Gan Cao Gan Jiang Tang  甘草干姜汤
Licorice and Ginger Decoction

Tradition:

TCM

Source / Author:

Essentials from the Golden Cabinet (c. 220 CE)

Herb Name Gan Jiang (dried Ginger) Zhi Gan Cao (Fried Licorice)

Latin Zingiber officinale Glycyrrhiza uralensis honey-fried Amount 6 grams 12 grams

Preparation:

Decoction

Function:

Warms the Lungs, Strengthens the Stomach, clears Cold

Use:

Cold extremities, excess salivation, irritable, dizziness, frequent Urination; Pale, wet tongue with weak or deep and slow pulse. This can be used for 2 different syndromes:
A. Stomach Cold and Weakness.
B. Lung atrophy from Cold and weakness of the Spleen and Stomach.
1. Chronic Gastritis
2. Peptic Ulcers
3. Enuresis, Urinary Incontinence
4. Allergic Rhinitis
5. Emphysema.
6. Pulmonary Tuberculosis
7. Metrorrhagia

Dose:

The above in taken in three equal doses over the coarse of the day

Cautions:

Not for Heat conditions

Modifications:

1. When Atractylodes Bai Zhu and Ginseng are added, it forms Li Zhong Wan. This is more suitaed for cases with deficiency.
2. Abdominal pain from excess Cold, add Galangal and Cinnamon
3. Bleeding due to Cold, replace Ginger with Blast-fried Ginger (Pao Jiang)
4. Pulmonary Tuberculosis:
i. Poria Fu Ling, Pinellia Ban Xia, Apricot kernel (Xing Ren)
ii. with Qi deficiency, add Astragalus Huang Qi, Atractylodes Bai Zhu, Apricot kernel (Xing Ren)

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