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Eliminate Wind

消風散 · xiāo fēng sǎn

For weepy, red, intensely itchy skin eruptions spreading over large areas of the body.

What it's for

When a rash is spreading fast, weeping fluid, bright red, and itching intensely, TCM calls it a wind rash or damp rash, a pattern where wind-dampness or wind-heat gets trapped between the skin and flesh and transforms into toxic heat. This formula disperses the wind, dries the dampness, clears the heat, and cools the blood all at once. Practitioners use it for urticaria, eczema, and contact dermatitis when the presentation is weepy and widespread, not dry.

Signs this formula is a fit

At least 2 of the 3 main signs below should sound like you. Weeping and intense itch together is the core signal.

Main signs

  • Skin eruption that weeps or oozes fluid

    blisters, seeping sores, or wet-looking rash patches, not dry and flaking

  • Intense itching over large areas of the body

    hard to not scratch, spreads across the trunk, limbs, or whole body

  • Redness and heat in the rash

    the skin looks red or inflamed, feels warm to touch

Extra signs

  • Yellow or white tongue coating
  • Floating, forceful, and rapid pulse
  • Scratching causes tiny bleeding points, called seepage of blood pearls

Signs it isn't

  • Your rash is dry, scaly, and non-weeping; that pattern needs blood-nourishing herbs, not wind-clearing ones
  • Your itching is mild and localized, not widespread
  • You are pregnant, or have recently had significant blood loss
  • You are markedly run down and qi-deficient; a dispersing formula will deplete you further

What's in it

Safety

  • Built for weepy, widespread wind-heat or wind-damp rashes. Not for dry, scaly, blood-deficient skin conditions.
  • Not for a markedly qi-deficient or blood-deficient picture. This formula disperses rather than builds.
  • Avoid alcohol, spicy food, coffee, seafood, and smoking while taking it. These stir up wind and worsen the rash.
  • Akebia stem (mù tōng): buy only from a supplier that names the species and tests for aristolochic acid.
  • Aristolochia has been sold as mù tōng and is a kidney toxin. Akebia is the correct herb here.
  • Do not use during pregnancy. Classical sources specifically forbid akebia stem in pregnant women.

How to take it

What to get

Plum Flower The Great Windkeeper Teapills, 200 ct

The Great Windkeeper Teapills

Plum Flower200 ct

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Dose

Take 8 pills, 3 times a day. Other brands and forms use different doses, so follow the label on what you buy.

How long

Follow any time limit on the product label. If it gives none, ask a qualified TCM practitioner when to reassess. Do not keep taking it unchanged if nothing improves.