jaundice (Yang Huang, Yang-type Jaundice).
Cheng Zhi stated: This is a method of driving out dampness and eliminating heat. At seven to eight days of Shanghan (Shanghan, Cold Damage), it is the appropriate time for purging; difficult urination and slight abdominal fullness are indications for purging. Coupled with the bright yellow color, it is undoubtedly evidence of pathogens from the Three Yang channels entering the interior. Thus, Yinchen (Yinchen, Artemisiae Scopariae Herba) is used to remove dampness, Zhizi (Zhizi, Gardeniae Fructus) to clear heat, and Dahuang (Dahuang, Rheum Palmati Radix et Rhizoma) to assist in expulsion. Although this syndrome allows for purging, it must still prioritize dampness removal rather than relying solely on purgation, which is why such treatment is employed.