By Eric Brand

Huang Lian Jie Du Tang is an ancient formula that appeared shortly after the start of the Jin dynasty, just after Chinese medicine's most important early herbal classics, the Shang Han Lun & Jin Gui Yao Lue. While it is a strong formula that focuses on repletion heat, heat toxin, and damp-heat, it has a wide range of indications and it is also a perfect formula to use in small doses within a modular formula-combining approach. Huang Lian Jie Du Tang is a simple combination of the "three yellows" and Zhi Zi, which gives it a powerful and broad-ranging ability to clear heat and damp-heat in all three burners. Just in case you forgot the textbook description of this valuable formula, a translation of common Chinese curriculum texts is below:

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Huáng Lián Jiě Dú Tāng (黄连解毒汤 Coptis Toxin-Resolving Decoction)

Source: This formula first appeared in the text Zhǒu Hòu Bèi Jí Fāng (肘后备急方Emergency Standby Remedies), by Gě Hóng 葛洪 (281–341 CE, Jìn dynasty). However, the name did not exist until it appeared in the text Wài Tái Mì Yào (外台秘要Essential Secrets from Outside the Metropolis), written in 752 CE (Táng dynasty), by Wáng Táo 王焘.

Ingredients

Huáng lián (黄连 coptis, Coptidis Rhizoma) 3 liǎng (9 g)

Huáng qín (黄芩 scutellaria, Scutellariae Radix) 2 liǎng (6 g)

Huáng bǎi (黄柏 phellodendron, Phellodendri Cortex) 2 liǎng (6 g)

Zhī zǐ (山栀子 gardenia, Gardeniae Fructus) 14 pieces [split] (9 g)

Original Method: Cut the above four ingredients, and add six shēng of water. Boil until two shēng remains, and take [it in] two doses. The modern method is to make a standard water decoction.

Actions: Clears fire and resolves toxin.

Indications: Patterns of fire toxin in all three burners. There may be great heat [effusion], vexation, and agitation, as well as dry mouth and throat, disordered speech, and insomnia. Other possibilities include warm disease with vomiting of blood or nosebleed, as well as severe heat with macular eruptions, generalized heat effusion with diarrhea or dysentery, or damp-heat jaundice. In external medicine, this formula is used for welling-abscesses, sores, and clove sore toxin (also known as deep-rooted boils), accompanied by yellowish-red urine, a red tongue with yellow fur, and a rapid, forceful pulse.

This formula treats rampant fire toxin in all three burners. When there is intense fire toxin, there is heat in both the inner body and the outer body.

- In the upper body, it harasses the spirit; this produces the vexation and the disordered speech.

-Blood is driven by heat and it follows the fire upwards, counterflowing to produce vomiting of blood and nosebleed.

- Heat damages the network vessels and causes blood to spill into the skin and flesh, producing macular eruption.

- Exuberant heat damages liquid, producing dry mouth and throat.

- Heat congests the flesh, causing swollen welling-abscesses and clove-sore toxin (deep-rooted boils).

- The red tongue with yellow fur and the rapid, forceful pulse are signs of intense fire toxin.

All of the above signs are due to repletion heat and intense fire toxin, so the suitable treatment is to drain fire and resolve toxin.

Within the formula, the greatly bitter and greatly cold medicinal huáng lián is the sovereign. It clears and drains heart fire while concurrently draining fire from the middle burner. Huáng qín is a minister; it drains fire from the upper burner. Huáng bǎi is classified as an assistant; it drains fire from the lower burner. Zhī zǐ is both an assistant and a courier; it clears and drains fire from all three burners and moves heat downward, conducting the heat evil out via the urine. The combined effect of these four medicinals is to directly eliminate fire evil from all three burners while resolving heat toxin.

Warning: This formula is very bitter and very cold, so it should not be used in excessive quantities or for prolonged periods of time to avoid damage to the spleen and stomach. It is not suitable for cases without intense fire toxin, as well as cases with severe damage to fluids.

Xiè xīn tāng (泻心汤 Heart-Draining Decoction) is a formula from the Jīn Guì Yào Lǜe (Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Coffer). It contains dà huáng (Rhei Radix et Rhizoma) [10 g], huáng lián (Coptidis Rhizoma) [5 g], and huáng qín (Scutellariae Radix) [5 g].

Xiè xīn tāng clears fire and resolves toxin while drying dampness and discharging heat. It is indicated for:

-Intense internal fire evil that forces the blood to move frenetically, manifesting in vomiting of blood, nosebleed, constipation, and reddish urine.

-Jaundice due to damp-heat brewing in the inner body, with glomus in the chest, vexation, and heat, accompanied by yellow greasy tongue fur.

-Accumulated heat surging into the upper body, manifesting in red swollen eyes and mouth and tongue sores.

-In external medicine, this formula is used for sores with concurrent vexing heat in the heart and chest and dry bound stool.

This formula is similar to huáng lián jiě dú tāng (Coptis Toxin-Resolving Decoction), but it has a stronger ability to downbear fire because it contains dà huáng.

(Visitors to our homepage may have also noticed that Huang Lian Jie Du Tang is on sale for 20% off throughout the month of February- Thanks for visiting our blog!)