Table 3.
The top 10 commonly prescribed single herbs and herbal formulas for treating patients with asthma in 2003–2012.
| Single herbs | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pin-yin name | Latin name | Botanical plant name | Therapeutic indication | N | % |
| Bei-mu | Bulbus Fritillariae Cirrhosae or Bulbus Fritillariae Thunbergii | Fritillaria chrrhosa D. Don or Fritillaria thunbergii Miq. | Clear and resolve heat-phlegm, moisten and resolve dry-phlegm, stop cough, dissipate nodulation and resolve swelling, and cure abscess | 3974 | 2.49 |
| Jie-geng | Radix Platycodonis | Platycodon grandiflorum (Jacq.) A. DC. | Ventilate lung, dispel phlegm, relieve sore throat, and expel pus. | 3704 | 2.32 |
| Ku-xing-ren | Semen Armeniacae Amarae | Prunus armeniaca L. | Relieve cough and dyspnea, and moisten intestines for relaxing bowels. | 3675 | 2.30 |
| Huang-qin | Radix Scutellariae | Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi | Clear heat and dry dampness, purge fire, relieve toxicity, cool blood and stop bleeding. | 2940 | 1.84 |
| Gan-cao | Radix Glycyrrhizae | Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. | Tonify qi of heart and spleen, dispel phlegm, relieve cough and dyspnea, relieve spasm and pain, clear heat, relieve toxicity, and harmonize property of medicine. | 2655 | 1.66 |
| Yu-xing-cao | Houttuyniae Herba | Houttuynia cordata Thunb. | Clear heat and remove toxicity, cure abscess and discharge pus, clear lung heat, clear heat and remove dampness. | 2324 | 1.45 |
| Yan-hu-suo | Rhizoma Corydalis | Corydalis yanhusuo W. T. Wang | Activate blood, promote flow of qi, and alleviate pain. | 2317 | 1.45 |
| Bai-zhi | Radix Angelicae Dahuricae | Angelica dahurica (Hoffm.) Benth. & Hook.f. ex Franch. & Sav. | Expel wind and release exterior, alleviate pain, relieve stuffy nose, dry dampness and stop leucorrhea. | 2255 | 1.41 |
| Mai-men-dong | Radix Ophiopogonis | Ophiopogon japonicus (L.f.) Ker-Gawl. | Nourish yin of stomach, lung and heart, clear heat of stomach, lung and heart, calm heart and induce tranquilization. | 2121 | 1.33 |
| Hou-po | Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex | Magnolia officinalis Rehd. et Wils. | Dry dampness, move qi, and relieve dyspnea. | 2004 | 1.25 |
| Herbal formulas | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pin-yin name | English name | Ingredients of herbal formula Pin-yin name (Latin name) |
Therapeutic indication | N | % |
| Xiao-ching-lung-tang | Minor Blue Dragon Combination | Ma-huang (Herba Ephedrae), Shao-yao (Radix Paeoniae Alba), Gan-jiang (Rhizoma Zingiberis), Wu-wei-zi (Fructus Schisandrae), Gui-zhi (Ramulus Cinnamomi), Ban-xia (Rhizoma Pinelliae), Xi-xin (Herba Asari), Zhi-gan-cao (Radix Glycyrrhizae) | Induce diaphoresis to reduce watery phlegm, and relieve cough and asthma. | 4640 | 3.37 |
| Ma-xing-gan-shi-tang | Mahuang and Apricot Seed Combination | Ma-huang (Herba Ephedrae), Xing-ren (Semen Armeniacae), Zhi-gan-cao (Radix Glycyrrhizae), Shi-gao (Gypsum Fibrosum) | Disperse superficial pathogens, and remove heat from the lung to relieve asthma. | 4555 | 3.31 |
| Xin-yi-Qing-fei-tang | Magnolia and Gypsum Combination | Shi-gao (Gypsum Fibrosum), Huang-qin (Radix Scutellariae), Zhi-zi (Fructus Gardeniae), Mai-men-dong (Radix Ophiopogonis), Bai-he (Bulbus Lilii), Zhi-mu (Rhizoma Anemarrhenae), Pi-pa-ye (Folium Eriobotryae), Xin-yi (Flos Magnoliae), Gan-cao (Radix Glycyrrhizae), Sheng-ma (Rhizoma Cimicifugae) | Dispel the heat of lung, and disseminate lung-qi, and unblock the orifices, especially the nose. | 4029 | 2.93 |
| Ding-chuan-tang | Arrest Wheezing Decoction | Bai-guo (Semen Ginkgo), Ma-huang (Herba Ephedrae), Su-zi (Fructus Perillae), Gan-cao (Radix Glycyrrhizae), Kuan-dong-hua (Flos Farfarae), Xing-ren (Semen Armeniacae), Huang-qin (Radix Scutellariae), Ban-xia (Rhizoma Pinelliae), Sang-bai-pi (Cortex Mori) | Facilitate the flow of the lung-qi to descend upward flow, eliminate phlegm and relieve asthma. | 3267 | 2.37 |
| Ge-gen-tang | Puerariae Decoction | Ge-gen (Radix Puerariae), Ma-huang (Herba Ephedrae), Gui-zhi (Ramulus Cinnamomi), Bai-shao (Radix Paeoniae), Zhi-gan-cao (Radix Glycyrrhizae), Sheng-jiang (Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens), Da-zao (Zizyphi Fructus) | Relieve exterior syndrome by means of diaphoresis, remove toxicity, relax the tendons and temper the stomach and spleen. | 3037 | 2.21 |
| Yin-qiao-san | Honeysuckle and Forsythia Powder | Jin-yin-hua (Flos Lonicerae), Lian-qiao (Forsythiae Fructus), Jie-geng (Radix Platycodi), Niu-bang-zi (Fructus Arctii), Bo-he (Herba Menthae), Dan-dou-chi (Semen Sojae Praeparata), Jing-jie (Herba Schizonepetae), Dan-zhu-ye (Herba Lophatheri), Xian-lu-gen (Rhizoma Phragmitis), Gan-cao (Radix Glycyrrhizae) | Dispel pathogenic factors in the superficies, and clear away heat and toxic material. | 2720 | 1.98 |
| Xin-yi-san | Magnolia Flower Powder | Xin-yi (Flos Magnoliae), Chuan-xiong (Rhizoma Chuanxiong), Mu-tong (Caulis Akebiae), Fang-feng (Radix Saposhnikoviae), Qiang-huo (Rhizoma et Radix Notopterygii), Gao-ben (Radices Ligustici Sinensis), Sheng-ma (Rhizoma Cimicifugae), Bai-zhi (Radix Angelicae Dahuricae), Zhi-gan-cao (Radix Glycyrrhizae) | Expel wind-cold, and unblock the nasal passages. | 2688 | 1.95 |
| Cang-er-san | Xanthium Powder | Cang-er-zi (Fructus Xanthii), Xin-yi (Flos Magnoliae), Bai-zhi (Radix Angelicae Dahuricae), Bo-he (Herba Menthae) | Disperse wind, alleviates pain, and unblock the nose. | 2678 | 1.94 |
| Zhi-sou-san | Stop Coughing Powder | Zi-wan (Radix Asteris), Bai-bu (Radix Stemonae), Bai-qian (Rhizoma Cynanchi Stauntonii), Jing-jie (Herba Schizonepetae), Jie-geng (Radix Platycodi), Chen-pi (Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae), Gan-cao (Radix Glycyrrhizae) | Stop coughing, transform phlegm, release the exterior, and ventilate the lungs. | 2588 | 1.88 |
| Jia-wei-xiao-yao-san | Supplemented Free Wanderer Powder | Dang-gui (Radix Angelicaesinensis), Fu-ling (Poria), Zhi-zi (Fructus Gardeniae), Bo-he (Herba Menthae), Bai-shao-yao (Radix Paeornate), Chai-hu (Radix Bupleuri), Gan-cao (Radix Glycyrrhizae), Bai-zhu (Rhizoma Macrocephalae), Mu-dan-pi (Cortex Moutan), Gan-jiang (Rhizoma Zingiberis) | Tonify blood, clear liver fire, and strengthen the spleen. | 2316 | 1.68 |