Common Formulas Used at the Qi/Ying Stage

I want to continue on with discussing the most common Chinese herbal formulas used for the Fall/Winter. We have been discussing formulas that are commonly prescribed at the Wei level stage of the disease. However, I’ll discuss some formulas that are used to attach the disease when it further penetrates to the QI and Ying level.

Before actually highlighting certain formulas, it is important to review the symptoms that are commonly seen at this stage of disease. Major symptoms include: a higher grade of fever, more profuse sweating, more persistent coughing and nasal blockage, as well as, a more pronounced chills and fever. The chills and fever are usually alternating.

However, the focus of this blog concerns the key distinguishing symptom of phlegm. When I start to diagnose a patient to determine the stage of disease, one of the first symptoms I look for is a pronounced presence of phlegm. Again, the phlegm I’m talking about is not nasal discharge or fine sputum being coughed out, its presence is in the interior and leads to a congestive state.

As with any such symptom, the characteristics may vary. For instance, there can be either hot or cold phlegm and phlegm that lead to dampness or white sputum. There are specific formulas for each of these categories. The most commonly used formula for damp phlegm is Er Chen Tang. I have personally prescribed this formula many times to help harmonize the middle burner and dry the dampness. It is highly effective in achieving these objectives.

If the patient shows heat signs and the phlegm produced is hot/red and affects the Lung channel then Qing Qi Hua Tan Wan is commonly prescribed. If the patient is showing cold signs and the phlegm produced is cold and white then Ling Gui Zhu Gan Tang is very often prescribed.

These are just a couple of the commonly prescribed formulas I wanted to share concerning the dampness present at the Qi/Ying stage.