Classic formula · Clear heat
Huang Lian Jie Du Tang
黄连解毒汤 Coptis Decoction to Relieve Toxicity
Four of the most bitter, cold herbs in the pharmacy, one for each level of the body. For fire everywhere: high fever, a red face, a bitter dry mouth, insomnia and agitation, hot sores and boils, bleeding from heat, and burning dysentery. A short, sharp course while the fire is put out.
Three yellow roots and one red fruit. Scutellaria takes the upper body, coptis the middle, phellodendron the lower, and gardenia drains all three. It is a fire crew that covers every floor at once.
Also sold as: Huang Lian Jie Du Wan · Coptis Detox Formula · Three Yellows and Gardenia
Who Huang Lian Jie Du Tang is for
This formula is chosen for 4 patterns. Match your own picture before you match the name.
Signs it is classically given for
- High fever with irritability and a dry mouth
- Insomnia and agitation from heat
- Red eyes, red face, a bitter taste
- Nosebleeds, vomiting blood, or bleeding gums from heat
- Boils, carbuncles, hot red skin eruptions
- Dysentery with burning and blood
- Jaundice with heat
- Mouth ulcers that are red and hot
- Tongue
- Red with a yellow coat.
- Pulse
- Rapid and forceful.
What is in Huang Lian Jie Du Tang
Amounts are the classic decoction range in grams. Patent pills use the same herbs in the same proportion, so read the box for these names.
| Herb | Amount | Role | Job in the formula |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huang Lian Rhizome of Chinese Goldthread Use caution | 9 g | Chief | Coptis drains fire from the Heart and Stomach. |
| Huang Qin Baical Skullcap Root Use caution | 6 g | Deputy | Scutellaria drains fire from the Lung and upper body. |
| Huang Bai Phellodendron Bark | 6 g | Deputy | Phellodendron drains fire from the lower body. |
| Zhi Zi Gardenia Fruit | 9 g | Assistant | Gardenia drains heat from all three burners out through the urine. |
How Huang Lian Jie Du Tang works
Each herb targets a different level of the body, and together they leave no floor for the fire to hide on. Gardenia then opens the drain so the heat has somewhere to go. There is no tonic and no moistener in the formula, which is why it works fast and must be stopped fast.
Actions in classic terms
- Drains fire and relieves toxicity
- Clears heat from all three burners
Common changes to Huang Lian Jie Du Tang
A practitioner rarely gives the bare formula. These are the classic additions for a specific picture.
- Constipation with the fire add Da Huang Rhubarb drains the heat through the bowel.
- Bleeding add Sheng Di Huang, Mu Dan Pi Cooling herbs that stop bleeding.
- Boils and skin toxin add Jin Yin Hua, Lian Qiao Honeysuckle and forsythia for toxic heat.
Cautions with Huang Lian Jie Du Tang
- Very cold and very bitter. Take it for days, not weeks. Long use damages the Spleen and dries the yin.
- Not for empty heat, the quiet kind with night sweats and a peeled tongue. That is a yin problem and this formula makes it worse.
- Not for anyone with loose stools, a cold constitution, or a weak appetite.
- Stop as soon as the fever, agitation, or sores settle.
- Pregnancy: use only under a qualified practitioner.
Forms and typical dose
Sold as teapills, granules, decoction.
- Teapills
- 8 pills, three times a day, the usual label dose
- Decoction
- One bag a day in two doses, with the amounts above
- Course
- Three to seven days.
Follow the label of the brand you buy. Pill sizes differ between makers.
Buying Huang Lian Jie Du Tang
The box reads Huang Lian Jie Du Tang or Wan with the characters 黄连解毒. Four ingredients: Coptis, Scutellaria, Phellodendron, and Gardenia.
Brand comparisons for formulas live on Supplements Apothecary, the buying side of this library.
Formulas often confused with Huang Lian Jie Du Tang
- Qing Wei San 清胃散 Coptis aimed at the gums and Stomach only, with cooling blood herbs. Gentler and more specific.
- Long Dan Xie Gan Tang 龙胆泻肝汤 Drains Liver and Gallbladder fire and damp heat: red eyes, rage, a bitter mouth, burning urine, genital itch.
- Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan 知柏地黄丸 For the empty, quiet heat of yin deficiency. The opposite tool.
Conditions where Huang Lian Jie Du Tang comes up
Sources
- Bensky, Scheid, Ellis and Barolet, Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas and Strategies, 2nd edition Composition, actions, indications, and cautions.
Important Note
Formula pages describe classic use so you can read a label, ask a better question, and find the right monographs. They are education, not a prescription. A formula that fits the wrong pattern can make things worse, so match the picture first.