1. Ephedra
Pungent, slightly bitter and warm in nature. Enter lung meridian and bladder meridian.
Efficacy: sweating, relieving exterior syndrome, dispersing lung qi and relieving asthma, diuresis and detumescence.
For colds (1). This herb is pungent in taste, warm in nature and cold-dispelling, and mainly enters the lung and bladder meridians. It has the functions of dredging meridians, inducing resuscitation and sweating to relieve exterior cold, so it is the main herb for pungent warming and exterior cold. Therefore, it is often used for severe cold syndrome of exogenous wind-cold, aversion to cold, sweating, fever and headache, and tight pulse, that is, wind-cold exterior syndrome, so it should be combined with Guizhi, such as Mahuang Decoction.
(2) Used for cough and asthma. This product is pungent and bitter, warm and dispersing, dispersing lung meridian and cold, dispersing lung qi, and has good effects of dispersing lung qi and relieving asthma. It is suitable for asthma and cough caused by wind-cold external bundle and lung qi stagnation. It is often combined with almond and licorice, such as San 'ao Decoction. In addition, this product is compatible with asarum, dried ginger and Pinellia ternata. It can also treat cold phlegm, cough and asthma, excessive phlegm and other diseases, such as Xiaoqinglong Decoction. For patients with lung heat, high fever and acute asthma attack, it is combined with gypsum, almond and licorice to clear lung heat and relieve asthma, such as Maxing Shigan Decoction.
(3) For geomantic edema. This product is an important drug for dispersing lung qi and promoting diuresis. Every time it is used with Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch, it is called Glycyrrhiza Mahuang Decoction, which is used for exterior syndrome of geomantic omen, such as edema, lung failure, dysuria caused by pathogenic wind attacking the exterior. If internal heat and spleen deficiency occur at the same time, it can be used with gypsum, ginger, licorice and Atractylodes macrocephala.
(4) In addition, Herba Ephedrae has the function of dispelling cold and dredging stagnation, and is used to treat wind-cold arthralgia syndrome, yin gangrene and phlegm core.