Huang Qin - 黄芩 - Radix Scutellariae - Scute
| Pharmaceutical Latin: | Radix Scutellariae |
| Common English: | Baical Skullcap Root Scute Scutellaria |
Category
Herbs That Clean Heat and Purge Fire: Herbs that Clear Heat and Drain DampnessProperties
| Taste | Temperature | Entering Meridians | Dosage |
| Bitter (Astringent) | Cold | Lung Stomach Gallbladder Large Intestine (Heart) (Small Intestine) (Liver) | 3-18g Tincture: 2-4 ml 3-9g (Secondary source) |
Actions And Indications
| Actions | Indications/Syndromes |
Clears Heat and dries Dampness | Damp-Heat in the Stomach or Intestines with diarrhea or dysenteric disorder Damp-Warmth with fever, a stifling sensation in the chest and thirst with no desire to drink Damp-Heat in the Lower Jiao with painful urinary dysfunction Damp-Heat jaundice (auxiliary), infectious hepatitis |
Drains Fire and detoxifies | Heat and Fire especially in the Upper Jiao (Lung) with high fever, irritability, thirst, cough and expectoration of thick, yellow sputum Upper respiratory tract infection Hot sores and swellings (topical or internal) |
Cools the Blood and stops bleeding | Xue Stage Heat or Blood Heat causing bleeding with epistaxis, hemoptysis, hematemesis and hemafecia |
Clears Heat and calms the fetus | Fetal restlessness due to Heat |
Calms ascending Liver Yang | Liver Yang Rising with headache, irritability, red eyes, flushed face and bitter taste High Blood pressure Gallbladder Heat |
Contraindications, Incompatibilities And Herb/Drug Interactions
| CONTRAINDICATIONS |
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| INCOMPATIBILITIES |
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| HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS |
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Major Combinations
| Rz. Coptidis | Rz. Coptidis | Rz. Coptidis |
Drains pathogenic Heat from the Upper and Middle Jiaos for high fever, redness, swelling and pain of the head and face, a dry mouth, a 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. Nausea in pregnancy with Heat disturbing the fetus. | Intestinal Wind with hemafecia. | Damp-Heat dysentery with fever and tenesmus. |
| Talc | Fr. Gardeniae | Rx. Paeoniae Alba |
Damp-Heat with fever, chest fullness and a greasy tongue coat. | Damp-Heat with jaundice. | Damp-Heat jaundice. |
| Rz. Anemarrhenae | Caul Akebiae | Cx. Mori Alba |
Acute and chronic Lung Heat cough. | Lower Jiao Damp-Heat with painful, difficult urination. | Acute and chronic coughing due to Lung Heat. |
| Rz. Pinelliae Preparata | Rz. Coptidis | Rz. Coptidis |
Phlegm-Heat cough. | Acute febrile diseases. | General Heat toxins with External or internal sores and abscesses. |
| Cx. Mori Alba | Flos Lonicerae | Rx. Bupleuri |
| Lung Heat cough. | Boils, carbuncles and furuncles. | Heat in the Shao Yang with alternating chills and fever and nausea. |
| Rx. Angelicae Dahuricae | Rx. Paeoniae Alba | Rz. Imperatae |
| Suppurative skin infections. | Dry-fry or char for hematemesis and epistaxis. | Excess Internal Heat causing reckless Blood. |
| Rx. Sanguisorbae | Cx. Phellodendri | Rz. Atractylodis Macrocephalae |
Bloody stool due to Intestinal Wind. Abdominal pain associated with Intestinal abscess. | Hematemesis and epistaxis. For epistaxis, dry fry Huang Qin and Huang Bai. | Restless fetus due to Heat. |
| Spica Prunellae | Spica Prunellae | Fr. Gardeniae |
Dizziness and headache due to extreme rebellion of Liver Fire. | Scrofula due to accumulated obstruction of Liver Fire. | Powerfully clears and drains lurking Heat from the Lungs with fever, fullness in the chest, coughing with yellow sputum and epistaxis or hematemesis. Damp-Heat and jaundice. Sores due to Heat toxin. Irregular vaginal bleeding due to Liver Fire. |
| Rz. Atractylodis Macrocephalae | Rz. Dioscoreae | Rx. Paeoniae Alba |
Restless fetus due to Blood Heat. | Restless fetus due to Deficiency Heat. | Dysenteric disorders with abdominal pain due to Heat entering the Interior. Cools Heat and nourishes the Blood for calming the fetus which is disturbed by Heat. Liver Heat Attacking the Spleen and Stomach during pregnancy with nausea and vomiting. |
Fr. Toosendan | Rx. Astragali | Hb. Artemisiae Scopariae |
Infectious hepatitis without jaundice. | Scrofula. | Infectious hepatitis with jaundice. |
| Rx. Angelicae Dahuricae | Rx. Isatidis | Medulla Junci |
Made into a powder with Wine-fried Scutellaria Jiu Chao Huang Qin, and taken with green tea for pain in the eyebrow and eye socket due to Wind-Heat with Phlegm. | Sore throat with lingering Exterior symptoms. | Toothache or oral ulcers. |
Rx. et Rz. Rhei | Caul. Akebiae | Hb. Sinocrassulae |
Constipation. | Burning dysuria. | Damp-Heat dysuria with Qi Deficiency. |
Hb. Ephedrae | Fr. Trichosanthis | Gypsum Fibrosum |
Cough with wheezing or dyspnea. | Chest congestion with profuse yellow sputum. | Cough due to Heat. |
Sm. Sojae Preparatum | Gypsum Fibrosum | Rx. et Rz. Notopterygii |
Eye disorders with redness and pain. | Excess Heat with persistent high fever and irritability. | Cold-Dampness at the Exterior with Heat in the Interior. |
Rz. Coptidis | Rx. Notoginseng | Cx. Magnoliae Officinalis |
Lesions and sores with redness, swelling and pain. | Hematemesis and epistaxis. | Abdominal pain. |
| Fr. Schisandrae |
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Infertility. |
Notes
- It keeps the placenta and uterus healthy.
- When sautéed in sake, it carries energy upward.
- When sautéed in stool water, it carries the body's energy downward.
- Its effect resembles that of aspirin.
- It is reported to protect against scarlet fever.
- It is a key herb for calming Internal Wind and for treating the Gallbladder.
- By settling the uterus during pregnancy, it helps prevent miscarriage.
- Studies show that it inhibits cancer cell growth.
- It is said to have nine functions: 1. Clear Lung-Heat; 2. Cool Summerheat; 3. Clear Wind-Heat from the Upper Jiao and skin; 4. Clear every type of Heat; 5. Nourish Yin and subdue Yang after childbirth;
6. Invigorate the Qi of the chest; 7. Reduce Phlegm above the diaphragm; 8. Clear Upper Jiao Heat and Spleen Dampness; 9. Calm the fetus. - Huang Qin and Gypsum Fibrosum Shi Gao both cool Lung Heat and drain Fire from the Qi Level. Huang Qin clears Heat, dries Dampness, cools the Blood to stop bleeding, and calms a fetus disturbed by Heat. Shi Gao cools, releases and vents Heat from the muscle layer, clearing the Heat so that fluids can be restored. It drains Heat from the Qi Level and clears Dry-Heat from the Lungs and Stomach.
- Bland Scutellaria Dan Huang Qin is the standard form of the herb.
- Young Scutellaria Roots Zi Huang Qin enter the Large Intestine channel, draining Heat from the Large Intestine and Lower Jiao.
- Dried Scutellaria Ku Huang Qin enters the Lung channel, clearing and draining Lung Fire and releasing External Wind-Heat.
- Dry-fried Scutellaria Chao Huang Qin acts at the Blood Level, treating Lower Jiao Heat or disturbed fetal Qi.
- Wine-fried Scutellaria Jiu Chao Huang Qin clears and removes Damp-Heat from the Upper Jiao.
- Charred Scutellaria Huang Qin Tan, or Scorched Scutellaria Jiao Huang Qin, cools Heat and stops bleeding in hemorrhage caused by Blood Heat.
- Huang Qin acts comprehensively on the Liver and Gallbladder, including fat metabolism, and is a remedy for a variety of hypersensitivity or allergic reactions, food allergies among them.
- Dui Yao pair with Ban Xia: for nausea and vomiting from Shao Yang syndrome, Phlegm-Heat, and Pi syndrome with nausea, poor appetite and a sense of fullness in the Stomach from mixed Heat and Cold. Used together in Xiao Chai Hu Tang and Ban Xia Xie Xin Tang.
From Class
- Damp strategies: Cang Zhu; Che Qian Zi/Ze Xie; San Huang (Huang Lian, Huang Qin, Huang Bai); Gan Jiang: Scalloped greasy tongue: Cang Zhu; swollen moist: drain with plantago or alisma; red sticky: three yellows; cold: dried ginger. (Yuen)
- Huang Qin (Scutellaria): Important herb to cool the blood to prevent miscarriage; clears Heart heat that can cause early miscarriage. (Lewis)
- Tai Shan Pan Shi San (Stable as Mount Tai): The most common early-pregnancy formula; Bai Zhu stabilizes, Xu Duan knits the fetus and Huang Qin clears heart heat to prevent miscarriage. (Lewis)
- Long Dan Cao, Zhi Zi, Huang Qin (?) / Yin Chen Hao / milk thistle: Clear liver fire in statin users; Yin Chen Hao protects the liver from statin toxicity but can slow drug metabolism; milk thistle reduces liver toxicity.