‘agastache Correcting the qi Powder’
Source: Imperial Grace Formulary of the Tai Ping Era (Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang, 1080)

Keywords
cold of gastrointestinal type, gastroenteritis, peptic ulcers, enteritis, climate sickness and heat stroke

Ingredients
areca catechu (Da Fu Pi, betel husk)
angelica dahurica (Bai Zhi, angelica)
Perilla frutescens (Zi Su, perilla)
Poria cocos (Fu Ling, hoelen)
Pinellia ternata (Ban Xia, pinellia)
atractylodes macrocephala (Bai Zhu, atractylodes)
Citrus reticulata (Chen Pi, citrus peel)
Magnolia officinalis (Hou Po, magnolia bark)
Platycodon grandiflorum (Jie Geng, platycodon)
agastache rugosa (Huo Xiang, agastache)
Glycyrrhiza uralensis (Gan Cao, liquorice)

Major therapeutic action
Relieves the Exterior, removes Damp, regulates qi, harmonises the Centre.

Indications
*  Classically indicated for colds with aversion to cold, shivering, sneezing, cough, runny nose with white and/or watery mucus, no or slight fever, no sweating or thirst, and occipital stiffness and ache. These symptoms are combined with acute or pre-existing additional symptoms of feeling of heaviness in body or head, anorexia, a feeling of oppression in the chest or epigastrum, clouded thinking, or oedema.
*  acute nausea and vomiting, and/or diarrhoea. This is similar to acute gastroenteritis (either viral or bacterial), summer flu or food poisoning. Usually occurs during hot and humid weather, especially late Sum-
mer. Traveller’s diarrhoea.
*  also used for those with a tendency to various digestive symptoms such as borborygmus, abdominal bloating, nausea, loss of appetite and abdominal pain. In this context the formula is frequently prescribed for patients who get worse with herbal digestive aids.
*  With the appropriate key symptoms, this formula can be used to treat biomedical conditions such as cold of gastrointestinal type, acute gastroenteritis, peptic ulcers, chronic enteritis, vomiting of pregnancy, climate sickness and heat stroke, etc.

Key symptoms for use
*  acute nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhoea
*  chills and fever (chills may be greater than fever)
*  heaviness in the body, woolly or fuzzy headedness
*  muscle aches
*  thick white coat on the tongue

Cautions and contraindications
Not suitable for patients with high fever and thirst, or for digestive upsets due to heat, i.e. those with thirst, constipation, yellow tongue coat, fever with no chills.
Not suitable for prolonged use. This formula is generally only used in the acute phase of gastroenteritis; if overused it can weaken digestive energy and prolong the problem.
None noted.