ABSTRACT
Zhuye Shigaotang， first recorded in ZHANG Zhongjing's Synopsis of the Golden Chamber （《金匮要略》）， is a commonly used prescription for treating heat syndrome in modern times. However， physicians of the past dynasties have different opinions on the mechanism of Zhuye Shigaotang in disease treatment. Based on HUANG Yuanyu's theory of Qi circulation， this paper holds that the root cause of the diseases treated by Zhuye Shigaotang is the deficiency of spleen and stomach in the middle energizer and the dysfunction of ascending and descending. The failure of Yin ascending leads to the failure of Yang transformation， and the failure of Yang descending causes the failure of Yin generation. As a result， heat and fire become predominant in the heart， lung， and stomach， which causes Qi counterflow and fluid consumption. Based on this pathogenesis， Zhuye Shigaotang is mainly composed of pungent， warm， sweet， and cold herbs. The combination of these herbs can protect the spleen and stomach and recover the Qi movement in the middle energizer， thereby clearing heat and fire， descending Qi， and promoting the generation of Qi and fluid. In clinical practice， this prescription can be applied to treating the syndromes of deficiency in spleen and stomach， dysfunction of middle energizer in transportation， dysfunction of ascending and descending， excessive heat and fire， and Qi counterflow and fluid consumption. The interpretation of Zhuye Shigaotang from the theory of Qi circulation can provide a new idea for differentiating syndromes， seeking causes， and developing prescriptions， which broadens the scope of clinical application of this prescription and provides a reference for interpreting ZHANG Zhongjing's method of compatibility.