轻宣润燥祛秋邪

“夜凉枕簟滑，秋燥衣巾轻”。秋季天干物燥，邪气入侵人体肺部，容易诱发头痛发热、干咳口渴等症状，亦称“秋燥”病。

"In autumn the weather is cool at night and the body is vulnerable to autumn-dryness." The weather is dry in autumn and the lung is vulnerable to autumn pathogenesis so it is easy to cause headache and fever, dry cough and thirst. The symptoms are called "autumn-dryness diseases".

霜打桑叶天赐药

Legendary medicine of mulberry leaves

相传很久以前，达木和母亲久居药山，靠种地打柴为生。一年秋天，老太太突然一病不起，头痛欲裂、咳嗽不止，用了各种药方始终不见起色。听说药山上青华观的老道士医术高明，达木急忙上山求医，临行前还贴心地烧了碗开水，放到母亲的床边。

求医归来，达木却发现母亲的病情已经好转。仔细询问后才知道，母亲起床后，发现碗里落了几片顺着窗口飘进的桑叶，清水已被泡成了淡绿色，老太太口渴难耐，硬着头皮喝了下去。没想到，头痛、咳嗽的症状后来却明显减轻。达木笑着告诉母亲，老道士开的偏方，也是以霜打桑叶为主药，真是无巧不成书。果不其然，按照老道士的偏方服药，老太太没过几天就彻底痊愈。

According to legend, a long time ago, Damu and his mother lived in Yaoshan Mountain, living on farming and chopping firewood. One autumn, the mother suddenly fell ill, with a splitting headache and coughing. Various remedies were used but failed. Damu heard that the old Taoist priest of Qing Hua Taoist temple on Yaoshan Mountain was good at healing, so he hurried to the mountain to seek medical help. Before leaving he thoughtfully boiled a bowl of water and put it at the bedside of his mother.

Returning from seeking medical help, Damu however found that the mother's condition had improved. After careful questioning, he found the answer. After his mother got up, she found a few mulberry leaves floating in the bowl along the window, and the water had been soaked into a light green color. The old lady was so thirsty that she had to drink the water. Unexpectedly, the symptoms of headache and cough were later significantly reduced. Damu smiled and told his mother that the old Taoist's prescription also included frosted mulberry leaves as the main medicine. What a coincidence! As expected, the old lady was completely cured within a few days after taking the medicine according to the old Taoist's prescription.

名方问世惠后人

Famous Prescription Benefiting Future Generations

达木求药的故事很快流传开来，以桑叶入药治病也逐渐得到推广。到了清代，温病大家吴鞠通总结前人经验，以桑叶为主，配合杏仁、梨皮等，创制了治疗外感温燥证的名方——桑杏汤，惠及后人无数。

桑杏汤处方共7味药，包含桑叶、杏仁、浙贝母、沙参、栀子、梨皮和豆豉。其中桑叶外散温燥，杏仁宣肺止咳，为君药；豆豉透邪解表，贝母润肺化痰，为臣药；沙参、梨皮、栀子，养阴润肺、清热除烦，共为佐药。全方合用，燥热除而肺津复，可有效治疗干咳少痰、咽喉干燥、口干、头痛、身热不甚、口鼻干燥等多种病症。

The story of Damu seeking medicine soon spread, as well as the treatment with mulberry leaves was gradually promoted. In the Qing Dynasty, Wu Jutong, an expert in warm diseases, summed up the experience of the predecessors and created the famous prescription "Sang Xing Tang" for treating external warmth and dryness with mulberry leaves as the main ingredient, together with almonds and pericarp of bretschneider pear, which benefited countless descendants.

The prescription of "Sang Xing Tang" consists of seven herbs, including Mulberry leaves, almond, fritillaria thunbergii, adenophora stricta, gardenia jasminoides, pericarp of bretschneider pear and tempeh. Among them, mulberry leaves dispell warmth and dryness while almond promotes the lung and relieves cough. As a result, mulberry leaves and almond are regarded as the monarch medicine. Tempeh outthrusts pathogen through the exterior，Fritillaria thunbergii moistens the lung and dissolves phlegm，so they are regarded as the minister medicine. Adenophora stricta; pericarp of bretschneider pear and gardenia jasminoides nourish yin and moisten the lung, clear heat and eliminate annoyance. The three medicines are regarded as assistant medicine. The whole prescription can effectively treat dry cough with little phlegm, dry throat, dry mouth, headache, body heat, dry nose and mouth.

轻药切记勿重用

Never overuse light medicine

“治上焦如羽，非轻不举”，吴鞠通在《温病条辨》中指出，治疗上焦病证应以轻清升浮的药物为主，用药剂量要轻，煎煮时间要少，慎用苦寒沉降之品。

桑杏汤同样如此，原方用药极轻，包括君臣在内的5味药，皆仅取3克，严格遵循“轻药不得重用，重用必过病所”的原则。

"Treat the upper jiao like a feather and never overuse light medicine" , as Wu Jutong pointed out in "Item Differentiation Of Warm Febrile Diseases". Treatment according to the diseases in upper jiao should be based on light and clear herbs with characteristic of ascending and floating, with light doses and less decoction time, and with caution to use bitter and cold sinking medicines.

The same is true when using "Sang Xing Tang". The original formula is extremely light. Five herbs including the monarch medicine can only be taken 3 grams. The principle that "lighter herbs should not be overused, or it will cause overtreatment" must be strictly followed.

结 语

Conclusion

“透泄温燥不伤津，凉润肺金不滋腻”，桑杏汤的标准密码在于“轻宣润燥”四个字，尤其适用病情初期症状较轻者，祛除温热燥邪，呵护秋季健康。

It is important to disperse the lung with fluid production and nourishment. The standard password of "Sang Xing Tang" is "dispersing the lung and dispelling dryness with clear and light herbs". "Sang Xing Tang" is especially suitable for those with mild symptoms in the early stage of the disease, to eliminate warm and dry pathogen and take care of your health in autumn.