Traditional Chinese Medicine Healing Herbs(TCMHH)

Prescriptions for Clearing away Heat to Eliminate Heat-phlegm

Gun Tan Wan (滚痰丸)

Guntan Wan 礞石滚痰丸 滾痰丸 礞石滾痰丸
By the TCMHH editorial team Not medically reviewed How we work Updated 6 Oct 2026
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Name

Pill for Eliminating Stubborn Phlegm

The Prescription of 滚痰丸

Source

The book Dan Xi Xin Fa Fu Yu

Ingredients

Da Huang (Radix et Rhizoma Rhei steamed with liquor) 240 g,Huang Qin (Radix Scutellariae cleaned with Liquor) 240 g,Duan Meng Shi (Lapis Micae Aureus Usta) 30 g,Chen Xiang (Lignum Aqailariae Resinatum) 15 g.

Explanation

Duan Meng Shi: Sending down the flow of Qi to arrest asthma, eliminating phlegm to alleviate palpitation.

Da Huang: Relaxing the bowels and purging fire.

Huang Qin: Clearing away heat in the upper-Jiao.

Chen Xiang: Regulating the activity of Qi

The Effect of 滚痰丸

Effect

Purging fire and eliminating phlegm.

Indications

Syndrome due to heat of excess type and stubborn phlegm, marked by manic-depressive psychosis, palpitation due to fright, irritability, or severe palpitation leading to coma, or cough and dyspnea with thick sputum, or fullness in the chest and epigastric region, dizziness, tinnitus, constipation, reddened tongue with yellow thick greasy coating, and slippery rapid forceful pulse; including such diseases with the above symptoms as manic-depressive psychosis, epilepsia, chronic bronchitis, bronchial asthma, etc..

Administrations

All the drugs are ground into fine powder and made with water into pills. 6-9 g of the pills is taken with warm boiled water each time, twice daily.

With drastic drug potency, this prescription is suitable for mere stubborn phlegm due to excess heat and strong constitution. It should be cautiously used when patients with weak constitution or pregnant women are treated.

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Sources and further reading

We cite classical materia medica and modern reference works. This article is health education, not medical advice.

  • Shennong Bencao Jing (The Divine Farmer's Materia Medica), Han dynasty.
  • Bencao Gangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica), Li Shizhen, 1578.
  • Chinese Pharmacopoeia, current edition — identity, quality and safety monographs.
  • NCCIH and WHO reference material on traditional medicine safety.

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