A Proven Case: Modified Weijing Decoction for an Acute Asthma Attack

My sister-in-law's mother-in-law had suffered asthma for many years; every attack she went to the hospital for antibiotics to control it. When she had an attack this summer, she was admitted to the county people's hospital and given penicillin intravenously. Not only did it not work, she developed an allergic reaction—rapid breathing, nearly suffocating—and after emergency-department rescue she could not sleep all night.

My sister-in-law, who was caring for her at home, called me for help. On inquiry I learned that her mother-in-law was wheezing nonstop, coughing repeatedly, with chest oppression, shortness of breath, and a blocked throat. I recalled having read in Professor Liu Duzhou's Jingfang Linzheng Zhinan that chest oppression and chest blockage are indications for Weijing Tang (Reed Bed Decoction). Since her wheezing was severe, I considered adding xingren (apricot kernel) to Weijing Tang. The prescription was as follows:

Lugen (Phragmites rhizome) 30g, Dongguazi (Benincasa seed, crushed) 30g, Xingren (Apricot kernel, crushed) 10g, Taoren (Peach kernel, crushed) 10g, Yiyiren (Coix seed) 18g.

Six doses.

After the six doses were finished, the wheezing had settled, the cough had stopped, she could sleep normally, and her condition was greatly improved. Because the mother-in-law was a rural woman very careful with money, once her symptoms eased she refused to continue taking medicine, and stopped.

Later, after a cold, she developed shoulder pain and headache and again asked for a formula. I told her to add Qianghuo (Notopterygium) 6g, Duhuo (Angelica pubescens) 6g, Manjingzi (Vitex fruit) 15g, and Gegen (Kudzu root) 18g to the previous prescription, and take another six doses. All symptoms disappeared, and the patient again refused further treatment, so we stopped.