Jade Screen Tablets is based on the well-known traditional prescription Jade Screen Formula (Yu Pingfeng San), comprised of astragalus, siler, and atractylodes. The purpose of the ancient formula is to protect one from illness by invigorating the qi and repelling external wind. This formula has been modified here to include three herbs indicated for treatment of respiratory ailments. Houttuynia is classified as an antitoxin herb, used to treat infection and inflammation; glehnia is a yin nourishing herb, primarily used in treatment of lung diseases to help avoid damage to lung yin; centipeda (not to be confused with the insect centipede) is a phlegm resolving herb that has been shown by modern research to inhibit allergy reactions (also included in Xanthium 12 for that purpose). One application of Jade Screen Tablets is to treat acute ailments that persist beyond their normal duration. For example, one may first experience a common cold or influenza, which then leads to a case of bronchitis (which may be treated by Belamcanda 15); if it persists, a chronic ailment can develop (e.g., persistent cough, asthmatic breathing, or phlegm accumulation). Jade Screen Tablets help to reinforce the qi, nourish the yin, clear the toxin, and resolve the phlegm, allowing the body to fully recover from the initial ailment. This formula differs from other immune-regulating prescriptions, such as Astragalus 10+ which also contains astragalus and atractylodes, in its focus on the wei qi (surface protection; in this case with astragalus plus siler); many of the other immune regulating formulas focus on deficiency of liver/kidney, relying on tonics such as ligustrum, ho-shou-wu, and lycium.