xie huang san

Darin the Yellow Powder

About xie huang san

Xie Huang San, Drain the Yellow Powder, is Shi Gao, Zhi Zi, Fang Feng, Huo Xiang Ye and Gan Cao. The catalogue classes it among the formulas that clear Heat from the organs, and records it as venting a Fire hidden in Spleen and Stomach.

Ingredients

Herb	Amount
shi gao	15 g
zhi zi	3 g
fang feng	120 g
huo xiang ye	21 g
gan cao	90 g

Actions and indications

Clears and vents hidden Fire in the Spleen and Stomach

Latent Fire lodged in the Spleen and Stomach, milder and more recurrent than blazing Stomach Fire, in children and adults
Mouth and tongue ulcers with a hot feeling in the mouth and bad breath
Dry or cracked lips and dry mouth, with thirst
Constant hunger or fast digestion, with a liking for cold
Nosebleed; irritability
In children: fretfulness and repeated thrusting out of the tongue
Tongue red with a normal or yellow coat; pulse rapid

Modern uses

Aphthous ulcers, including recurrent aphthous stomatitis
Ulcerating stomatitis
Oral thrush
Gum inflammation
Cheilitis
Lip pain
Tongue pain
Halitosis
Acute gastritis with halitosis
Behcet's disease
Stye (hordeolum)
Atopic dermatitis
Eczema
Rosacea
Epistaxis
Fever
Epstein-Barr virus syndrome
Myalgic encephalomyelitis

Symptoms

Bad breath
Dry lips
Dry mouth
Epistaxis
Excessive hunger
Involuntary movements
Irritability
Mouth ulcers
Preference for cold drinks
Thirst
Tongue thrusting

Modifications

Severe Heat: + huang lian
Irritability and restlessness: + deng xin cao
Painful mouth ulcers: + deng xin cao, + chi fu ling
Painful mouth ulcers (combined with Dao Chi San): + huang lian, + deng xin cao
Bad breath with mouth ulcers: + huang lian, + sheng ma
Irritability and thirst: + zhi mu, + jie geng
Warm feeling in the body and limbs: + yin chen, + huang qin
Dysuria and dark urine: + hua shi
Mouth ulcers with foul breath and a sticky tongue coat: + che qian zi
Stomatitis (combined with modified Liu Yi San): + fu ling, + cang zhu, + zhi ban xia, + yi yi ren, + huang qin, + chen pi
Stomatitis, constipated: + da huang
Stomatitis, poor appetite: + shan zha, + shen qu

Show all 23 modifications

Fever in children: + qing hao, + xing ren
Extensive, very painful stomatitis: + huang lian, + zhu ye (dan)
Thrush: + deng xin cao, + tu fu ling
Rosacea: + sheng di huang, + dang gui
Eczema: + chai hu, + pei lan, + fu ling, + huang qin, + ku shen, − chao fang feng
Atopic dermatitis: + sheng di huang, + yin chen hao, + jing jie, + huang qin, + chi fu ling, + chan tui, + deng xin cao, + dan zhu ye, + bai mao gen
Stye from Toxic Heat (combined with Qing Wei San)
Stye from Toxic Heat, alternative additions: + huang bai, + fu ling pi, + huang qin, + shan yao
Stye from Toxic Heat, second alternative: + cang zhu, + yi yi ren, + huang lian, + tong cao, + ze xie, + lian qiao, + che qian zi, + shan yao, + bai xian pi, + jin yin hua, + huang qin, + sang zhi, − shi gao, − chao fang feng, − gan cao
Thirst that persists, or damaged fluids: + shi hu
Skin or mouth eruptions: + jin yin hua, + lian qiao

Cautions

contraindication Stomach Yin deficiency
contraindication Deficiency-Cold of the Spleen and Stomach: its cold herbs would further injure Spleen Yang and digestion
contraindication Tongue thrusting from an inborn Qi deficiency or other constitutional cause without Heat signs
caution Mouth sores from Yin-deficiency Fire of the Kidneys, or from Heart Fire passing to the Small Intestine, need a different formula
caution Use briefly while mouth sores are active rather than as an ongoing daily remedy; its unusually high share of Fang Feng is particular to this formula and is not a guide for using that herb elsewhere
pregnancy Only under professional guidance during pregnancy, as two of its herbs, Shi Gao and Zhi Zi, are very cold

Preparation

Powder; a small portion is simmered or steeped in water and taken warm; now often made as a standard decoction with smaller amounts, and used as a short course during a flare

Names

Pinyin	xie huang san
English Name	Darin the Yellow Powder

Classification

Category: Clear Heat from Organs