Historical Tracing and Textual Research on Ancient Classic Formula Zhenwutang / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

ZHANG Zhongjing's Zhenwutang is a classic formula for warming Yang and excreting water. It is composed of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata， Poria， Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma， Paeoniae Radix Alba， and Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens. Physicians of later generations have inherited and developed this formula by detailed recording and application. This paper adopted bibliometrics method to analyze Zhenwutang in terms of history， indications， dosage， drug processing， usage， and modification. The results showed that Zhenwutang was most widely used in Ming and Qing dynasties. Many physicians have inherited ZHANG Zhongjing's theory regarding the application of Zhenwutang in disease treatment， and a few physicians have used it to treat diphtheria and water-related diseases. Some physicians modified this formula to treat maculae， intermittent dysentery， jaundice and so on. Zhenwutang was mainly used to treat diseases of the circulatory system， respiratory system and urinary system in modern clinical practice. The processing of herbal medicines in this formula was clear. Specifically， the raw material of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata needed to be processed and peeled， while those of Poria， Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma， Paeoniae Radix Alba， and Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens can be used directly. Although being different， most of the dosages were consistent with those in Treatise on Febrile Diseases. According to the textual research， it is suggested that the reference dosage of this prescription in clinical practice is 41.25 g for Poria， Paeoniae Radix Alba， and Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens， respectively， 27.5 g for Atractylodes macrocephala， and 15 g for Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata. The medicinal materials should be decocted in 1 600 mL water to reach a volume of 600 mL. After removal of the residues， the decoction should be taken warm with 140 mL each time， three times a day. The textual research of Zhenwutang is expected to provide a theoretical reference for the clinical application and formulation of Zhenwutang.