Author: Liao Chuxin, Chief Pharmacist, Pharmacy Department, Zhongshan People’s Hospital
Editor: Fu Yongjin, Chief Pharmacist, Guangzhou Red Cross Hospital Affiliated to Jinan University
Huang Lian (Coptis chinensis) is the dried rhizome of the plant belonging to the family Ranunculaceae, specifically the varieties known as Wei Lian, Ya Lian, and Yun Lian. Wei Lian and Ya Lian are primarily produced in Sichuan and Hubei, while Yun Lian is mainly found in Yunnan. Harvested in autumn, the roots are cleaned of fibrous roots and soil, dried, and sliced thinly. The best quality has a fresh yellow cut surface and an extremely bitter taste.
【Characteristics】
medicine
Wei Lian is often clustered, usually curved, resembling chicken claws, with single rhizomes measuring 3-6 cm in length and 0.3-0.8 cm in diameter. The surface is grayish-yellow or yellow-brown, rough, with irregular nodular protrusions, fibrous roots, and remnants of fibrous roots. Some segments have a smooth surface like stems, commonly referred to as “crossing the bridge”. The upper part often retains brown scales, and the tip usually has remnants of stems or petioles. It is hard, with an uneven fracture surface, the bark is orange-red or dark brown, and the wood is bright yellow or orange-yellow, arranged radially, with some hollow pith.
Ya Lian is mostly single-stemmed, slightly cylindrical, slightly curved, measuring 4-8 cm in length and 0.5-1 cm in diameter. The “crossing the bridge” part is longer.
Yun Lian is curved and hook-shaped, mostly single-stemmed, and finer. The best quality is characterized by a robust, solid structure, with an orange-red bark and bright yellow or orange-yellow wood, and an extremely bitter taste.
Huang Lian slices are irregular thin slices. The outer skin is grayish-yellow or yellow-brown, rough, with fine fibrous roots. The cut surface or broken surface is bright yellow or reddish-yellow, with radial textures, slightly fragrant, and extremely bitter. The best quality is solid, with an orange-red bark and bright yellow or reddish-yellow wood, and an extremely bitter taste.
Jiu Huang Lian resembles Huang Lian slices but has a deeper color and a slight wine aroma. The best quality is solid, with an orange-red bark and bright yellow or reddish-yellow wood, and an extremely bitter taste with a wine aroma.
Yu Huang Lian resembles Huang Lian slices, with a brownish-yellow surface and a spicy aroma of Wu Zhu Yu (Evodia rutaecarpa). The best quality is solid, with an orange-red bark and bright yellow or reddish-yellow wood, and an extremely bitter taste with a spicy aroma.
Jiang Huang Lian resembles Huang Lian slices, with a brownish-yellow surface and a spicy flavor of ginger. The best quality is solid, with an orange-red bark and bright yellow or reddish-yellow wood, and an extremely bitter taste with a spicy flavor.
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【Taste and Meridian Entry】
PSMChina
Bitter, cold. Enters the Heart, Spleen, Stomach, Liver, Gallbladder, and Large Intestine meridians.
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【Functions and Indications】
PSMChina
Clears heat and dries dampness, drains fire and detoxifies. Used for damp-heat obstruction, nausea with sour regurgitation, dysentery, yellow sores, high fever with delirium, excessive heart fire, irritability and insomnia, palpitations, blood heat with vomiting, red eyes, toothache, thirst, and carbuncles; externally used for eczema, damp sores, and purulent ear discharge. Jiu Huang Lian is effective in clearing heat from the upper jiao. Used for red eyes and oral ulcers. Jiang Huang Lian clears the stomach and stops vomiting. Used for cold-heat counterflow, damp-heat obstruction, and nausea with vomiting. Yu Huang Lian soothes the liver and harmonizes the stomach to stop vomiting. Used for liver-stomach disharmony, nausea with sour regurgitation.
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【Effectiveness Analysis】
PSMChina
Huang Lian is extremely bitter and cold, with a stronger ability to clear heat and dry dampness than Huang Qin (Scutellaria baicalensis), especially effective in clearing damp-heat from the middle jiao, thus used for damp-heat obstruction, qi stagnation, abdominal fullness, nausea, and vomiting. The Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing states that Huang Lian is indicated for “intestinal abscess, abdominal pain, and dysentery”. Liu Wansu noted that “it can drain fire and eliminate dampness, thus stopping dysentery; therefore, it is the chief herb for damp-heat dysentery”. It can be used for damp-heat dysentery, abdominal pain, and tenesmus. The Zhen Zhu Nang mentions “its uses are sixfold: draining heart fire, eliminating damp-heat from the middle jiao, indicated for all sores, dispelling wind-damp, treating red eyes, and stopping bleeding from the middle jiao.” Huang Lian enters the Heart meridian, functioning to drain fire and detoxify, especially effective in clearing excess fire from the Heart, and can be used to treat febrile diseases, high fever with delirium, excessive heart fire, irritability and insomnia, palpitations, and vomiting blood due to excessive heat forcing blood to flow abnormally. It enters the Stomach meridian, effectively clearing Stomach fire, and can be used to treat toothache due to Stomach fire and excessive hunger. It enters the Liver meridian, also clearing Liver fire, and can be used for liver qi stagnation transforming into fire, causing nausea and sour regurgitation. Huang Lian clears heat, dries dampness, drains fire, and detoxifies, especially effective for carbuncles and is commonly used for severe heat toxins, red and swollen eyes, oral ulcers, and carbuncles.
Externally, it can treat eczema, damp sores, and purulent ear discharge.
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【Materia Medica Summary】
PSMChina
1. Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing: “Indicated for heat, eye pain, tearing, brightening the eyes, intestinal abscess, abdominal pain, and dysentery, and swelling and pain in women’s genitalia.”
2. Ming Yi Bie Lu: “Indicated for cold and heat in the five organs, chronic diarrhea avoiding pus and blood, stopping thirst, great fright, removing water, benefiting bones, regulating the stomach and thick intestines, benefiting the gallbladder, and treating oral ulcers.”
3. Zhen Zhu Nang: “Its uses are sixfold: draining heart fire, eliminating damp-heat from the middle jiao, indicated for all sores, dispelling wind-damp, treating red eyes, and stopping bleeding from the middle jiao.”
4. Yao Lei Fa Xiang: “Draining heart fire, removing damp-heat from the Spleen and Stomach, treating irritability and nausea, with heat stagnation in the middle jiao, desiring to vomit.”
5. Ben Cao Zheng Yi: “Huang Lian is extremely bitter and cold, effectively drying dampness, with cold overcoming heat, able to drain all excess dampness and fire from the Heart, Spleen, Liver, Kidney, Gallbladder, Stomach, and Large Intestine. It clears eye diseases caused by wind-fire, harmonizes the Liver and Stomach to alleviate vomiting, and relieves abdominal pain due to stagnation, all of which are effects of drying dampness and clearing heat.”
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Review Expert: Liu Ruifeng, Chief Pharmacist, Pharmacy Department, Zhongshan People’s Hospital
References
[1] “Clinical Use Guidelines for Traditional Chinese Medicine” 2015 Edition, Chinese Herbal Medicine Volume
[2] “Chinese Clinical Drug Dictionary”, Chinese Herbal Medicine Volume
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