Chai Hu Qing Gan Tang - 柴胡清肝汤 - Bupleurum Decoction To Clear The Liver - Bupleurum And Rehmannia Combination

English:	Bupleurum Decoction to Clear the Liver
Also Known As:	Bupleurum Liver Clearing Decoction Bupleurum and Rehmannia Combination

Herbs And Actions

Pharmaceutical Latin	Pin Yin	Dosage	Actions
Rx. Bupleuri	Chai Hu	2-9g	Resolves the Shao Yang, disperses Wind-Heat, reduces fever, spreads Liver Qi and relieves Stagnation. With Huang Qin, restores normal function of the Liver and Gallbladder, for Heat in the Shao Yang and Heat in the Womb with fever, chills and delirium.
Rx. Rehmanniae	Sheng Di Huang	1.5-9g	Clears Heat, Cools the Blood, Generates fluids, Nourishes Yin and Blood.
Rx. Angelicae Sinensis	Dang Gui	1.5-6g	Tonifies,invigorates and harmonizes the Blood, reduces swelling, expels pus, generates flesh and alleviates pain With Gan Cao, moderates spasms and relieves abdominal pain.
Rx. Paeoniae Rubra	Chi Shao Yao	1.5-4.5g	Activates Blood, Clears Heat, Clears Liver Fire, Cools the Blood, Dispels Blood Stasis, Eliminates pain.
Rz. Chuanxiong	Chuan Xiong	1.5-3g	Activates the Blood, regulates Qi, alleviates pain. and treats headaches With Chai Hu and Chi Shao Yao, for Liver Qi and Blood Stagnation generating headache and/or chest pain. With Dang Gui,harmonizes, nourishes and invigorates the Blood and disperses Blood Stasisfor Blood Deficiency causing menstrual problems including dysmenorrhea, scanty menses, and amenorrhea. With Chai Hu and Chi Shao, for Liver Qi and Blood Stagnation generating headache and/or chest pain. With Fang Feng and hie Geng, for headache due Wind-Cold Invasion.
Fr. Forsythiae	Lian Qiao	1.5-6g	Clears Heat in the Upper Jiao, relieves toxicity, dissipates nodules, expels Wind-Heat and clears Blood Heat. With Niu Bang Zi and Bo He, for Wei Stage Heat.
Fr. Arctii	Niu Bang Zi	1.5-4.5g	Benefits the throat, Clears Heat, Disperses Wind-Heat, Relieves toxicity, Vents rashes. With Bo He, for sores due to Wind-Heat, dry throat, cough with yellow sputum, incomplete expression of measles or pruritic rash With Jie Geng and Bo He, for throat inflammation and productive cough due to Wind-Heat. With Gan Cao, strongly clears throat and Lungs to treat Wind-Heat attacks the Lungs or Fire toxin flaring upwards. With Lian Qiao, unblocks and drains Heat toxin, disperses clumps and swellings for sore, swollen throat, swellings like mumps, boils and other Heat toxin lesions and ulcerations and abscesses of the tongue and mouth.
Rx. Scutellariae	Huang Qin	1.5-9g	Clears Lung Heat, drains Fire, dries Dampness, detoxifies and calms ascending Liver Yang. With Huang Lian, drains pathogenic Heat from the upper and middle Jiaos for high fever, redness, swelling and pain of the head and face, dry mouth, parched throat, ulcerations of the mouth and tongue, epistaxis, rashes and irritability in warm-febrile disease, toothache, explosive diarrhea and dysentery with burning pain in the anus or fitted, filthy stools and abdominal pain and nausea in pregnancy with Heat disturbing the fetus. With Huang Lian and Fang Feng, for Intestinal Wind with hemafecia. With Huang Lian and Zhi Zi, for acute febrile disease. With Zhi Zi, Powerfully clears and drains lurking Heat from the Lungs for fever, fullness in the chest, cough with yellow sputum and epistaxis or hematemesis, Damp-Heat and jaundice, sores due to Heat toxin and irregular vaginal bleeding due to Liver Fire. With Huang Lian, Huang Bai and Zhi Zi, for lesions and sores with redness, swelling and pain.
Fr. Gardeniae	Zhi Zi	1.5-4.5g	Activates Blood, Clears Heat, Cools Blood, Drains Damp-Heat, Reduces swelling.
Rx. Trichosanthis	Tian Hua Fen	1.5-3g	Drains Heat, Expels pus, Relieves toxicity, Transforms Phlegm.
Rx. Saposhnikoviae	Fang Feng	1.5-3g	Releases the exterior, expels Wind, Cold and Dampness and alleviates pain. (Bensky only) With Jing Jie, expels Wind and stops itching for Wind-Cold, Exterior patterns in any season, pruritic rash and initial-stage boils.
Hb. Menthae	Bo He	1.5-3g	Disperses Wind-Heat, clears the head and eyes, benefits the throat, vents rashes, and relieves Liver Qi Stagnation. (Not in Bensky) With Niu Bang Zi for sores, dry throat, cough with yellow sputum, incomplete expression of measles or pruritic rash due to Wind-Heat.
Rx. Platycodi	Jie Geng	1.5-3g	Expels Phlegm, expels pus, benefits the throat and directs the effects of other herbs to the upper body. (Not in Bensky) With Gan Cao, disseminates Lung Qi, expels Phlegm, resolves toxicity, and expels pus for productive cough with hoarseness, pain and swelling of the throat due to Wind-Heat, Lung abscess with expectoration of pus and pain in the chest and flanks and Excess disorders in the Upper Jiao with no disorder in the Lower Jiao. With Gan Cao and Huang Qin, for hoarseness, pain and swelling of the throat due to Wind-Heat.
Rz. Coptidis	Huang Lian	1.5-3g	Drains Fire, relieves toxicity and drains Dampness.)(Not in Bensky) With Huang Lian and Zhi Zi, for high fever, irritability, dry mouth and throat, and dark urine due to Fire toxin in the three burners. With Sheng Di Huang, for insomnia and delirium due to unremitting Heat injuring the Ying level. With Sheng Di Huang and Tian Hua Fen, for wasting and thirsting disorder due to Excess Heat and Stomach Fire with Excess hunger.
Cx. Phellodendri	Huang Bai	1.5-3g	Drains Damp-Heat and relieves toxicity. (Not in Bensky) With Chi Shao, for hot, bloody dysenteric disorders. With Zhi Zi, resolves constraint and directs Qi downward for clearing Heat and Fire from the Liver channel, eliminates pathogenic Dampness from the Liver and Gallbladder for Yang type jaundice with noticeable fever, markedly yellow-orange skin and eyes, thirst, and a red tongue with a yellow coat and treats Lower Jiao Damp-Heat leading to hot, painful urinary dysfunction.
Rx. Glycyrrhizae	Gan Cao	1.5-3g	Alleviates pain and moderates, Clears Heat, Harmonizes the properties of other herbs, Relieves Fire toxicity, Resolves Phlegm. With Jie Geng, for pain and swelling of the throat, especially in acute, mild cases.

Formula Actions

• Drains Fire
• Relieves toxicity
• Spreads the Liver Qi
• Strengthens the Spleen
• Disperses Wind-Heat
• Improves the physical condition

Syndromes

• Early-stage sores along the Shao Yang Channel on the head
• Clumping of Fire toxin
• Heat in the Liver and Gallbladder Channels

Clinical Manifestations

Fever Chills Severe headache Flushed cheeks Bad breath Tinnitus Hearing loss Irritability Insomnia Coughing up viscous, thick sputum

Dark urine Swollen lymph nodes Abdominal tension and itching Darkened skin Epistaxis Itching Formation of cellulitis T: Red C: Normal or Yellow P: Wiry and rapid

Treats

Lymphadenitis Chronic tonsillitis Skin diseases Swollen lymph nodes Abdominal itch Chronic uteritis Infectious viral hepatitis Eczema Acne Hysteria Abdominal tension Deafness Loss of voice

Measles Pleurisy Adenoids Systemic lupus erythematosus Dysmenorrhea Epistaxis Chronic laryngitis Fever Cellulitis Tinnitus Hoarseness Bad breath Cancer of the ear

Contraindications And Herb/Drug Interactions

Notes

Modifications

For Wind-Heat symptoms:		For dispersing Stagnation and nourishing the Heart:
+ Rz. et Rx. Notopterygii	Qiang Huo
+ Hb. Schizonepetae	Jing Jie	+ 12g Bul. Lilii	Bai He
For soothing the Liver:		+ 9g Rx. Salviae Miltiorrhizae	Dan Shen
+9g Flos Magnoliae Officinalis	Hou Po
For descending Qi:
+ 6g Flos Rosae Rugosae	Mei Gui Hua	+ 9g Fr. Toosendan	Chuan Lian Zi
For stagnant Lung Qi with Phlegm in the chest:
+ 9g Fr. Tribuli	Bai Ji Li	+ 6g Fr. Perillae	Zi Su Zi
Or		+ 12g Per. Trichosanthis	Gua Lou Pi
+9g Flos Magnoliae Officinalis	Hou Po	For Heart Deficiency with insomnia and much dreaming:
+ 6g Flos Rosae Rugosae	Mei Gui Hua	+ 2 or 3 of the following:
6g Rx. Polygalae	Yuan Zhi
+ 9g Flos Albizziae	He Huan Hua	12g Poria Pararadicis	Fu Shen
For laryngitis and hysteria due to Liver Qi Stagnation with Heat:		6g Rz. Acori Tatarinowii	Shi Chang Pu
18g Dens Draconis	Long Chi
- Rx. Rehmanniae	Sheng Di Huang	12g Fr. Zizyphi Spinosae	Suan Zao Ren
- Rx. Angelicae Sinensis	Dang Gui	For cancer of the ear:
- Rx. Paeoniae Rubra	Chi Shao	- Rx. Paeoniae Rubra	Chi Shao
- Fr. Arctii	Niu Bang Zi	- Hb. Menthae	Bo He
- Rx. Trichosanthis	Tian Hua Fen	- Rx. Platycodi	Jie Geng
- Rx. Saposhnikoviae	Fang Feng	- Rz. Coptidis	Huang Lian
- Hb. Menthae	Bo He	- Cx. Phellodendri	Huang Bai
- Rz. Coptidis	Huang Lian	+ Rx. Paeoniae Alba	Bai Shao
- Cx. Phellodendri	Huang Bai
+ Rx. Ginseng	Ren Shen
+ Sm. Oroxyli	Mu Hu Die