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Formula泻下剂· 寒下

小承气汤

Xiǎo Chéng Qì Tāng

Minor Order the Qi Decoction

From the Shang Han Lun, this is the milder version of Da Cheng Qi Tang. It omits Mang Xiao's softening and moistening action and reduces Da Huang's dose while decocting it together (not adding it later), yielding a gentler purgative. Suitable for mild Yangming bowel repletion with predominant focal distension and fullness rather than severe dryness and hardness.

Source《伤寒论》

Treatment Principle

轻下热结

Gently purge heat accumulation

Composition · 组成

Herb	Role	Dosage	Notes
大黄Dà Huáng	君Sovereign	12g	泻热通便，荡涤肠胃实热积滞，为君药
厚朴Hòu Pò	臣Minister	6g	行气消满
枳实Zhǐ Shí	佐Assistant	6g	破气消积

Preparation · 煎服法

水煎服。大黄同煎，不后下。

Draft

PractitionerPatientDate

小承气汤Xiǎo Chéng Qì Tāng

Minor Order the Qi Decoction

Herb	Pinyin	Role	Dose
大黄	Dà Huáng	Jun (Sovereign)	12g
厚朴	Hòu Pò	Chen (Minister)	6g
枳实	Zhǐ Shí	Zuo (Assistant)	6g

Preparation: 水煎服。大黄同煎，不后下。

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.
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Cite this entry

@misc{bencaodian-xiao-cheng-qi-tang,
  author       = {{Bencaodian Editorial}},
  title        = {Xiǎo Chéng Qì Tāng 小承气汤 (Minor Order the Qi Decoction)},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {Bencao Dian: A Bilingual Knowledge Graph of Traditional Chinese Medicine},
  url          = {https://bencaodian.org/en/formulas/xiao-cheng-qi-tang},
  urldate      = {2026-04-16},
  note         = {CC BY-SA 4.0}
}

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Herb

Role

Dosage

Notes

大黄Dà Huáng

君Sovereign

12g

泻热通便，荡涤肠胃实热积滞，为君药

行气消满

破气消积

Herb

Pinyin

Role

Dose

大黄

Dà Huáng

Jun (Sovereign)

12g

厚朴

Hòu Pò

Chen (Minister)

枳实

Zhǐ Shí

Zuo (Assistant)

@misc{bencaodian-xiao-cheng-qi-tang, author = {{Bencaodian Editorial}}, title = {Xiǎo Chéng Qì Tāng 小承气汤 (Minor Order the Qi Decoction)}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {Bencao Dian: A Bilingual Knowledge Graph of Traditional Chinese Medicine}, url = {https://bencaodian.org/en/formulas/xiao-cheng-qi-tang}, urldate = {2026-04-16}, note = {CC BY-SA 4.0} }