Herbs 1 Case Studies

Your patient comes in with high fever and profuse sweating. He reports he is irritable and very thirsty. His pulse is large and rapid. You believe this is qi-level (or Yang Ming stage) heat. What herbs would you give him?

This is Yang Ming Channel disease, characterized by the "four bigs": big fever, big sweat, big thirst, and big pulse. The representative formula is Bai Hu Tang (White Tiger Decoction). Shi Gao and Zhi Mu both clear heat and drain fire. They are also both sweet in flavor to moisten dryness and generate fluids.

Source: Scheid, V. (2009). Formulas & Strategies 2nd Edition. Seattle, WA: Eastland Press. pp. 151 [Q420]