Summer-Heat Invasion

Liu Yi San

 Six-to-One powder

Function: clears summer-heat, resolves Damp, regulates and strengthens Qi

Composition: 

Grind together into powder, take 9-18g

Indications:

Summer-heat with damp easily disturbs the Heart causing fever, sweat (the fluid of the Heart), and irritability.  The sweat injures the fluids causing thirst, the Heat and possibly Damp injures the Qi which may cause Bladder Qi problems (urinary difficulty). T: thin yellow and greasy; P: rapid and may be soggy (if damp invades with Heat).  

Analysis:  Hua shi promotes urination and is cold thus draining and cooling the pathogens.  Together with gan cao this combination nourishes fluids, and relieves toxicity (hot painful urination).  It is usually combined with other formulas for conditions such as urinary tract infections, or upper respiratory tract infections.

Variants: Liu Yi San is one of Liu's famous formulas.  It is made of just two herbs-talc and licorice-in a 6:1 ratio, and its variants. The main variants are Yi Yuan San (Powder to Benefit Vitality), made by adding zhu sha; Bi Yu San, made by adding qing dai; and Ji Su San, made by adding bo he to Liu Yi San. A more complex variant is Gui Ling Gan Lu Yin (Cinnamon, Hoelen, and Licorice Combination) also derived from Liu Yi San, by adding two other cold mineral agents han shui shi [calcite] and shi gao [gypsum] plus the Shanghan Lun formula Wu ling San (hoelen, atractylodes, alisma, polyporus, and cinnamon). All of these formulas, which are rich in talc, are classified as therapies for summer-heat syndrome complexed with dampness, usually involving limited production of dark urine.

Note: for dry summer-heat without dampness, substitute shi gao for hua shi at half the dosage. 

Reference:

Shang Han Zhi Ge Fang Lun

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