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[Background Information]
Book: Puji Fang (Universal Effective Prescriptions)
Author: Zhu Zi
Dynasty: Ming Dynasty, Yongle 4th Year
Chapter: Hot Phlegm (With Discussion)
Category: Formulas

[Translation]

Hot phlegm arises from the obstruction of the air passages and the failure of body fluids to circulate. It may also result from the accumulation and coagulation of drinking water or liquids, leading to a blockage between Yin and Yang, generating heat in the Upper Jiao (Upper Burner). The heat qi combines with phlegm and water.

Eli Decoction Pills (Elsholtzia Decoction Pills): Treats hot phlegm. Cools the Heart and Lungs, benefits the chest and diaphragm, resolves heat toxicity, tonifies primal Qi, and generates fluids.
Ingredients: Large Elaeocarpus fruits (20 pieces, peeled and pitted, juice extracted using clean cloth), Gleditsia sinensis fruit (10 unblemished pods, black skin removed, thick juice extracted by rubbing with 2 sheng of fermented grain water), Rehmanniae Radix (fresh). Process these into an ointment/paste. Add powdered Moschus and Cinnabaris. Take with decoction.

Musk and Cinnabar Pills: Treats phlegm syndromes. Symptoms include discomfort in the throat and diaphragm, dizziness, and headache.
Ingredients: Moschus (1 fen, ground), Cinnabaris (1 liang, ground), Ophiopogonis Radix (3 qian, heart removed, dried), Borneolum Syntheticum (1 qian, ground), Aquilariae Lignum Resinatum (Xiangfu), Saposhnikoviae Radix (Fangfeng), Cornu Bubali (Shexiang). Process into fine powder and form pills.

Magnoliae Officinalis Decoction: Mainly treats hot phlegm and fluid retention. Symptoms include fullness and oppression in both hypochondria, and inability to eat.
Ingredients: Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex, Aurantii Fructus Immaturus, Scutellariae Radix, Atractodis Rhizoma, each 3 qian; Cynanchi Atrati Radix, Ampelopsis Radix, Cimicifugae Rhizoma, Paeoniae Radix Alba, Platycodonis Radix, Zingiberis Rhizoma (fresh), Rhei Radix et Rhizoma, each 4 liang. Decoct with water, add pork meat, cook until tender. Eat the meat and drink the soup.

Inula Powder (from *Huimin Heji Jicheng*): Treats phlegm-heat in the chest and heart. Symptoms include rotational headache and difficulty swallowing food.
Ingredients: Inulae Flos (0.5 liang), Gypsum Fibrosum (2 liang, finely ground and added), Aurantii Fructus (2 liang, bran-fried until slightly yellow, placenta removed), Polyporus (1 liang), Ginseng (1 liang), Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (0.5 liang, honey-fried). Decoct with water, strain, and take warm.

Aurantii Fructus Pills (from *Huimin Heji Jicheng*): Treats phlegm-heat. Symptoms include irritability and fullness in the chest and diaphragm, headache, dizziness, and anorexia.
Ingredients: Aurantii Fructus (3 qian, bran-fried), Gypsum Fibrosum (3 liang, finely ground and washed with water), Arctii Fructus (0.5 liang, lightly fried), Peucedani Radix (1 liang, radix removed), Saposhnikoviae Radix (0.5 liang, radix removed). Process into powder, mix with honey to form pills the size of paulownia seeds. Take 30 pills after meals with Bamboo Leaf Decoction.

Imperatae Rhizoma Powder (from *Huimin Heji Jicheng*): Treats heat stagnation in the Heart and Lungs. Symptoms include chest oppression, irritability, rebellious phlegm-Qi, and inability to eat.
Ingredients: Imperatae Rhizoma (2 liang, chopped), Scutellariae Radix (1 liang), Loquat Leaf (3 qian, hairs wiped off, fried until yellow), Polyporus (1 liang), Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (0.5 liang, soaked in water, white part removed), Pinelliae Rhizoma (1 liang, washed seven times in water, processed with ginger). Decoct with water, strain, and take warm.

Cornu Bubali Powder (from *Huimin Heji Jicheng*): Treats stagnation in the Upper Jiao. Symptoms include phlegm-heat, irritability, and loss of appetite.
Ingredients: Cornu Bubali (3 qian, shaved), Peucedani Radix (1 liang, radix removed), Ophiopogonis Radix (1 liang, heart removed), Cimicifugae Rhizoma (3 qian), Scutellariae Radix (3 qian, chopped). Decoct with one large bowl of water, strain, and take warm.

Ginseng and Rhubarb Decoction: Treats hot phlegm. Functions to guide out stagnant Qi and moisten the intestines and stomach.
Ingredients: Rhei Radix et Rhizoma (3 liang, baked and chopped), Ginseng, Aurantii Fructus (soaked in water, placenta removed, bran-fried), Arecae Semen (2 liang, baked and chopped), Natrii Sulfas (1 liang, ground), Pinelliae Rhizoma (1 liang, processed with ginger). Decoct with water, strain, and take warm.

Ophiopogonis Powder (from *Huimin Heji Jicheng*): Treats hot phlegm. Symptoms include chest and diaphragm stagnation, dry mouth, irritability, thirst, and anorexia.
Ingredients: Ophiopogonis Radix (1 liang, heart removed), Loquat Leaf (3 qian, hairs wiped off, fried until yellow), Gypsum Fibrosum (1 liang), Cimicifugae Rhizoma (3 qian), Scutellariae Radix (3 qian). Decoct with water, strain, and take warm.

Another Prescription: Treats phlegm-heat in the Upper Jiao. Symptoms include rotational dizziness, mental restlessness, and inability to swallow food. This formula is suitable. (From *Huimin Heji Jicheng*)
Ingredients: Cornu Bubali (3 qian, shaved), Sophorae Radix (1 liang, pounded), Inulae Flos (0.5 liang), Peucedani Radix (1 liang, radix removed), Ophiopogonis Radix (1 liang, heart removed), Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (0.5 liang, honey-fried). Process into fine powder. Take 5 qian per dose, decoct with water.

Snow White Pills (from *Yuyao Yuan Fang*): Treats excess phlegm syndromes. Symptoms include epigastric discomfort and regurgitation, dizziness, fatigue, abdominal distension, and pain.
Ingredients: Typhonii Rhizoma (raw), Arisaematis Rhizoma (processed), Pinelliae Rhizoma (washed and fried, 2 liang each), Talcum, Gypsum Fibrosum (both ground), Borneolum Syntheticum, Moschus (each 3.5 qian). Process into fine powder, mix with honey to form pills. Take after meals when feeling dizzy or mentally unclear to restore clarity.

Ophiopogonis Decoction: Treats hot phlegm in the chest. Symptoms include anorexia.
Ingredients: Ophiopogonis Radix (heart removed, dried), Puerariae Radix, Ginseng, Peucedani Radix (radix removed), Cornu Bubali (sliced, 1 liang each), Platycodonis Radix (0.5 liang), Phragmitis Rhizoma (1 liang). Decoct with water, strain, and take warm.

Bupleurum Drink (from *Jingyan Liangfang*): Treats headache caused by phlegm. Symptoms include vexatious heat in hands and feet, disharmony of Ying and Wei, fatigue in limbs and joints, body pain, lethargy, and weakness.
Ingredients: Bupleuri Radix (8 liang), Pinelliae Rhizoma (washed in water), Atractodis Rhizoma (2 liang each), Ginseng, Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, Scutellariae Radix (fried), Ophiopogonis Radix (heart removed, 3 liang each). Decoct with water, strain, and take warm at any time.

Cornu Bubali Pills: Treats hot phlegm. Symptoms include choking, dry vomiting, and severe headache/dizziness resembling intoxication.
Ingredients: Cornu Bubali (0.5 liang, sliced), Pinelliae Rhizoma (boiled thoroughly in brine), Arisaematis Rhizoma (soaked in ox gall for three nights then dried, 2 liang each), Cinnabaris (ground), Alumen (calcined). Process into powder, mix with honey to form pills the size of paulownia seeds. Take 15 pills with warm water.

Saliva Transforming Powder: Treats hot phlegm. Functions to benefit the chest and diaphragm, relieve irritability and thirst.
Ingredients: Stilbitis (calcined in charcoal fire, 1 liang), Plumbi Subcarbonas (1 liang), Natrii Sulfas (Mariscus), Realgar (ground, 1 qian each), Alumen (calcined until juice is dry). Process into fine powder, mix with warm water.

Cinnabar and Silver Foil Pills: Treats bitter/stubborn phlegm. Functions to calm the spirit, relieve headache and nausea, and resolve irritability.
Ingredients: Cinnabaris (finely ground and washed with water, 3 qian), Arisaematis Rhizoma (processed with ox gall), Realgar (ground), Borneolum Syntheticum (each 1 fen), Argentum Folium (5 leaves), Natrii Sulfas (Mariscus, ground). Process into powder, mix with honey to form pills. Take with cold water.

Arisaematis Rhizoma Pills: Treats heat-excess binding. Symptoms include throat discomfort and chronic cough. (See Taibai Dan for formula).
Alternative Formula: Treats hot phlegm with irritability, dizziness, blurred vision, and immobility of limbs.
Ingredients: Kansui Radix, Cinnabaris, Efflorescent Mirabilite, Euphorbiae Pekinensis Radix, Sinapis Albae Semen, Sinapis Nigrae Semen in equal parts. Process into powder, mix with honey to form pills. Take 20 pills per dose with Ginger Decoction.

Thousand Gold Powder: Treats excessive stubborn phlegm. Symptoms include throat and diaphragm discomfort.
Ingredients: Pinelliae Rhizoma (0.5 liang, mashed with 1 liang fresh ginger, formed into cakes and sun-dried), Talcum powder (3 liang), Stilbitis (3 qian), Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (5 qian). Process into fine powder, mix with warm water.

Songluo Decoction: Treats phlegm-rheum accumulation in the chest. Functions to eliminate all such conditions.
Ingredients: Ramulus Usneae (3 liang), Gardeniae Fructus, Mume Fructus (14 each), Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (3 liang), Oldenlandiae Herba (3 liang). Chop ingredients, soak in 3 sheng of wine, and decoct. Avoid consuming Seaweed (Zaozi).

Aurantii Fructus and Pinellia Decoction: Treats stubborn phlegm. Functions to direct Qi downward, broaden the middle, benefit the diaphragm, clear the upper burner, and treat fullness.
Ingredients: Aurantii Fructus, Pinelliae Rhizoma, Scutellariae Radix, Platycodonis Radix (1 liang each), Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (5 qian). Chop into coarse powder. Take 4 qian per dose with 3 slices of fresh ginger and Mulberry Root Bark (Sangbaipi).

Borneol Pills: Treats sudden heat. Functions to transform phlegm, cool the diaphragm, and clear the head and eyes.
Ingredients: Grass Borneol, Alumen (calcined, 4 liang each), Arisaematis Rhizoma (2 liang), Pinelliae Rhizoma (2.5 liang, soaked in water, sliced, boiled with fermented grain water and snow water). Take after meals.

Borneol Pills: Treats hot phlegm. Symptoms include dry throat, irritability, and thirst.
Ingredients: Borneolum Syntheticum (1 zi), Plumbi Subcarbonas (1 fen, ground), Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (0.5 liang, honey-fried and chopped), Stilbitis (1 fen, calcined red-hot and ground). Process into fine powder, mix with honey to form pills.

Cinnabar Pills: Treats excessive hot phlegm. Symptoms include deficiency-heat irritability and dry thirst.
Ingredients: Cinnabaris (ground and washed with water), Arisaematis Rhizoma (processed, 1 liang each), Alumen (1 liang, calcined until dry), Marsdeniae Vine (0.5 liang, honey-fried). Process into powder, mix with honey to form pills. Take 10 pills per dose.

Black Dragon Pills: Treats stagnant hot phlegm. Symptoms include expectoration resembling sheep fat. Functions to benefit the throat and diaphragm, and sink phlegm-saliva.
Ingredients: Gleditsia sinensis fruit (1 liang, unblemished, burnt to retain nature, ground), Alumen (0.5 liang, half raw half calcined), Plumbi Subcarbonas (ground), Natrii Sulfas (ground, 1 liang each). Mix and coat with Licorice decoction.

Golden Cinnabar Phlegm-Transforming Pills: Treats phlegm-heat. Functions to calm the spirit, relieve headache and dizziness, palpitations, chest oppression, sticky sputum, cough, and throat discomfort.
Ingredients: Gleditsia sinensis seed (stir-fried, 4 liang), Tianszhu Yellow (4 liang), Alumen (clear type, calcined), Pinelliae Rhizoma (washed 7 times in water, mashed with 2 liang peeled ginger into cakes and fried), Gleditsia sinensis seed powder. Take before sleep.

Little Yellow Pills: Treats hot phlegm cough. Symptoms include surging pulse, red face, vexatious heart pain, dry lips and mouth, and excessive laughter.
Ingredients: Arisaematis Rhizoma (1 liang, soaked in water 7 times), Pinelliae Rhizoma (1 liang, washed in water), Scutellariae Radix (1 liang). Process into fine powder, mix with ginger juice and steamed leavened dough to form pills the size of paulownia seeds.

Alum Stone Pills: Treats stagnant hot phlegm.
Ingredients: Alumen (1 liang, calcined until dry), Cinnabaris (0.5 liang, ground and washed with water). Mix evenly, bind with thin flour paste to form pills the size of paulownia seeds. Chew well with dried jujube flesh before swallowing.

Legal Red Pinellia Method (from *Yifang Jicheng*): Treats wind-phlegm cough. Functions to clear the head and eyes, benefit the throat and diaphragm, eliminate phlegm, and descend Qi.
Usage: Use 1 liang of Pinelliae Rhizoma, add 0.5 qian of Borneolum Syntheticum, grind extremely fine, and place on the Pinellia. Then use washed-with-water Natrii Sulfas (Saltpeter) to coat the Pinellia again... (Text incomplete).

Ginseng Powder (from *Ben Shi Fang*): Treats pathogenic heat in meridians. Symptoms include muscle heat, phlegm-cough, five-palm heat, irritability, dizziness, headache, and night sweats. This formula harmonizes and tonifies...
Ingredients: Ginseng, Atractodis Rhizoma, Poria, Bupleuri Radix, Pinelliae Rhizoma, Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Paeoniae Radix Rubra, Puerariae Radix, Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (1 liang each), Scutellariae Radix (0.5 liang). Decoct with water.

Double Jade Powder (from *Baosheng Ji Menfang*): Treats phlegm-heat with asthma. Symptoms include gushing phlegm.
Ingredients: Aqua Lapidis and Gypsum Fibrosum in equal parts. Process into fine powder. Take 3 qian with Ginseng Decoction after meals.

Resolves Heat Toxicity and Treats Phlegm Stagnation. (From *Bencao*)
Usage: Use raw Realgar that is not mixed with stone, very red like Realgar. Grind with cold water and take orally. Very effective.

Removes Heat and Resolves Phlegm. (From *Bencao*)
Usage: Brew tea leaves, boil the juice, and cook congee with it. Eating this is beneficial.

Treats Excessive Wind-Heat Phlegm.
Usage: Use large, old, yellow eggplants. Place them in a porcelain jar without counting the amount. After one year, they will completely turn into water. Extract this water, mix with Sophorae Radix powder, and form pills the size of paulownia seeds.

Another Formula:
Usage: Process Radish Seed into powder. Mix one spoonful with warm water, swallow, and wait for phlegm-saliva to be expelled. If treating flaccid paralysis-wind, use this to induce vomiting first, then administer astringent and dispersing medicines. Disperse... (Text ends abruptly).