Aidus & E-Fong Herbal Solution
Herbal Formula for Relieving Exterior
       
                                  Chapter 1

Herbal Formula  for Relieving Exterior

The relieving exterior formulae are composed of herbs for relieving the exterior, which have the effects of inducing
perspiration, relieving muscles and promoting eruption. They are all used to treat the exterior syndromes and pertain to
the diaphoretic therapy of the eight therapies.
Inducing perspiration is set up for the exterior excessive syndromes without sweating. It specializes in opening the pore
of sweat duct in order to expel evils by sweating. Relieving muscles is set up for the exterior syndromes with sweating.
By means of harmonizing the nutrient and defensive qi, relaxing muscles and strengthening the genuine qi to eliminate the
evil qi, it makes patient sweat slightly to achieve the treatment goal. Promoting eruption is used to dispel the measles
poison with pungent-cool herbs so as to make easy for measles eruption. It is usually applied in the early stage of
measles with no eruption or incomplete eruption.
The body surface is human exterior-defending tissue which is dominated by the lung and the Urinary Bladder Meridian
of Foot Taiyang. When the exogenous six climatic evils attack the body surface, there appear the exterior syndromes
manifested by chill, fever, headache, stiffness of neck, melagia, floating pulse, sweating or absence of sweat. Because
the six climatic evils can be divided into cold and heat, the exterior syndromes have the divisions of exterior cold and
exterior heat, too. The patients' constitution can be partial to yin deficiency, yang deficiency, qi deficiency or blood
deficiency, which makes it possible to form the exogenous attack on deficient person. Besides, the relieving exterior  
formulae can also be used to treat these diseases such as measles, sores, malaria, dysentery, and wind edema at the
early stage with the exterior syndromes. When evils are in the exterior, disease condition is usually lighter. So relieving
the exterior in time to expel evils can prevent from disease transmission and cure disease early.
According to Shu Wen-Tin Yang Yin Xiang Da Lun  (Grand Discussion on Yin-Yang Corresponding to Natural
Phenomena in the Plain Questions), when the evil qi is in skin, it should be dispelled by sweating. Because the exterior
syndromes have the types of cold, heat, deficiency and excess, the formulae can be divided into three categories, i. e.,
formulae for relieving the exterior with pungent warm herbs, formulae for relieving the exterior with pungent cool herbs,
and formulae for relieving the exterior by strengthening the genuine qi.
The exterior relieving formulae should not be decocted long, otherwise, the potency of medicine will be consumed and
the curative effect will be weakened. Whenever taking exterior-relieving formulae, the patients should avoid wind and
cold or add cover to keep body warm for sweating. It is better to make slight sweat all over the body and it is no good
to have incomplete sweating or profuse sweating. Because the incomplete sweating cannot expel evils thoroughly while
the profuse sweating will lead to consumption of qi and body-fluid, even to death.
If the exterior evil is not dispelled thoroughly, and the interior syndromes appear, it needs to consider the method of
relieving the exterior first and treating the interior later, or to use the formulae of expelling evils from both the exterior
and interior. For these conditions, such a evil entering the interior, full eruption of measles, ulceration of sores, deficient
edema and dehydration of vomiting and diarrhea, the exterior-relieving formulae are not suitable.