Minor Blue Dragon Chinese Herbs

The traditional Minor Blue Dragon patent combination, known as "Xiao Qinglong Tang" in Chinese, is one of the most frequently used Chinese herbal medicine formulas in use today. It is usually prescribed for what the Chinese call "wind-cold," a condition Westerners call the common cold or flu, when it is in its cool phase. In other words, when the cold presents with light, clear mucous, it is considered cool. When the mucous changes to yellow and thick, it is considered a sign of heat, calling for warming herbs.

Warming the Body

• The traditional Minor Blue Dragon Chinese herbal formula comprises equal, 0.31 oz. parts of ma-huang (Ephedra sinica), cinnamon twig, dried ginger, asarum, schizandra, peony, pinellia and baked licorice. All of these herbs are warming, except peony. This is an acute formula, whose efficiency is attributed to its ability to treat a cold while it breaks up congested fluids (phlegm). Besides a cold, the formula is said to treat feverish cough, whooping cough, "pink eye," arthritis swelling and inflammation of the liver.

Decoction for Cold or Flu

• Symptoms of a cold include: aversion to cold; mild fever; absence of sweat; chest congestion; sneezing; running nose with clear mucus; itching throat, or a cough with clear mucus; a thin, white tongue coating; and a tight pulse. A decoction can be made from the formula's herbs. A decoction is a method of extraction involving boiling dissolved chemicals, or herbal or plant material, which may include stems, roots, bark and rhizomes. A decoction is made by mashing, then boiling the herbs in water to extract oils and organic compounds.

Asthma Relief

• Minor Blue Dragon formula is also prescribed to treat asthma. It has been used to treat asthma in Asia for centuries. The Chinese Ephedra in the formula (ma-huang) was used to treat asthma in the United States for decades until it was replaced, for the most part, with newer synthetic compounds. It is still available in some over-the-counter nasal sprays.