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Formula泻下剂· 寒下

大承气汤

Dà Chéng Qì Tāng

Major Order the Qi Decoction

The representative formula for yang-brightness bowel repletion from the Shang Han Lun, composed of da huang, mang xiao, zhi shi, and hou po. Indicated when all four signs—glomus, fullness, dryness, and repletion—are present. A drastic purgative that should be stopped once the condition resolves and never taken long-term.

Source《伤寒论》辨阳明病脉证并治

Treatment Principle

峻下热结

Drastically purge heat accumulation

Composition · 组成

Herb	Role	Dosage	Notes
大黄Dà Huáng	君Sovereign	12g	苦寒泻下，荡涤肠胃实热积滞
芒硝Máng Xiāo	臣Minister	9g	咸寒润燥软坚，与大黄相须为用
厚朴Hòu Pò	佐Assistant	15g	下气除满
枳实Zhǐ Shí	佐Assistant	12g	破气消痞

Treats Patterns · 主治证型

阳明腑实证

Yáng Míng Fǔ Shí Zhèng

Yangming Bowel Repletion Pattern

Preparation · 煎服法

先煎厚朴、枳实；次入大黄；后下芒硝。

Editor-reviewed· 2026-04-08

PractitionerPatientDate

大承气汤Dà Chéng Qì Tāng

Major Order the Qi Decoction

Herb	Pinyin	Role	Dose
大黄	Dà Huáng	Jun (Sovereign)	12g
芒硝	Máng Xiāo	Chen (Minister)	9g
厚朴	Hòu Pò	Zuo (Assistant)	15g
枳实	Zhǐ Shí	Zuo (Assistant)	12g

Preparation: 先煎厚朴、枳实；次入大黄；后下芒硝。

This prescription is provided only by the dispensing TCM practitioner. Take as directed; do not modify the dose or share it. If you experience any adverse effect, stop immediately and contact your practitioner. The content of this platform is educational reference, not medical advice.
Bencao Dian · https://bencaodian.org · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Cite this entry

@misc{bencaodian-da-cheng-qi-tang,
  author       = {{Bencaodian Editorial}},
  title        = {Dà Chéng Qì Tāng 大承气汤 (Major Order the Qi Decoction)},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {Bencao Dian: A Bilingual Knowledge Graph of Traditional Chinese Medicine},
  url          = {https://bencaodian.org/en/formulas/da-cheng-qi-tang},
  urldate      = {2026-04-17},
  note         = {CC BY-SA 4.0}
}

Permalink is fixed

Herb

Role

Dosage

Notes

大黄Dà Huáng

君Sovereign

12g

苦寒泻下，荡涤肠胃实热积滞

咸寒润燥软坚，与大黄相须为用

15g

下气除满

枳实Zhǐ Shí

佐Assistant

12g

破气消痞

Herb

Pinyin

Role

Dose

大黄

Dà Huáng

Jun (Sovereign)

12g

芒硝

Máng Xiāo

Chen (Minister)

厚朴

Hòu Pò

Zuo (Assistant)

15g

枳实

Zhǐ Shí

Zuo (Assistant)

12g

@misc{bencaodian-da-cheng-qi-tang, author = {{Bencaodian Editorial}}, title = {Dà Chéng Qì Tāng 大承气汤 (Major Order the Qi Decoction)}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {Bencao Dian: A Bilingual Knowledge Graph of Traditional Chinese Medicine}, url = {https://bencaodian.org/en/formulas/da-cheng-qi-tang}, urldate = {2026-04-17}, note = {CC BY-SA 4.0} }