A "shu-feng zhi-tong" (spread wind and stop pain) formula from the Song-dynasty "Formulary of the Bureau of Medicine", the most prescribed classical OTC formula for "wind-cold" headache, traditionally taken with green tea.
Cultural reference - how this formula has been discussed in Chinese medical tradition. Not medical advice.
Background & origin
Compiled in the Song-dynasty "Formulary of the Bureau of Medicine" (《太平惠民和剂局方》, 1078), the formula is unusual in TCM for its "delivery method": the herbs are taken with green tea (茶调 = "adjusted with tea"), the bitter-cool nature of the tea "moderates" the warming wind-expelling herbs. The name "tea-adjusting" is, in fact, an instruction on how to take the medicine. In Japan, 川芎茶調散 (せんきゅうちゃちょうさん / Senkyū-chachō-san) is sold by Tsumura (ツムラ) and other makers as the standard OTC formula for "external wind" headache. In Korea, similar preparations appear as 천궁다조산 in the Kyungdong (경동) hanbang line. The formula is, in short, the most culturally distinctive classical "headache" formula in the canon.
From the source text
This page is cultural documentation, not medical advice.
From the source text · 卷二·治伤寒·川芎茶调散
Classical text
治丈夫、妇人诸风上攻，头目昏重，偏正头疼，鼻塞声重；伤风壮热，肢体烦疼，肌肉蠕动，膈热痰盛；妇人血风攻注，太阳穴疼，但是感风气，悉皆治之。
Modern Chinese rendering
本方用于男女各类风邪上犯清阳所致的头目昏沉、偏正头痛、鼻塞声重，或伤风后高热、肢体烦疼、肌肉跳动、胸膈痰热壅盛，以及妇人血风攻窜、太阳穴痛等，凡属外感风邪所致者皆可用之。这一段方论把川芎茶调散定位为"一切风邪上攻清窍"的代表方,也是"以茶调服"这种独特服法在《局方》中的代表条目。
Editorial translation
This formula is used for men and women whose various winds attack upward, with heavy and clouded head and eyes, hemicranial or general headache, nasal congestion and a heavy voice; for wind-attack with high fever, body heaviness and aching, twitching of the muscles, and hot phlegm congesting the diaphragm; and for women whose "blood wind" strikes and stabs at the temple points — in short, any condition traceable to wind. This preface positions Chuanxiong Chátiáo Sǎn as the Formulary's representative formula for "all wind-evil attacking the upper orifices", and is the canonical entry illustrating the unusual "adjusted with tea" mode of administration.
In tradition
In TCM framing, traditionally used in the context of "external wind" headache, headache at the temples or forehead, dizziness, heaviness in the head, occasional nasal congestion, and a thin white tongue coating. The formula is taken with green tea (茶调 = "adjusted with tea"), the bitter-cool nature of the tea helps to "moderate" the warming wind-expelling herbs. It is the most prescribed classical OTC formula for "common-cold-type" or "wind-cold" headache. In Japan, 川芎茶調散 (Senkyū-chachō-san) is sold by Tsumura (ツムラ) as the standard OTC formula for "external wind" headache. In Korea, similar preparations appear in the Kyungdong (경동) hanbang line.
Formula composition
Monarch2
- Chuanxiong rhizome (Chuān Xiōng / 川芎)
- Schizonepeta (Jīng Jiè / 荆芥)
Minister4
- Saposhnikovia (Fáng Fēng / 防风)
- Bai Zhi (Bái Zhǐ / 白芷)
- Notopterygium (Qiāng Huó / 羌活)
- Xixin (Xì Xīn / 细辛)
Assistant1
- Peppermint (Bò Hé / 薄荷)
Envoy1
- Honey-fried licorice (Zhì Gān Cǎo / 炙甘草)
International availability
Japan (Kampo)
- Tsumura & Co.ツムラOTC川芎茶調散Senkyū-chachō-san
Korea (Hanbang)
- Kyungdong경동OTC천궁다조산Cheongung-dajosan
Taiwan & Hong Kong
- 順天堂OTC川芎茶調散Chuan Xiong Cha Tiao San
Cautions & context
- Contains Xixin (Xì Xīn / 细辛), this herb contains aristolochic acid in trace amounts; modern pharmacy preparations use processed forms that are safe at standard doses, but it should not be combined with other aristolochic-acid-containing herbs.
- Not appropriate for "liver-yang rising" or "liver-fire" type headache (red face, severe throbbing, red eyes, bitter taste), the formula is for "wind-cold" headache, not "internal-heat" headache.
- People with what TCM describes as "qi and blood deficiency" headache (dull, lingering, worse with fatigue) are typically steered toward other formulas.
- Sudden, severe, or "worst-ever" headache, headache with fever and stiff neck, or headache with neurological symptoms, these require immediate medical evaluation.
Related formulas
Other formulas from this text· "Formulary of the Bureau of Medicine"
Other formulas by this contributor· Imperial Medical Bureau (Song)
Related concerns
Concern · stress
Stress & Mood
Everyday tension, low mood, irritability, the sense of being "wound up but tired". The cluster of complaints that brings many Chinese adults to the family 中成药 drawer before they ever see a doctor.
Editorial note
Compiled from "Formulary of the Bureau of Medicine" (1078).
Last reviewed: July 18, 2026
Three layers of evidence
Classical source
≈ 900 years · "Formulary of the Bureau of Medicine" (1078)
Pharmacopoeia indication
"Dispel wind and relieve pain. Used for headache caused by externally contracted wind, with or without chills, fever, and nasal congestion."
Modern research status
As of 2026-07-18, a PubMed search using the formula name and the Latin / Korean / Japanese transliterations together with "systematic review" and "meta-analysis" did not identify a dedicated systematic review for this formula. Any clinical evidence that does exist is fragmented across small individual trials or covered in broad herbal-medicine umbrella reviews, which do not allow a per-formula evidence assessment; the absence of a dedicated SR is itself the relevant editorial fact here.
References
References reviewed on July 18, 2026 · PubMed search on 2026-07-18
- 01ClassicalChen Shiwen (陈师文) et al. (eds.), 《太平惠民和剂局方》 (Tài Píng Huì Mín Hé Jì Jú Fāng / Formulary of the Bureau of Medicine), Song dynasty, compiled 1078, vol. 2, the "treating cold disorders" (治伤寒) section, the entry for Chuān Xiōng Chá Tiáo Sǎn (川芎茶调散), the canonical first appearance of the formula and the canonical illustration of the "adjusted with tea" (茶调) mode of administration.
- 02TextbookDuan Fuqin (段富津) et al. (eds.), 《方剂学》 (Fāngjìxué / Science of Formulas), 2nd edition, Shanghai Scientific and Technical Publishers, 2011, the standard modern university-level formula textbook in mainland China, with Chuān Xiōng Chá Tiáo Sǎn analysed as the representative "disperse wind and relieve pain" (疏风止痛) formula for "external wind" headache, and the canonical example of the "tea-adjusted" administration method.
- 03TextbookTsumura & Co. (ツムラ), Senkyū-chachō-san (川芎茶調散) product documentation, Japan's leading Kampo manufacturer, the standard Japanese OTC adaptation of the Chuān Xiōng Chá Tiáo Sǎn lineage, used for "external wind" headache and listed in the Japanese Kampo formulary for self-medication, useful for cross-market comparison with the modern Chinese dosage forms.
- 04PharmacopoeiaChinese Pharmacopoeia Commission, 《中华人民共和国药典》 2020 年版一部 (Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó Yàodiǎn, Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China, 2020 Edition, Vol. I), China Medical Science Press, 2020, the official monograph for Chuān Xiōng Chá Tiáo Wán (and Pian / Sǎn / Kèlǐ dosage-form variants), with the "functional indications" reading "疏风止痛" (dispel wind and relieve pain) and the explicit note that the classical "adjusted with tea" mode of administration is reflected in the formula name.