Traditional Chinese Medicine Healing Herbs(TCMHH)

Diaphoretic Prescriptions Composed of Drugs Pungent in Flavor and Cold in Nature

Yinqiao San

Powder of Lonicera and Forsythia 银翘散 銀翹散
By the TCMHH editorial team Not medically reviewed How we work Updated 6 Oct 2026
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Name

Powder of Lonicera and Forsythia

The Prescription of Yinqiao San

Source

The book Wen Bing Tiao Bian

Ingredients

Lian Qiao (Fructus Forsythiae) 9 g,Yin Hua (Flos Lonicerae) 9 g,Jie Geng (Radix Platycodi) 6 g,Bo He (Herba Menthae) 6 g,Zhu Ye (Herba Lophatheri) 4 g,Gan Cao (Radix Glycyrrhizae) 5 g,Jing Jie (Spica Schizonepetae) 5 g,Dan Dou Chi (Semen Sojae Preparatum) 5 g,Niu Bang Zi (Fructus Arctii) 9 g,Wei Gen (Rhizoma Phragmitis) 18 g.

Explanation

Yin Hua: The principal drug, being sweet in flavor and cold in nature, mildly promoting the dispersing function of the lung, clearing away heat and toxic material.

Lian Qiao: The other principal drug, being bitter in flavor and slightly cold in nature, mildly relieving the exterior syndrome, clearing away heat and toxic material.

Jing Jie Sui and Dou Chi: Being pungent in flavor and warm in nature, aiding Yin Hua and Lian Qiao in driving out exterior pathogens by means of relaxing the muscles and skin.

Niu Bang Zi and Jie Geng: Facilitating the flow of the lung-Qi to do good to the throat.

Gan Cao: Clearing away heat and toxic material.

Zhu Ye: Removing the heat in the upper-Jiao.

Wei Gen: Clearing away heat, promoting the production of body fluids.

The Effect of Yinqiao San

Effect

Dispelling pathogenic factors in the superficies, clearing away heat and toxic material.

Indications

Exterior syndrome of wind-heat type in the initial stage of febrile disease, marked by fever, slightly aversion to wind-cold, thirst, reddened tongue with whitish thin coating and floating rapid pulse; including such diseases with the above symptoms as measles, influenza, acute suppurative tonsillitis, encephalitis B, parotitis, etc.

Administrations

Decocted in water for oral dose to be taken twice (made into powder originally).

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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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