Composition of a prescription; the four roles

Herbal medicine is sometimes made of a single component, but for the most part many ingredients are used. However, they are not just tossed in according to the whims of the doctor. Each component is carefully selected to fit in its role, and put the balance of the body back in harmony. (that's why widely used prescriptions have names; they're so well balanced as to be used very often!) There are four important roles of ingredients in the present-day Korean medical prescriptionology. They are the Lord(君), Minister(臣), Follower(佐), and the Envoy(使).

A given herb may act as the role of the Lord. Its effects would be the prominent one in dealing with the main problem. Mahwang(麻黃, Ephedra Herba) has the role of the Lord in Mahwangtang(麻黃湯). The Lord is the most plentiful ingredient in the prescription in many cases, but there are as many that can dispute this. Therefore, it is important to note that the role of the Lord is not determined solely by its amount.

The Minister assists the Lord, just as a real minister would. It amplifies the curative effects of the Lord, as Kyeji(桂枝) does in Mahwangtang(麻黃湯).

A Follower has three duties. It may aid the Lord and Minister in its curative capacity, or may work on secondary problems in the system. Hangin(杏仁) performs this role in Mahwangtang. The follower may also work to reduce the side effects that the Lord may cause. For instance, if the Lord is one with a strong Heat property, the Follower would keep the Heat from reaching unnecessary parts of the system with its cool property. And in severe cases when the pathogenicity has affected the patient too much as to be unable to use the curative properties of the Lord directly, a Follower with a countering effect from that of the Lord may enable the Lord's effects to be used. This is somewhat like a secret agent; the Follower enters the enemy's castle, and unlocks the door for the Lord's army.

Lastly, the Envoy has two functions. One is 'leading the way'. An Envoy may lead the effects of other ingredients to the Meridian that the effect of the Envoy is aimed at. And it may also bind the different functions of the various material in a kind of harmony. Gamcho(甘草) is the Envoy in the Mahwangtang.

A prescription may not have all of these roles, but the material in one will usually fit into one of the roles. The use of each herb in such specific roles requires training of not only Korean Medical pharmacology, but the whole Korean Medical front.

Mahwangtang - ingredients and functions

Mahwangtang is given as an example in many parts of the article. This is reference material for the reader to use.

Effect: Causes perspiration and dispels Cold. Spreads the Lungs and calms coughing.

Treats symptoms caused by Exterior Wind and Cold, such as 오한발열, 무한, and a floating and tight pulse(脈浮緊).

Recipe and function:

[Lord(君)] Mahwang (麻黃) 9g - Warm, relieves the Exterior. Treats major symptoms.

[Minister(臣)] Kyeji (桂枝) 6g - Warm, warms Meridians and dispels Cold. Aids Mahwang. Also treats pain in head and body.

[Follower(佐)] Hangin (杏仁) 9g - Warm, aids Lung and raises Ki. Thus aids Mahwang‘s effect

[Envoy(使)] Gamcho (甘草) 3g - reduces the Heat from Mahwang (麻黃) and Kyeji (桂枝), and links raised Ki from Hangin (杏仁) to Mahwang (麻黃).