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Banxia Xiexin Tang (Pinellia Decoction to Drain the Epigastrium)
Banxia (Pinelliae Rhizoma, half sheng) Huangqin (Scutellariae Radix) Ganjiang (Zingiberis Rhizoma) Gancao (Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma Praeparatum cum Melle, roasted), Renshen (Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma) — each two liang; Huanglian (Coptidis Rhizoma, one liang); Dazao (Jujubae Fructus, twelve pieces).
Add ten dou of water, decoct until six sheng remain, remove the dregs, and decoct again until three sheng are obtained. Take one sheng warm, three times a day.
Fang Xingzhong stated: Banxia and Ganjiang are acrid and disperse the epigastric fullness caused by deficiency. Huangqin and Huanglian are bitter and drain the heat in the heart and diaphragm. Renshen and Gancao are sweet and tonify the deficiency following purgation. Dazao is sweet and warm, moistening and nourishing the fluids of the spleen and stomach. The term "Xiexin" (Draining the Heart) refers to the fact that the fullness is located in the heart and diaphragm region, not in the stomach.

Xiao Xianxiong Tang (Small Trap for the Chest Decoction)
Gualou Shi (Trichosanthis Fructus, one large piece); Huanglian (Coptidis Rhizoma, one liang); Banxia (Pinelliae Rhizoma, half sheng).
Add six sheng of water, first decoct Gualou until three sheng remain, remove the dregs, add the other herbs, and decoct until two sheng remain. Remove the dregs and divide into two doses to be taken warm.
Zou Run'an stated: Observing Zhang Zhongjing's use of Gualou Shi, in this formula it is indicated for Xiaojie Xiong (Minor Chest Bind), where the location is precisely at the epigastrium, and pain occurs only upon pressure. In the Gualou Xiebai Jiuba Tang (Trichosanthes, Allium, and Rice Wine Decoction), the symptoms are wheezing, coughing with sputum, chest and back pain, and shortness of breath. The pulse in the former is described as floating and slippery, while in the latter, the cunkou (radial artery at the wrist) pulse is deep and slow, and the guan (middle) position is small, tight, and rapid. These indicate that yin contains yang, and the pathology resides in yang positions. Chest and back pain is more severe than pain only upon pressure; Bi syndrome (obstruction syndrome) is milder than Jie Xiong (Chest Bind). Wheezing and coughing with sputum indicate that the pathogenic factor tends to rush upward, whereas the pathology in the epigastrium causing pain only upon pressure seems relatively static. The mechanism generally stems from qi and fluid retention obstructing each other, and cold and heat entangling each other. When heat exceeds cold, the binding becomes tight, forming Jie Xiong; when cold exceeds heat, the obstruction becomes prominent, forming Xiong Bi (Chest Bi). Thus, the pathology of Jie Xiong is latent (fu), while that of Xiong Bi is dispersed (san). Latent conditions should be opened up, and dispersed conditions should be moved. Therefore, one formula uses Huanglian and Banxia to expel fluid retention and drain heat, while the other uses Xiebai and wine to lubricate and unblock yang. Gualou Shi wraps around formless phlegm and gathers有形 (formable) pathogens, facilitating their smooth descent; this function is common to both. While it enables downward movement, resembling a treatment for excess patterns, merely enabling descent does not guarantee free flow, so it is not purely a method for treating excess. How do we know it does not guarantee free flow? If there is retained fluid causing severe pain preventing lying down, Banxia should be added. If accompanied by chest fullness and rebellious qi rushing from the hypochondrium to the heart, Zhishi (Aurantii Fructus Immaturus), Houpo (Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex), and Guizhi (Cinnamomi Ramulus) should still be added. If complete unblocking were achieved, would such additions be necessary? Thus, it is known that the main efficacy of Gualou Shi lies in cases where fire and phlegm bind in yang positions, which are neither purely deficient nor purely excess, allowing it to wrap and guide them downward. This is its specialty.