Ban Xia Bai Zhu Tian Ma Tang (Pinellia, Atractylodes and Gastrodia Decoction) bàn xià bái zhú tiān má tāng · 半夏白术天麻汤

Safety. This formula is written for a pattern the tradition calls wind-phlegm harassing upward, in which dizziness or a heavy head is read as phlegm rather than as anything else; it is not a general remedy for dizziness, and a first episode of vertigo, or dizziness with weakness, speech difficulty or visual change, needs conventional assessment before any traditional framing. A formula under this name appears in both Piwei Lun and in Yixue Xinwu, and the two are not identical, so it is worth asking which one a dispenser means. Pinellia is the main hazard: raw pinellia is toxic and irritant and must be supplied processed (法半夏 or 姜半夏), and it is traditionally avoided in pregnancy. Gastrodia has a comparatively reassuring traditional record, but that record rests on long use rather than on controlled evidence, and the herb is traded in a market where substitution and adulteration are documented, so provenance matters. Atractylodes and poria are drying, and a drying formula can worsen a dry mouth, thirst or constipation rather than help it. Licorice carries the usual cautions in hypertension and with potassium-losing diuretics. Amounts are deliberately not given here.