Ma Huang Tang: A Simple Guide to Relieving Colds and Breathing Easy
Health Lab- Feb 1
- 7 min read
Updated: May 1
Ma Huang Tang, also known as Ephedra Decoction, is a time-honored Chinese herbal formula from the Treatise on Febrile Diseases. This potent remedy is designed to tackle colds caused by chilly, windy conditions, helping you sweat out the illness, ease breathing, and relieve discomfort.
In this article, we’ll explore its ingredients, benefits, uses, and modern applications in a clear and approachable way, plus share some dietary tips to boost its effects.
What’s in Ma Huang Tang?
This formula combines four herbs to fight cold symptoms and restore balance:
Ephedra: The star herb, it promotes sweating and opens the lungs.
Cinnamon twig: Warms the body and boosts circulation.
Almonds: Soothes coughs and supports lung function.
Licorice root (roasted): Balances the formula and protects energy.
How to prepare it: Boil ephedra first to remove foam, then add the other herbs and simmer in water. Drink the tea warm and cover up to encourage gentle sweating. For stronger effects, sip it hot and rest under a blanket.
How the Herbs Work Together
In Chinese medicine, herbs are grouped as “monarch, minister, assistant, and envoy” to describe their roles:
Monarch: Ephedra leads by promoting sweating to release cold and wind from the body, while also easing breathing difficulties.
Minister: Cinnamon twig supports ephedra by warming the body, enhancing sweating, and improving blood flow to relieve aches.
Assistant: Almonds calm coughs and clear lung congestion, helping ephedra restore smooth breathing.
Envoy: Licorice root harmonizes the formula, softening the strong effects of ephedra and cinnamon to prevent excessive sweating or energy loss.
This blend is powerful yet balanced, effectively tackling cold symptoms without being too harsh.
What Does It Treat?
Ma Huang Tang is perfect for “wind-cold” colds, where chilly, windy conditions invade the body, causing symptoms like:
Chills and fever, often without sweating.
Headaches and body aches.
Wheezing or shortness of breath.
A thin, white coating on the tongue.
A tight, rapid pulse.
These signs show that cold has settled on the body’s surface, blocking energy flow and lung function, leading to discomfort and breathing issues.
How It Works
The formula works by promoting sweating to expel cold and wind, warming the body to ease aches, and clearing the lungs to relieve coughs and wheezing. This three-pronged approach—sweating, warming, and lung-clearing—helps the body shake off the cold and restore normal function.
Modern Uses
Today, Ma Huang Tang is used for conditions caused by wind-cold patterns. Common applications include:
Colds and flu: It’s ideal for colds with chills, no sweating, and body aches, helping you recover faster.
Respiratory issues: It can ease symptoms of acute bronchitis, asthma, or upper respiratory infections with wheezing or cough.
Allergies: It may help with rhinitis caused by cold, windy conditions.
Boosting the Formula with Diet
Pairing Ma Huang Tang with warming foods can enhance its effects. Try these simple recipes:
Ginger TeaIngredients: 5 slices of fresh ginger, 5 jujube dates, water.Method: Boil ginger and dates for 10 minutes, strain, and sip warm.Benefits: Ginger promotes sweating, while jujube dates nourish energy, supporting cold relief.
Scallion PorridgeIngredients: 3 scallions, 5 ginger slices, 50g rice, water.Method: Cook rice with ginger into porridge, add scallions for the last 5 minutes.Benefits: Scallions and ginger warm the body and encourage sweating to fight colds.
Ginger Brown Sugar SyrupIngredients: 10g ginger, brown sugar, water.Method: Boil ginger slices, add brown sugar, and simmer for 5 minutes. Drink warm.Benefits: Ginger drives out cold, and brown sugar boosts energy for recovery.
Things to Keep in Mind
Ma Huang Tang is a strong, warming formula, so use it carefully:
Avoid overuse to prevent excessive sweating, which can drain energy or fluids.
It’s not suitable for colds caused by heat (like those with sore throats or high fever) or for people with weak constitutions.
Always consult a practitioner to ensure it’s right for your condition.
After taking the tea, rest under a blanket to encourage sweating, and avoid cold or drafty environments.
Conclusion
Ma Huang Tang is a powerful yet simple Chinese herbal formula that fights wind-cold colds by promoting sweating, easing aches, and clearing the lungs. Its four herbs work together to relieve chills, wheezing, and body pain, making it a go-to remedy for colds, flu, and respiratory issues.
Pair it with warming foods like ginger tea or scallion porridge for even better results. Always check with a professional to make sure it’s safe for you.
Chinese Name | 麻黃湯 |
Phonetic | Ma Huang Tang |
English Name | Ephedra Decoction |
Classification | Exterior-releasing formulas |
Source | 《Treatise on Cold Damage》Shang Han Lun《傷寒論》 |
Combination | Ephedrae Herba (Ma Huang) 3 liang (9g), Cinnamomi Ramulus (Gui Zhi) 2 liang (6g), Armeniacae Semen Amarum (Xing Ren) 70 pieces (6g), Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (Zhi Gan Cao) 1 liang (3g) |
Method | Prepare Ma Huang Tang as a decoction. The source text points out that ma huang should be decocted first and the foam that collects at the top of the decoction needs to be removed before adding the other medicinals. The decoction should be taken warm and the patient should bundle up with an extra layer to induce a mild sweat. |
Action | Induces sweating to release the exterior, diffuses the lung to calm labored breathing. |
Indication | Ma Huang Tang is indicated for an externally contracted wind-cold exterior-excess pattern. The symptoms are aversion to cold, headache, generalized body pain, absence of sweating, and labored breathing. The tongue coating is thin and white, and the pulse is superficial and tight. |
Pathogenesis | This pattern is due to externally contracted wind-cold which causes the lung qi failing to diffuse. The invasion of the exterior by external wind-cold obstructs the wei yang, blocks and congests the striae and interstices, constrains ying yin, and obstructs the channels. The result is aversion to cold, fever, absence of sweating, headache, and generalized pain. The lung governs the qi and belongs to wei, which is connected with the skin and body hair at the body’s exterior. The regular diffusion and descent of lung qi is affected when the exterior of the body is restrained by wind-cold. The body’s exterior is linked internally with the lung. Therefore, the tension of the body’s exterior constrains the lung qi within. The constrained lung qi ascends counter-flow to induce labored breathing. Thin and white tongue coating and a superficial, tight pulse are indications of an exterior pattern fettered by wind-cold. The treatment is to induce sweating to release the exterior and diffuse the lung to calm labored breathing. |
Application | 1. Essential pattern differentiation Ma Huang Tang is used to treat an externally contracted wind-cold exterior-excess pattern. It is both a fundamental and a representative formula. This clinical pattern is marked by aversion to cold, fever without sweating, labored breathing, superficial and tight pulse. 2. Modern applications This formula may be used in the following biomedically defined disorders when the patient shows signs of an exterior-excess wind-cold pattern: common cold, flu, upper respiratory tract infection, acute bronchitis, bronchial asthma, and rhinitis. 3. Cautions and contraindications To avoid qi consumption and fluid damage, this formula should not be overdosed because of its drastic sweat-inducing effect. It is not applicable for patients with patterns such as exterior-deficiency wind-cold, exterior wind-heat, and exterior wind-cold with a weak constitution. |
Additonal formulae | 1. Ma Huang Jia Zhu Tang (Ephedra Decoction Plus White Atractylodes, 麻黃加朮湯) [Source]《Essentials from the Golden Cabinet》Jin Gui Yao Lue《金匱要略》 [Ingredients] Ma Huang Tang add bai zhu 4 liang (12g) [Preparation and Administration] Prepare it as a decoction. Ma huang should be decocted first and the foam that collects at the top of the decoction needs to be removed before adding the other medicinals. The decoction should be taken warm and the patient should bundle up with an extra layer to induce a mild sweat. [Actions] Induces sweat to release the exterior, disperses cold and removes dampness. [Applicable Patterns] Exterior wind-cold complicated by damp bi syndrome. Symptoms include: generalized aches and irritability, aversion to cold, absence of sweating, a thin and white tongue coating and a superficial pulse. 2. Ma Huang Xing Ren Yi Yi Gan Cao Tang (Ephedra, Apricot Kernel, Coix and Licorice Decoction, 麻黃杏仁薏苡甘草湯) [Source]《Essentials from the Golden Cabinet》Jin Gui Yao Lue《金匱要略》 [Ingredients] Ma huang 0.5 liang (6g), xing ren 10 pieces (3g), yi yi ren 0.5 liang (12g), zhi gan cao 1 liang (3g) [Preparation and Administration] Prepare it as a decoction. The decoction should be taken warm. [Actions] Induces sweat to release the exterior, dispels wind and eliminates dampness. [Applicable Patterns] Exterior wind-dampness complicated by constrained dampness transforming to heat. Symptoms include: generalized body pain, fever that worsens in the afternoon, absence of sweating, a thin and white tongue coating and a superficial pulse. 3. Da Qing Long Tang (Major Green Dragon Decoction, 大青龍湯) [Source]《Treatise on Cold Damage》Shang Han Lun《傷寒論》 [Ingredients] Ma huang 6 liang (12g), gui zhi 2 liang (6g), zhi gan cao 2 liang (6g), xing ren 40 pieces (6g), shi gao 1 egg-sized piece (12g), sheng jiang 3 liang (9g), da zao 12 pieces (3g) [Preparation and Administration] Prepare it as a decoction. Ma huang should be decocted first and the foam that collects at the top of the decoction needs to be removed before adding the other medicinals. The decoction should be taken warm and the patient should bundle up with an extra layer to induce a mild sweat. [Actions] Induces sweat to release the exterior, clears internal heat. [Applicable Patterns] Externally contracted wind-cold with depressed internal heat. Symptoms include: aversion to cold, fever, headache, body aches, absence of sweating, vexation and agitation, thirst, and a superficial and tight pulse. 4. San ao Tang (Rough and Ready Three Decoction, 三拗湯) [Source]《Beneficial Formulas from the Taiping Imperial Pharmacy》Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang《太平惠民和劑局方》 [Ingredients] Gan cao (30g), ma huang (30g), xing ren (30g) [Preparation and Administration] Grind to rough powder and use 5 qian (15g) per intake. Add 5 pieces of sheng jiang upon boiling. Prepare it as a decoction. [Actions] Diffuses the lung to release the exterior. [Applicable Patterns] Externally contracted wind-cold with lung qi failing to diffuse. Symptoms include: nasal congestion, deep, harsh or loss of voice, and cough and chest oppression. 5. Hua Gai San (Florid Canopy Powder, 華蓋散) [Source]《Extensive Relieving Formulas》Bo Ji Fang《博濟方》 [Ingredients] Zi su zi (dry-fried) 1 liang (30g), ma huang 1 liang (30g), chen pi 1 liang (30g), xing ren 1 liang (30g), sang bai pi 1 liang (30g), chi fu ling 1 liang (30g), gan cao 0.5 liang (15g) [Preparation and Administration] Grind to powder and use 2 qian (6g) per dose. Prepare it as a decoction. [Actions] Diffuses the lung to release the exterior, dispels phlegm and relieves cough. [Applicable Patterns] Phlegm-excessive constitution with external wind-cold attacking the lung. Symptoms include: cough with white phlegm, oppression and fullness in the chest and diaphragm area, nasal congestion, harsh voice, aversion to cold, fever, a white and moist coating, and a superficial and tight pulse. |
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