Xiang Su San — Cyperus & Perilla Powder

On this page

1. Overview
2. TCM pattern
3. Key herbs
4. Formula actions
5. Conditions treated
6. Comparisons with related formulas
7. Modifications
8. Cautions

Overview

Xiang Su San — Cyperus and Perilla Powder — is a Song-dynasty formula from the Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang (1078). It addresses the very common but often overlooked picture of wind-cold invasion superimposed on Liver Qi stagnation: someone under stress catches a cold, and the usual sweat-out-the-cold approach is blocked because their Qi is too constrained.

The formula is gentle and elegant. It combines a Qi-regulating herb (Xiang Fu) with a mild surface-releasing herb (Zi Su Ye / perilla) and digestive support (Chen Pi, Gan Cao). Unlike the warmer, stronger formulas for vigorous wind-cold (Ma Huang Tang, Jing Fang Bai Du San), Xiang Su San is safe to use in patients with weak constitutions, in older adults, in pregnancy and in those with co-existing emotional stress.

It is one of the most useful “quiet” formulas in the materia medica — for the colds that come with stress, with PMS, after travel, after big arguments, and in the often-anxious modern patient who is too tense to fully express a cold.

I prescribe Xiang Su San as part of bespoke herbal formulas from pharmaceutical-grade granules sourced from Sun Ten in Taiwan.

TCM pattern

Xiang Su San is prescribed for wind-cold invasion with concurrent Qi stagnation:

• Mild fever and chills — usually less severe than Ma Huang Tang patterns
• Headache — particularly temporal or whole-head, often with tension
• Body aches with stiffness
• Chest fullness, oppression, sighing
• Belching, slight nausea, reduced appetite
• Bland or absent taste
• Stress-triggered onset — emotional upset preceded the cold
• Premenstrual onset of cold-like symptoms
• Worse with stress, better with relaxation
• Tongue — thin white coat
• Pulse — floating and wiry, or floating and slightly tight

Key herbs

1. Xiang Fu (Cyperus rotundus) — chief; the most important Qi-regulating herb in the materia medica; moves Liver Qi
2. Zi Su Ye (Perilla frutescens leaf) — mildly releases the surface; aromatic; opens the Spleen; safe in pregnancy
3. Chen Pi (aged tangerine peel) — regulates Qi and harmonises the Stomach
4. Zhi Gan Cao — harmonises

Formula actions

1. Releases the exterior and disperses wind-cold
2. Regulates Qi and resolves Liver Qi stagnation
3. Harmonises the middle burner
4. Resolves the conflict between external Cold and internal stagnation

Conditions treated

1. Stress-related common cold with chest tightness and emotional aggravation
2. PMS with cold or flu-like symptoms at the start of menses
3. Postpartum cold — the mild action is safe for the depleted post-natal mother
4. Cold during pregnancy — one of the safer exterior-releasing formulas
5. Cold in older adults with weaker constitution
6. Tension headache with surface signs — see headaches
7. Functional dyspepsia with cold trigger and stress overlay — see digestive disorders
8. Anxiety-driven physical symptoms with mild surface signs
9. Plum-stone throat (globus sensation) with concurrent mild Cold — combine with Ban Xia Hou Po Tang

Comparisons with related formulas

• Chai Hu Shu Gan San — for pure Liver Qi stagnation without exterior signs.
• Ma Huang Tang — for vigorous wind-cold with strong constitution and no Qi stagnation.
• Jing Fang Bai Du San — for wind-cold-damp with body aches and exterior signs.
• Ban Xia Hou Po Tang — for Qi stagnation with plum-stone throat; no exterior pattern.
• Yin Qiao San — for wind-heat (sore throat, slight thirst, yellow nasal discharge).

Modifications

• For prominent chest tightness, add Hou Po and Zhi Ke
• For prominent headache, add Chuan Xiong and Bai Zhi
• For postpartum use, add Sheng Jiang and Da Zao
• For chronic cough with stress overlay, add Bai Qian and Qian Hu
• For prominent digestive symptoms, combine with Ping Wei San principles
• For plum-stone throat overlay, combine with Ban Xia Hou Po Tang

Cautions

Not appropriate for vigorous wind-cold with high fever, strong chills, no sweating and forceful pulse — use Ma Huang Tang or Jing Fang Bai Du San.

Not appropriate for wind-heat with sore throat and yellow phlegm — use Yin Qiao San.

Generally safe in pregnancy with appropriate dose. Safe in postpartum.

Always consult a qualified Chinese herbalist registered with the RCHM.

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