Deficiency-Heat-Clearing Herbs
Hu Huang Lian (Figwortflower Picrorhiza Rhizome)
Naming
Hu Huang Lian (Rhizoma Picrorhizae)——Xin Xiu Ben Cao (Newly Revised Materia Medica)
The Processing of 胡黄连
Origin
The rhizome of Picrorhiza serophulariiflora Pennell of family Scrophulariacea.
Location
Mainly in Yunnan province and Tibet Autonomous Region of China.
Harvest
Collected in autumn.
The actual smell and taste
Light smell, extremely bitter taste.
Best quality
Large without rootlet, light weight, crisp, extremely bitter.
Processing
Sliced or smashed.
The Effect of 胡黄连
Property
Bitter, cold; liver, kidney, stomach and large intestine meridians entered.
Actions
Clear deficiency heat, relieve malnutrition fever, clear heat and resolve dampness.
Indications
A. Bone-steaming tidal fever, children malnutrition feverIt can clear deficiency heat, relieve malnutrition fever, and is indicated for fever due to yin deficiency, bone-steaming tidal fever and night sweat. It is often combined with yin-nourishing herbs, for example, Zhi Mu and Bie Jia in Qing Gu San from Zheng Zhi Zhun Sheng.
It also excels at relieving children's malnutrition fever. For treating children's dyspepsia, warm accumulation and stagnation in the intestine, abdomen distention. emaciation and lingering low-grade fever, it is combined with spleen-invigorating and food-stagnation-resolving herbs, such as Bai Zhu, Shan Zha, Shi Jun Zi and so on in Fei Er Wan recorded in Yi Zong Jin Jian.
B. Damp-heat dysentery
It can clear heat as well as dry dampness, especially excel at clearing damp-heat in stomach and intestine, so it is the good herb for treating dysentery due to damp-heat. It is often combined with heat-clearing, dampness-drying and dysentery-checking herbs for mutual reinforcement, for example, Huang Qin, Huang Lian, Bai Tou Weng and so on.In addition, with the combined actions of heat-clearing, fire-purging, toxicity-removing and swelling-relieving, it is also indicated for damp-fire accumulation in large intestine manifested as hemorrhoid with swelling pain, sores and abscess due to heat-toxicity and blood-shot eyes with swelling pain due to liver heat, and it should be combined with related heat-clearing and toxicity-removing herbs.
Dosage and Administrations
Decoct 3~10 g.
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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