Huang Lian (Coptis chinensis)
This is the rhizome of the perennial herb Huang Lian from the Ranunculaceae family. It is harvested in autumn, dried, or baked for storage. It is mainly produced in Sichuan, Hubei, Yunnan, and Guizhou provinces. It has the functions of clearing heat, drying dampness, and detoxifying. It is indicated for symptoms such as excessive heat causing irritability, fullness, nausea, diarrhea, dysentery, hematemesis, and epistaxis.
The medicinal slices can be categorized into four types: raw, stir-fried, ginger stir-fried, and wine stir-fried. Raw Huang Lian is very bitter and cold in nature, with strong heat-clearing and detoxifying properties, commonly used for warm diseases with strong heat, heat toxins, and fire evoking blood disorders; stir-fried Huang Lian is bitter and cold, with strong heat-clearing and damp-drying properties, often used for gastrointestinal damp-heat and diarrhea; ginger stir-fried Huang Lian has a slightly bitter and spicy taste, is cold and moderately balanced, and is effective in clearing heat, drying dampness, and harmonizing the stomach to stop vomiting, commonly used for internal damp-heat obstruction and nausea; wine stir-fried Huang Lian is slightly bitter and spicy, cold and moderately balanced, with strong effects in clearing the heart and relieving irritability, often used for excessive heart fire and insomnia.
Additionally, some regions have various processing methods, such as using pig bile to stir-fry Huang Lian to clear liver and gallbladder heat; saltwater to stir-fry Huang Lian to clear lower jiao damp-heat; rice vinegar to stir-fry Huang Lian to guide the herb into the liver to clear liver channel heat; and Wu Zhu Yu (Evodia rutaecarpa) juice to stir-fry Huang Lian to enhance its heat-clearing and descending properties to clear liver and harmonize the stomach.
【Processing Methods】
Raw Huang Lian: Remove impurities, rinse briefly with clean water, soften, slice, and dry.
Stir-fried Huang Lian: Place clean raw Huang Lian slices in a pan and stir-fry over low heat until brown.
Ginger stir-fried Huang Lian: Mix clean raw Huang Lian slices with ginger juice (2 kg of ginger for every 10 kg of Huang Lian, crushed and mixed with appropriate amount of boiling water), then stir-fry until dry.
Wine stir-fried Huang Lian: Mix clean raw Huang Lian slices with wine (1.5 kg of yellow wine for every 10 kg of Huang Lian), let it dry partially, then stir-fry until dry.
【Clinical Applications】
(1) Raw Huang Lian
① Heat toxin obstruction: Often used with Huang Qin (Scutellaria baicalensis), Huang Bai (Phellodendron amurense), Zhi Zi (Gardenia jasminoides), and Shi Gao (Gypsum) to enhance heat-clearing and detoxifying effects. It can be used for high fever, irritability, and delirium; also treats abscesses and painful swellings. For example, Huang Lian Jie Du Tang (Huang Lian Detoxifying Decoction) and San Huang Shi Gao Tang (Three Huang and Gypsum Decoction). When both Qi and blood are affected, it is often combined with Shi Gao, Zhi Mu (Anemarrhena asphodeloides), Shui Niu Jiao (Bubali Cornu), and Di Huang (Rehmannia glutinosa), such as in Qing Wen Bai Du Yin (Clear Epidemic and Eliminate Toxin Decoction).
② Blood heat causing recklessness: Often used with Da Huang (Rheum palmatum) and Huang Qin, it has heat-clearing, blood-cooling, and hemostatic effects. It can be used for heat evoking blood disorders, such as hematemesis and epistaxis, as in Xie Xin Tang (Drain the Heart Decoction).
(2) Stir-fried Huang Lian
① Diarrhea: Often used with Huang Qin and Ge Gen (Pueraria lobata) to clear the interior and harmonize the exterior, and stop diarrhea. It can be used for exterior pathogens unresolved with interior heat, causing fever and diarrhea, chest fullness, and thirst, as in Ge Gen Qin Lian Tang (Ge Gen, Huang Qin, and Huang Lian Decoction).
② Dysentery: Often used with Bai Tou Weng (Pulsatilla chinensis), Qin Pi (Fraxini Cortex), and Huang Bai, it has effects in clearing the intestines and stopping dysentery. It can be used for heat dysentery with pus and blood, abdominal pain, and tenesmus, as in Bai Tou Weng Tang (Bai Tou Weng Decoction). If damp-heat obstructs the intestines and Qi is not smooth, leading to abdominal pain and diarrhea with red and white stools, it is often combined with Mu Xiang (Aucklandia lappa) to clear heat, dry dampness, and regulate Qi, such as in Xiang Lian Wan (Xiang Lian Pill). If blood dysentery persists, leading to Yin and blood deficiency, it is often combined with Di Yu (Sanguisorba officinalis), E Jiao (Colla Corii Asini), Dang Gui (Angelica sinensis), and He Zi (Terminalia chebula) to nourish Yin and blood, and strengthen the intestines, such as in Di Yu Wan (Di Yu Pill).
(3) Ginger stir-fried Huang Lian: For nausea and vomiting, often used with Ban Xia (Pinellia ternata) to enhance heat-clearing, damp-drying, and harmonizing the stomach to stop vomiting. It can be used for damp-heat obstructing the middle, leading to nausea and vomiting, chest fullness, as in Ban Xia Xie Xin Tang (Ban Xia Drain the Heart Decoction). If there is intense stomach heat causing dry vomiting and thirst, it is often combined with Zhu Ru (Bamboo Shavings) to clear the stomach and stop vomiting. If liver Qi invades the stomach, causing sour vomiting, it is often used with Wu Zhu Yu to clear heat, soothe the liver, and calm the stomach, such as in Zuo Jin Wan (Left Metal Pill). If there is nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, it is often combined with Zi Su (Perilla frutescens) to clear heat and regulate Qi.
(4) Wine stir-fried Huang Lian: For palpitations and insomnia, often used with Zhu Sha (Cinnabar) and Sheng Di Huang (Rehmannia glutinosa) to enhance heart-clearing, irritability-relieving, and calming effects. It can be used for excessive heart fire, Yin and blood deficiency, leading to anxiety, palpitations, and difficulty sleeping, as in An Shen Wan (Calm the Spirit Pill). If heart fire is excessive and cannot descend to the kidneys, leading to disharmony between heart and kidney, causing palpitations and insomnia, it is often combined with Rou Gui (Cinnamon) to clear the heart, warm the kidneys, and harmonize water and fire, such as in Jiao Tai Wan (Harmonizing the Heart and Kidney Pill).
【Prescription Names】
When using raw herbs, write Sheng Huang Lian, Huang Lian, Chuan Lian, Ji Zhua Lian; when using stir-fried herbs, write Chao Huang Lian, Chao Chuan Lian; when using ginger stir-fried herbs, write Jiang Zhi Huang Lian, Jiang Zhua Lian; when using wine stir-fried herbs, write Jiu Chao Huang Lian, Jiu Huang Lian.
【Dosage】
The dosages for raw, stir-fried, ginger stir-fried, and wine stir-fried herbs are generally the same, ranging from 1.5 to 10 grams.
【References】
(1) Huang Lian mainly contains berberine, followed by coptisine, methylcoptisine, palmatine, and jatrorrhizine.
(2) Huang Lian has strong antibacterial effects against dysentery bacillus, typhoid bacillus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, as well as Staphylococcus, hemolytic streptococcus, pneumococcus, tuberculosis bacillus, and Bordetella pertussis, especially against dysentery bacillus. Huang Lian decoction and water extract have broad antibacterial effects against skin fungi.
(3) Huang Lian has anti-ulcer, choleretic, analgesic, sedative, and anti-tumor effects.
Recommended Books
We recommend “Clinical Use and Processing of Chinese Herbal Medicine”. Click Read the original text to purchase directly.
(Click the image or read the original text to purchase the book)
“Lu Zheng Clinical Medicine Series – Clinical Use and Processing of Chinese Herbal Medicine” is a collection of works by Lu Zheng that have been published and have surpassed copyright periods, revised and published in the form of a series, including clinical use and processing of Chinese herbal medicine, toxicology, spleen and stomach theory, and symptom differentiation and treatment. This book mainly discusses the relationship between the processing of Chinese herbs and clinical applications, emphasizing that unclear processing leads to ineffective medication, highlighting the importance of processing in clinical applications. Processing not only purifies the herbs but also reduces toxicity, and more importantly, alters the properties and indications of the herbs to meet clinical treatment needs. The book is divided into 15 chapters, with the first chapter being an overview, and the remaining chapters focusing on specific herbs, including processing methods, clinical applications, prescription names, and references.
<Swipe left to view the directory>
END
中医出版
好书
从不会埋没
Copyright StatementThis article is organized and published by TCM Publishing, edited, please indicate the source when reprinting. Editor WeChat ID: MXY822, welcome to submit and chat. 
● Spleen and Stomach Treatment of Neck Abscess● Kidney and Spleen Tonification, Dampness Elimination, and Phlegm Transformation Treatment for Infertility
Click Read the original text to order with one click
Share
Save
View
Like