Formulas · Transform Phlegm 化痰 · Donguibogam · Naegyeong (Phlegm-Rheum)

Two Aged Herbs Decoction

Ijin-tang

한글 이진탕 · Pinyin Er Chen Tang

二陳湯

Collated with Damum 6.20.1. Ginger corrected from 3 g to 6 g on the source's 三片 at the chapter's standard of 2 g per slice. The Bogam writes 橘皮 where the appended commentary writes 橘紅; the two are taken as the same medicinal here.

Composition 構成

Banha Ban Xia
半夏 반하 · Pinellia

8 g
Chief 君 processed (製), 2 don
Jinpi Chen Pi
陳皮 진피 · Aged Tangerine Peel

4 g
Deputy 臣橘皮
Jeokbokryeong Chi Fu Ling
赤茯苓 적복령 · Poria (red)

4 g
Deputy 臣
Saenggang Sheng Jiang
生薑 생강 · Fresh Ginger

6 g
Envoy 使 3 slices
Gamcho Gan Cao
甘草 감초 · Licorice

2 g
Envoy 使 mix-fried (灸)

Total 24 g per packet (첩) · representative dosage — verify against source texts.

Received this formula from your practitioner? Amounts shown here are classical reference values — granule and prepared products differ. Always follow your prescribed dosage and directions.

Actions 效能

Dries dampness and transforms phlegm
Regulates Qi and harmonizes the middle

Indications 主治

Pattern-based

Damp-phlegm with cough and copious sputum
Chest and epigastric stuffiness
Nausea with greasy tongue coating

Biomedical correlates

Chronic productive cough
Phlegm-type dizziness
Gastric fullness with nausea

Source text 原文

Donguibogam 東醫寶鑑

通治痰飮諸疾. 或嘔吐惡心, 或頭眩心悸, 或發寒熱, 或流注作痛. 半夏(製) 二錢, 橘皮ㆍ赤茯苓各一錢, 甘草(灸) 五分. 右剉, 作一貼, 薑三片, 水煎服. 《正傳》方氏曰, 半夏豁痰燥濕, 橘紅消痰利氣, 茯苓降氣滲濕, 甘草補脾和中. 盖補脾則不生濕, 燥濕, 滲濕則不生痰, 利氣, 降氣則痰消解, 可謂體用兼該, 標本兩盡之藥. 用者隨證加減. 《丹心》

Translation

Generally treats all the diseases of phlegm-rheum: vomiting and nausea, dizziness of the head and palpitation, alternating cold and heat, or flowing and lodging with pain. Pinellia (processed) 2 don; tangerine peel and red poria 1 don each; licorice (mix-fried) 5 pun. Cut up, make one packet, add 3 slices of ginger, decoct in water and take. Fang said: pinellia sweeps phlegm and dries damp, red tangerine peel disperses phlegm and frees the qi, poria downbears qi and percolates damp, licorice supplements the spleen and harmonizes the centre. Supplement the spleen and damp is not produced; dry the damp and percolate it and phlegm is not produced; free the qi and downbear it and the phlegm dissolves. It may be called a medicine that takes in both substance and function and exhausts both branch and root. Let the user add and subtract according to the pattern. — Uihak Jeongjeon 正傳 (Donguibogam · Damum)

Clinical commentary 臨床

The parent of the entire phlegm family, and the chapter supplies its own analysis in Fang's commentary — one line for each of the four medicinals, then the logic that connects them. Supplement the spleen so damp is not made; dry and percolate the damp so phlegm is not made; free and downbear the qi so the phlegm already present dissolves. Cause, product and symptom in one sentence. The closing instruction is the reason this formula appears on nearly every page of the chapter: let the user add and subtract according to the pattern. Dodam-tang, Cheongyeoldodam-tang, Sungidodam-tang, Gagamijin-tang and both formulas named Gamiijin-tang are all this prescription with the additions the pattern called for. — Eui Young (Justin) Chung, L.Ac., Dipl. O.M.