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Formula理气剂· 降气

定喘汤

Dìng Chuǎn Tāng

Arrest Wheezing Decoction

A commonly used formula for wheezing and cough from external wind-cold binding with internal phlegm-heat. The pairing of Ma Huang with Bai Guo — one scattering, one constraining — achieves both diffusion and descent, with constraint within scattering. This is the formula's compositional brilliance.

Treatment Principle

宣降肺气，清热化痰

Diffuse and descend Lung qi, clear heat and transform phlegm

Composition · 组成

Herb	Role	Dosage	Notes
麻黄Má Huáng	君Sovereign	9g	宣肺散邪，平喘止咳
白果Bái Guǒ	君Sovereign	9g	敛肺定喘，与麻黄一散一收，相制为用
杏仁Xìng Rén	臣Minister	6g	降气平喘，助麻黄宣肺
黄芩Huáng Qín	臣Minister	6g	清肺泄热，止咳平喘
桑白皮Sāng Bái Pí	佐Assistant	9g	泻肺平喘，利水消肿
半夏Bàn Xià	佐Assistant	9g	燥湿化痰，降逆止咳
款冬花Kuǎn Dōng Huā	佐Assistant	9g	润肺止咳化痰
苏子Zǐ Sū Zǐ	佐Assistant	6g	降气化痰
甘草Gān Cǎo	使Courier	3g	调和诸药

Modifications · 加减

痰热甚
+ 石膏、知母
痰热壅肺
表寒未解
+ 荆芥、防风
风寒束表

Preparation · 煎服法

水煎服。

Editor-reviewed· 2026-04-16

PractitionerPatientDate

定喘汤Dìng Chuǎn Tāng

Arrest Wheezing Decoction

Herb	Pinyin	Role	Dose
麻黄	Má Huáng	Jun (Sovereign)	9g
白果	Bái Guǒ	Jun (Sovereign)	9g
杏仁	Xìng Rén	Chen (Minister)	6g
黄芩	Huáng Qín	Chen (Minister)	6g
桑白皮	Sāng Bái Pí	Zuo (Assistant)	9g
半夏	Bàn Xià	Zuo (Assistant)	9g
款冬花	Kuǎn Dōng Huā	Zuo (Assistant)	9g
苏子	Zǐ Sū Zǐ	Zuo (Assistant)	6g
甘草	Gān Cǎo	Shi (Courier)	3g

Preparation: 水煎服。

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

Permalink · CC BY-SA 4.0

Cite this entry

@misc{bencaodian-ding-chuan-tang,
  author       = {{Bencaodian Editorial}},
  title        = {Dìng Chuǎn Tāng 定喘汤 (Arrest Wheezing Decoction)},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {Bencao Dian: A Bilingual Knowledge Graph of Traditional Chinese Medicine},
  url          = {https://bencaodian.org/en/formulas/ding-chuan-tang},
  urldate      = {2026-04-16},
  note         = {CC BY-SA 4.0}
}

Permalink is fixed

Herb

Role

Dosage

Notes

宣肺散邪，平喘止咳

敛肺定喘，与麻黄一散一收，相制为用

降气平喘，助麻黄宣肺

清肺泄热，止咳平喘

泻肺平喘，利水消肿

燥湿化痰，降逆止咳

润肺止咳化痰

降气化痰

调和诸药

Herb

Pinyin

Role

Dose

麻黄

Má Huáng

Jun (Sovereign)

白果

Bái Guǒ

Jun (Sovereign)

杏仁

Xìng Rén

Chen (Minister)

黄芩

Huáng Qín

Chen (Minister)

桑白皮

Sāng Bái Pí

Zuo (Assistant)

半夏

Bàn Xià

Zuo (Assistant)

款冬花

Kuǎn Dōng Huā

Zuo (Assistant)

苏子

Zǐ Sū Zǐ

Zuo (Assistant)

甘草

Gān Cǎo

Shi (Courier)

@misc{bencaodian-ding-chuan-tang, author = {{Bencaodian Editorial}}, title = {Dìng Chuǎn Tāng 定喘汤 (Arrest Wheezing Decoction)}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {Bencao Dian: A Bilingual Knowledge Graph of Traditional Chinese Medicine}, url = {https://bencaodian.org/en/formulas/ding-chuan-tang}, urldate = {2026-04-16}, note = {CC BY-SA 4.0} }