Natural Herb Library

Classic formula · Clear heat

Long Dan Xie Gan Tang

龙胆泻肝汤 Gentian Decoction to Drain the Liver

The formula for Liver fire and damp heat in the lower body. Fire going up: a splitting headache, red eyes, a bitter mouth, rage, ringing ears. Damp heat going down: burning urination, genital itch or swelling, yellow discharge, a rash in the groin. Bitter, cold, and fast, for a short course only.

The Liver channel runs from the groin to the eyes. When it fills with fire and damp, both ends burn. Gentian is the bitterest herb in the pharmacy and it drains the whole channel at once.

10 herbs Source: Yi Fang Ji Jie (Medical Formulas Collected and Analyzed), Qing dynasty, 1682 Updated 2026-10-12 View API data

Also sold as: Long Dan Xie Gan Wan · Gentiana Combination · Snake and Dragon Formula

Who Long Dan Xie Gan Tang is for

This formula is chosen for 3 patterns. Match your own picture before you match the name.

Primary pattern Liver Fire Splitting headache, often one-sided or at the top of the head, Red, sore, or swollen eyes, Rage, outbursts, a feeling of pressure in the chest, Bitter taste, dry mouth, thirst Primary pattern Damp Heat in the Lower Burner Burning, urgent, frequent urination, Yellow, thick, smelly vaginal discharge, Genital itch, rash, or swelling, Diarrhea or dysentery that burns, with mucus Primary pattern Liver and Gallbladder Damp Heat Pain or fullness under the ribs, often the right side, Bitter, sticky mouth; nausea; no appetite, Yellow eyes or skin, Genital itch, swelling, discharge, or herpes outbreaks

Signs it is classically given for

  • Splitting headache, red sore eyes
  • Bitter taste, dry mouth, irritability tipping into rage
  • Pain under the ribs
  • Sudden ringing ears or hearing loss, ear infection
  • Burning, urgent urination
  • Genital itch, swelling, herpes outbreaks, or a hot groin rash
  • Yellow, smelly vaginal discharge
  • Jaundice with heat
  • Shingles along the ribs
Tongue
Red with a yellow greasy coat.
Pulse
Wiry, rapid, and forceful.

What is in Long Dan Xie Gan 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.

HerbAmountRoleJob in the formula
Long Dan Cao Root of Przewalsk Gentian Use caution 6 g Chief Gentian drains Liver fire and lower-body damp heat.
Huang Qin Baical Skullcap Root Use caution 9 g Deputy Scutellaria clears heat from the upper body.
Zhi Zi Gardenia Fruit 9 g Deputy Gardenia clears heat and drains it through the urine.
Ze Xie Rhizome of Oriental Waterplantain 12 g Assistant Water plantain drains damp heat downward.
Mu Tong Akebia, Clematis Stem High caution 6 g Assistant Clematis stem opens the water passages. See the caution on which mu tong.
Che Qian Zi Asiatic Plantain Seed Use caution 9 g Assistant Plantain seed drains damp through the urine.
Sheng Di Huang Fresh Rehmannia Root 9 g Assistant Raw rehmannia protects the yin from the bitter cold herbs.
Dang Gui Root of Chinese Angelica Use caution 3 g Assistant Angelica protects the blood.
Chai Hu Chinese Thorowax Root Use caution 6 g Envoy Bupleurum carries the formula into the Liver channel.
Gan Cao Raw Licorice Root Use caution 6 g Envoy Licorice harmonizes and softens the bitterness.

How Long Dan Xie Gan Tang works

Gentian, scutellaria, and gardenia put out the fire. Three drainers send the damp heat out through the urine. Rehmannia and angelica are there so the bitter cold herbs do not strip the blood and yin on the way through. Bupleurum aims the whole thing at the Liver channel.

Actions in classic terms

  • Drains Liver and Gallbladder fire
  • Clears damp heat from the lower burner

Common changes to Long Dan Xie Gan 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.
  • Genital herpes outbreaks add Ban Lan Gen, Tu Fu Ling Antiviral and damp-clearing herbs.

Cautions with Long Dan Xie Gan Tang

  • Very bitter and cold. Days to two weeks, then stop. Long use damages the Spleen and dries the yin.
  • Mu tong: insist on a brand that uses Chuan Mu Tong (clematis) or Tong Cao. The old substitute Guan Mu Tong is aristolochia, which damages the kidneys and is banned. Reputable brands state which they use.
  • Not for a weak Spleen, loose stools, or a cold picture.
  • Not for empty heat with a peeled tongue.
  • Not for use in pregnancy.

Forms and typical dose

Sold as teapills, granules, decoction.

Teapills
8 pills, three times a day, the usual label dose
Course
Three to ten days.

Follow the label of the brand you buy. Pill sizes differ between makers.

Buying Long Dan Xie Gan Tang

The box reads Long Dan Xie Gan Wan or Tang with the characters 龙胆泻肝. Ten ingredients led by Gentian. The label must state Chuan Mu Tong or Tong Cao, never Guan Mu Tong (aristolochia).

Brand comparisons for formulas live on Supplements Apothecary, the buying side of this library.

Brand choice matters here more than for most formulas because of the mu tong substitution.

Formulas often confused with Long Dan Xie Gan Tang

  • Jia Wei Xiao Yao San 加味逍遥散 For Liver heat with stress, not full fire. Gentler and longer.
  • Huang Lian Jie Du Tang 黄连解毒汤 Fire in every organ rather than the Liver channel in particular.
  • Ba Zheng San 八正散 Damp heat in the bladder alone: burning urination without the Liver fire above.

Conditions where Long Dan Xie Gan Tang comes up

Headache Conjunctivitis Hypochondriac Pain Urinary Tract Infection Leukorrhea Jaundice Tinnitus Hypertension Cholecystitis

Sources

  • Bensky, Scheid, Ellis and Barolet, Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas and Strategies, 2nd edition Composition, actions, indications, cautions, and the mu tong note.

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.