Aidus & E-Fong Herbal Solution
Herbal Formula for Clearing Visceral Heat
                           
                                         

        5.4  Herbal Formula  for Clearing Visceral Heat

Herbal formulae clearing visceral heat are suitable to syndromes of fire or heat due to partial exuberant heat evil in a
certain viscus. There are various causes for the visceral heat syndromes, such as internal injury of the seven emotions,
excessiveness of the five emotions, overeating of rich food, exogenous evils entering the interior, etc. Heat pertains to
yang evil, so the clinical symptoms are manifested mainly by the hyperactivity of visceral functions, such as fever,
aversion to heat, thirst with desire for cool drinking, vexation, yellow urine, red tongue, and rapid pulse, etc. But
because of the different functions of viscera, the clinical manifestations are different. For examples, flaming up of the
heart fire is manifested by irritable feverish sensation of chest, oral ulceration, flushed face and so on; exuberance of the
liver and gallbladder fire is manifested by irritability easy to be angry, distending pain of hypochondria, oral bitter taste,
conjunctival congestion, headache with tinnitus, and so on; failure of the lung in dispersing and descending due to
exuberant heat in the Lung Meridian is marked by asthma and cough; exuberance of the stomach-fire is manifested by
swollen cheek, ulcerative gums, toothache; damp-heat of the large intestine is manifested by diarrhea with abdominal
pain, or dysentery; dampness heat of the gallbladder is marked by scanty dark urine, frequent or difficulty and pain in
urination. Generally, there are no excessive fire of the spleen and kidney. Clearing away heat and purging fire are the
main therapies. However, herbs should be chosen respectively according to the different visceral functions. For
instances, the exuberant heat of the Heart Meridian should be treated mainly with Huang Lian (coptis root), Di Huang
(rehmannia root), Zhi Zi (capejasmine fruit) and Lian Zi Xin (lotus seed) to clear away the heart fire; excessive fire of the
liver and gallbladder be treated mainly with Long Dan (gentian root), Xia Ku Cao (prunella spike) and Qin Dai (natural
indigo) to clear away the liver-fire;exuberant heat of the lung be treated chiefly with Shi Gao (gypsum), Huang Qin
(scutellaria root), Sang Bai Pi (mul berry bark) and Zhi Mu (anemarrhena rhizome) to clear away the lung-heat;
exuberant fire of the stomach be treated chiefly with Shi Gao (gypsum) and Huang Lian (coptis root) to clear away the
stomach-fire; the large intestinal heat be mainly with Huang Lian (coptis root), Huang Qin (scutellaria root),Huang Bo
(phellodendron bark) and Bai Tou Wen (pulsatilla root) to clear intestine and to dry dampness; damp-heat of the
gallbladder be treated mainly with Hua Shi (talc), Dan Zhu Ye (bamboo leaf)  and Mu Tong (akebia stem-replaced by
tong Cao) to clear away heat and to facilitate diurisis.
If the exuberant heat injures yin, it can be used with Di Huang (rehmannia root), Mai Dong (ophiopogon root) and Xuan
Shen (scrophularia root) to clear away heat and to nourish yin; for constipation due to exuberant heat, it can be used
with Da Huang (rhubarb) and Man Xiao (mirabilite); for exuberant heat with qi stagnation, it can be used with Dang Gui
(Chinese angelica root), Bai Shao (white peony root), Mu Xiang (aucklandia root) and Bin Lan (areca seed) to activate
qi and to harmonize blood. The representative formulae are Dao Chi San (fire-inducing powder); Long Dan Xie Gan
Tang (gentian liver-purging decoction),Qing Wei San (stomach clearing powder),Xie Huang Tang (blue purging
polls),Xie Bai San (white purging powder),Yu Nu Qian (fairy decoction), Shao Yao Tang (peone decoction) and Bai
Tou Wen Tang (pulastilla decoction),etc.