Jade Woman Decoction  
Formula:  Sheng Shi Gao 15-30g, Shu Di 9-30g, Mai Dong 5-6g, Zhi Mu, Niu Xi each about 4.5g.  Water Decoct

Source Text
Jade Woman Decoction treats vigorous fire and insufficient water.  The six pulses are floating, flooding, slippery and big.  This is insufficient Shao Yin and Yang Ming excess, vexing heat and dryness, thirst, headache, toothache, loss of blood etc.  If there are loose stools, then this formula is not appropriate.  (From the Jing Yue Quan Shu)

Commentary:  This formula treats vigorous fire and kidney yin vacuity.  As Zhang Yue says, “ Shao Yin insufficient, Yang Ming has surplus”.  The vessel of the Yang Ming moves up to the teeth and face, and the kidneys govern the teeth, therefore, in kidney yin vacuity, the stomach fire attacks above, and diseases of the oral cavity, tooth pain and bleeding gums etc., can be seen.  This formula has become one of the major formulas to clear the stomach and moisten the kidneys.  This formula uses the sweet, pungent, and greatly cold properties of Sheng Shi Gao to clear heat from “Yang Ming surplus”, combined with sweet and slightly warm Shu Di to nourish the yin of “insufficient Shao Yin”.  To increase the action of clearing fire and moistening the water, bitter and cold Zhi Mu assist Shi Gao in clearing stomach heat because it also moistens kidney dryness.  Sweet and cold Mai Dong assist Shu Di in moistening the yin while also clearing stomach fire.  The use of Niu Xi here is very clever, because it nourishes and boosts Shao Yin insufficiency, it lures the heat and fire of the Yang Ming to down to nourish below which controls above, thus the fire and water keep each other balanced.  Clearing stomach fire and moistening the kidney treat both the root and the branch at the same time, allowing for the “surplus” and the “insufficiency” to become balanced.  (the surplus decreases to normal, and the insufficiency increases to sufficient, they become even and smooth)
   
Case 3  Mania (Schizophrenia).  A case from Dr. Xu Jing:  22 years old female, office worker, first office call: April 22, 1991.  Because of some marital conflict, her parents became upset and lead to her emotional upheaval.  2 days prior, she suddenly went manic, was not making sense, discarded her clothing and went for a walk.  Upon examination, both eyes were glaring, her face was red, her eyes were red, she appeared rash, and had the speech to match it.  There was vexation thirst, which caused her to drink.  At night she could not sleep peacefully, and her urine was yellow.  Her tongue was red with a yellow coat which lacked fluid.  The pulse was sunken and rapid with strength.  This disease relates to vigorous heat in the Yang Ming, which harasses the spirit consciousness.  Treat by clearing heat and draining fire, calming the shen and settling the will.

Herbs:  Shi Gao, (decocted first), 30g, Zhi Mu, Mai Dong, Niu Xi, and Shu Di Huang each 15g, Da Huang, Huang Qin and Zhi Zi each 10g, Chen Sha 1g, Gan Cao 5g

After 4 packets the patient was no longer manic.  She took Zhu Sha An Shen Wan in order to have a continued effect.  One half month later she was cured.

Note:  This case is caused by the depression of qi over time.  Heat evil is internally engendered.  Yang heat becomes excessive and flourishes, which results in the harassment of the spirit consciousness.  In the Su Wen it says, “All cases of agitation and mania belong to the category of fire”; “Because heat is flourishing in the body, the clothing is discarded and there is desire to walk/run…if there is excessive yang, then the person will have absurd speech and even curse at their own family, lose the desire to eat, and result in wild running”.  Use Jade Woman Decoction modified in order to clear heat and drain fire, cause the Yang Ming heat to descend, and result in the termination of the mania.


From the Discussion of Case Studies Using Famous Formulas of Wen Bing.(Wen Bing Ming Fang Yan An Shuo Ping). Pages 215-219. Translated by Dana Balassi.  Summer 2007.