New to this? Read about the Sovereign-Minister-Assistant-Courier hierarchy

Formula理气剂· 降气

苏子降气汤

Sū Zǐ Jiàng Qì Tāng

Perilla Seed Qi-Descending Decoction

The representative formula for wheezing and cough from upper excess with lower vacuity. It primarily descends the surplus qi above while gently warming the lower-source insufficiency below. Phlegm congests above, Kidney vacuity lurks below — the formula addresses both root and branch.

Source《太平惠民和剂局方》卷四治一切气

Treatment Principle

降气平喘，祛痰止咳

Descend qi and calm wheezing, eliminate phlegm and stop cough

Composition · 组成

Herb	Role	Dosage	Notes
苏子Zǐ Sū Zǐ	君Sovereign	9g	降气平喘，祛痰止咳
半夏Bàn Xià	臣Minister	9g	燥湿化痰，降逆止咳
厚朴Hòu Pò	臣Minister	6g	宽胸理气，下气除满
陈皮Chén Pí	佐Assistant	6g	理气燥湿化痰
当归Dāng Guī	佐Assistant	6g	养血润燥，取治喘不离血之意
肉桂Ròu Guì	佐Assistant	3g	温肾纳气
生姜Shēng Jiāng	使Courier	6g	散寒化饮
大枣Dà Zǎo	使Courier	6g	益气和中
甘草Gān Cǎo	使Courier	3g	调和诸药

Modifications · 加减

痰涎壅盛
+ 莱菔子、白芥子
痰浊阻肺
肾虚明显
+ 沉香、补骨脂
肾不纳气

Preparation · 煎服法

水煎服。

Editor-reviewed· 2026-04-16

PractitionerPatientDate

苏子降气汤Sū Zǐ Jiàng Qì Tāng

Perilla Seed Qi-Descending Decoction

Herb	Pinyin	Role	Dose
苏子	Zǐ Sū Zǐ	Jun (Sovereign)	9g
半夏	Bàn Xià	Chen (Minister)	9g
厚朴	Hòu Pò	Chen (Minister)	6g
陈皮	Chén Pí	Zuo (Assistant)	6g
当归	Dāng Guī	Zuo (Assistant)	6g
肉桂	Ròu Guì	Zuo (Assistant)	3g
生姜	Shēng Jiāng	Shi (Courier)	6g
大枣	Dà Zǎo	Shi (Courier)	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-su-zi-jiang-qi-tang,
  author       = {{Bencaodian Editorial}},
  title        = {Sū Zǐ Jiàng Qì Tāng 苏子降气汤 (Perilla Seed Qi-Descending Decoction)},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {Bencao Dian: A Bilingual Knowledge Graph of Traditional Chinese Medicine},
  url          = {https://bencaodian.org/en/formulas/su-zi-jiang-qi-tang},
  urldate      = {2026-04-16},
  note         = {CC BY-SA 4.0}
}

Permalink is fixed

Herb

Role

Dosage

Notes

降气平喘，祛痰止咳

燥湿化痰，降逆止咳

宽胸理气，下气除满

理气燥湿化痰

养血润燥，取治喘不离血之意

温肾纳气

散寒化饮

益气和中

调和诸药

Herb

Pinyin

Role

Dose

苏子

Zǐ Sū Zǐ

Jun (Sovereign)

半夏

Bàn Xià

Chen (Minister)

厚朴

Hòu Pò

Chen (Minister)

陈皮

Chén Pí

Zuo (Assistant)

当归

Dāng Guī

Zuo (Assistant)

肉桂

Ròu Guì

Zuo (Assistant)

生姜

Shēng Jiāng

Shi (Courier)

大枣

Dà Zǎo

Shi (Courier)

甘草

Gān Cǎo

Shi (Courier)

@misc{bencaodian-su-zi-jiang-qi-tang, author = {{Bencaodian Editorial}}, title = {Sū Zǐ Jiàng Qì Tāng 苏子降气汤 (Perilla Seed Qi-Descending Decoction)}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {Bencao Dian: A Bilingual Knowledge Graph of Traditional Chinese Medicine}, url = {https://bencaodian.org/en/formulas/su-zi-jiang-qi-tang}, urldate = {2026-04-16}, note = {CC BY-SA 4.0} }