龙胆泻肝汤

Name

Decoction of Gentiana for Purging Liver-fire

The Prescription of 龙胆泻肝汤

Source

The book Yi Fang Ji Jie

Ingredients

• Long Dan Cao (Radix Gentianae) stir-fried with liquor 6 g,
• Huang Qin (Radix Scutellariae) parched 6 g,
• Zhi Zi (Fructus Gardeniae) stir-fried with liquor 9 g,
• Ze Xie (Rhizoma Alismatis) 12 g,
• Mu Tong (Caulis Aristolochiae Manshuriensis) 9 g,
• Che Qian Zi (Semen Plantaginis) 9 g,
• Dang Gui (Radix Angelicae Sinensis) washed with liquor 3 g,
• Sheng Di (Radix Rehmanniae) stir-fried with liquor 9 g,
• Chai Hu (Radix Bupleuri) 6 g,
• Gan Cao (Radix Glycyrrhizae) 6 g.

Explanation

Long Dan Cao: The principal drug, being bitter in taste and cold in nature, purging excess fire in the inner and gallbladder, removing damp-heat from the lower-Jiao.

Huang Qin and Zhi Zi: Being bitter in flavor and cold in nature, purging pathogenic fire.

Ze Xie, Mu Tong and Che Qian Zi: Removing heat and promoting diuresis, discharging damp-heat by way of the urinary tract.

Sheng Di and Dang Gui: Nourishing Yin and blood. Heat in the liver Channel tends to impair Yin-blood. If drugs being bitter in flavor and cold in nature and capable of drying dampness are used, the Yin will be further exhausted. That's why Sheng Di and Dang Gui are used.

Chai Hu: Soothing the liver and gallbladder to promote the circulation of Qi.

Gan Cao: Regulating the middle-Jiao and tempering the actions of all the other ingredients.

The Effect of 龙胆泻肝汤

Effect

Purging excessive pathogenic fire in the liver and gallbladder, clearing away damp-heat in the lower-Jiao.

Indications

Syndrome due to excessive pathogenic fire in the liver and gallbladder or downward flow of damp-heat in the liver Channel to the lower-Jiao, marked by headache, reddened eyes, pain in the hypochondriac region, bitter taste in the mouth, deafness, swelling of ears, or swelling of vulva, pruritus vulvae, turbid and dripping urine, and leukorrhea of damp-heat type; including srich diseases with the above symptoms as acute conjunctivitis, otitis media acuta, hypertension, acute icterohepatitis, acute cholecystitis, herpes zoster, acute pyelonephritis, oystitis, urethritis, acute pelvitis of pelvic cavity, and acute prostatitis.

Administrations

Decocted in water for oral dose to be taken twice.

Contraindication

Patents whose spleen and stomach are in the deficient and cold state should not be treated with this prescription, for most of the drugs in the prescription are bitter in flavor and cold in nature.