Liu Yi San, Six to One Powder, pairs Hua Shi with Gan Cao in the proportion its name gives. The catalogue classes it among the formulas that relieve Summerheat, and records it as clearing Summerheat, resolving Damp through urination and tonifying Qi.

Herb

Amount

hua shi

—

gan cao

—

Actions and indications

Clears Summerheat

Summerheat with Damp, especially in hot weather
Fever, sweating, thirst, irritability and fidgeting
Tongue normal or red with a thin, greasy yellow coat; pulse soggy and rapid, or forceful and rapid

Resolves Damp by promoting urination

Heavy body and limbs; nausea, vomiting, and summer diarrhoea or loose watery stools
Damp-Heat pouring down into the Bladder: scanty, dark or reddish urine
Lin syndrome: difficult, painful urination, including pain from urinary stones
Damp-Heat skin conditions with papules and sores

Tonifies Qi

Modern uses

Upper respiratory tract infection
Urinary tract infection
Urolithiasis
Prickly heat
Cystitis
Diarrhea
Allergy
Infantile diarrhea
Oliguria
Furuncles
Eczema
Summer fevers
Urethritis
Acute gastroenteritis
Sunstroke
Stomach flu
Pertussis
Nephrolithiasis
Organophosphorus pesticide poisoning
Kidney failure
Heat-related fatigue with thirst in hot weather
Summer diarrhea

Modifications

Dry Summerheat: + shi gao, − hua shi

Intense Summerheat: + xi gua shuang, + dan zhu ye

Great thirst and a red tongue: + mai men dong, + sha shen, + shi hu, + zhi mu

Qi and fluids injured: + xi yang shen

Painful urination with stones: + jin qian cao, + ji nei jin, + hai jin sha

Painful urination with blood: + bai mao gen, + xiao ji

Cystitis or urethritis: + huang bai

Cystitis or urethritis, alternative: + ce bai ye, + xiao ji

Bloodshot eyes, sore throat and cold sores: + qing dai

Lin syndrome: + mo han lian, + fu ling, + ze xie

Lin syndrome, alternative: + bai mao gen, + da ji, + xiao ji, + ce bai ye

Scanty dark urine: + chi fu ling

Show all 32 modifications

Summer fever: + si gua luo, + xi gua cui yi
Chills and fever: + bo he
Summerheat with irritability, agitation or poor sleep: + zhu sha, + deng xin cao
Summerheat with irritability, alternative: + si gua luo, + xi gua cui yi, + zhu ye (dan)
To promote both urination and sweating: + cong bai, + dan dou chi
Summer dysentery with pus and blood after cold food or drink: + zhi zi tan, + gan jiang
Kidney or urinary stones: + xi shuai
Alternative listed after the stones entry: + shan zha, + gan jiang
Urinary stones that are large: + xi shuai, + hai jin sha, + jin qian cao
Urinary stones with burning, painful urination: + xi shuai, + che qian zi, + shi wei
Bloody urine from stones: + xi shuai, + bai mao gen, + qu mai, + bian xu
Urinary stones with colic: + hu po
Infants' diarrhoea from infection: + sha ren, + huang lian
Infants' diarrhoea in Spleen deficiency: + bai zhu, + ren shen
Whooping cough in heavier people: + dang shen, + bai zhu, + fu ling
Whooping cough in thin people: + dang gui, + bai shao, + shu di huang, + chuan xiong
An exterior condition at the same time: chills, dislike of wind, a distending headache and cough: + bo he
Stomatitis with bad breath and a sticky coat: + che qian zi
Eczema (combined with Xie Huang San)
Eczema, alternatively combined with Liang Xue Chu Shi Tang

Cautions

contraindication Summerheat without Damp

contraindication Frequent, copious urination

caution Use carefully in weak or elderly patients, in Yin deficiency, in Spleen Qi deficiency, with spermatorrhoea, or where Heat has already damaged the fluids

caution A cold, draining formula for short courses in a genuine Summerheat-Damp pattern; used too long, or without Damp and Heat present, it can harm Spleen Qi and dry up fluids

caution Avoid prolonged or repeated courses: long-term oral talc from herbal medicines has been linked with a higher rate of stomach cancer in one large population study. Use pharmaceutical-grade Hua Shi free of asbestos

caution Gan Cao taken in large amounts or over long periods can cause fluid retention, high blood pressure and low potassium

pregnancy Avoid in pregnancy: Hua Shi drains strongly downward

Pinyin

liu yi san

English Name

Six to One Powder

liu yi san

About liu yi san

Ingredients

Actions and indications

Clears Summerheat

Resolves Damp by promoting urination

Tonifies Qi

Modern uses

Symptoms

Modifications

Cautions

Preparation

Names

Classification