Correlation study of Ban Xia tang prescriptions in Dun Huang and ancient medical literature

Abstract

Abstract It discusses the pertinences of Ban Xia Decoction in Dunhuang's prescriptions and combinations of the same name in ancient medical books. Prescriptions of the same name in different eras and cited in medical count repeatedly. The name of ancient books don' t count repeatedly. We searched the Rhizoma Pinelliae Decoction of official or variant name in 60 ancient medical books in the Western Han Dynasty, Zhou Dynasty, Eastern Jin Dynasty ,Northern and  Southern Dynasty, Northern Zhou Dynasty, Tang Dynasty, Song Dynasty, Yuan Dynasty, Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty  that include 169 prescriptions about Ban Xia Decoction.49 ancient medical books of 60 ancient medical books recorded  145 prescriptions of Ban Xia Decoction of the official name.14 ancient medical books of 60 ancient medical books recorded 24 prescriptions of Ban Xia Decoction of variant name. It clears up 125 prescriptions of Ban Xia Decoction in different combinations which involves 107 kind of herbs divided into 4 categories. A kind of medicine used 886 times in these prescriptions. Through analyzing the combinations of Ban Xia Decoction of successive dynasties, there are 3 discoveries:  first, the central herbs of Ban Xia Decoction of successive dynasties are Ban Xia, Ginger, Radix Glycyrhizae, Ginseng, Cinnamon, Poria Cocos, Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae, Rhizoma Atractylodies Macrocephalae which are also used in two typical prescriptions Four Ingredient Decoction for Spleen Qi Deficiency and Er Chen Decoction. Second, Ban Xia Decoction of Ancient medical prescriptions on Dunhuang composed of4 central drugs——Ban Xia, Ginger, Poria Cocos, Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae added Evodia. These are all main drugs because of frequency averagely exceeds 1.0%. Third, Rhizoma Pinelliae Decoction of Dunhuang's prescriptions maybe is the modification of prescriptions of Rhizoma Pinelliae Decoction of variant name which composes of Rhizoma Pinelliae and Ginger in Jin Gui Yao Lue.