da huang gan cao tang

Rhubarb and Licorice Decoction

About da huang gan cao tang

Da Huang Gan Cao Tang, Rhubarb and Licorice Decoction, is a formula of two herbs, Da Huang and Gan Cao, classed among the formulas that drain downward.

It is recorded for Heat gathered in the Intestines together with Fire in the Stomach, where the bowels have stopped moving and the face is flushed and the eyes red, the tongue red and prickled beneath a yellow coat, the pulse forceful. Against this the formula opens the bowels and purges. A second entry records it bringing the Stomach back into accord and stopping the vomiting that comes with a bitter mouth.

Ingredients

HerbAmount
da huang12 g
gan cao3 g

Actions and indications

Unblocks the bowels and purges

  • Heat in the Intestines together with Stomach Fire
  • Constipation
  • Flushed face and red eyes
  • Tongue red with prickles and a yellow coat; pulse forceful and excess

Harmonizes the Stomach and stops vomiting

  • Vomiting, and a bitter mouth

Modern uses

  • Constipation
  • Gastritis
  • Gastric distension
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Vomiting in pregnancy
  • Red eyes
  • Epilepsy in children

Symptoms

Names

Pinyinda huang gan cao tang
English NameRhubarb and Licorice Decoction

Classification