Traditional Chinese Medicine: Huang Lian (Coptis chinensis)

Basic Information

【Aliases】Huang Lian, Chuan Lian, Jiang Lian, Chuan Huang Lian, Jiang Huang Lian, Jiang Chuan Lian, Jiang Zhi Huang Lian, Yu Lian, Yu Huang Lian, Chao Huang Lian, Wu Yu Huang Lian, Jiu Lian, Jiu Huang Lian, Jiu Yin Lian, Zhu Dan Zhi Chao Huang Lian, Yan Chao Huang Lian, Huang Lian Tan, Jiang Zhi Chao Chuan Lian, Wei Lian, etc. 【Source】This product is the dried rhizome of the plant Coptis chinensis or Coptis teeta Wall. 【Original Plant】1. Huang Lian: A perennial herb with branched rhizomes resembling chicken feet. The leaves are basal with long petioles; leaf blades are ovate-triangular, trifoliate, with the central lobe being rhomboid and deeply lobed, with serrated edges. Flower stalks 1-2, terminal, with 3-8 flowers in a compound umbel. 2. Yun Lian: The central lobes of the leaves are ovate-rhomboid or long-rhomboid, with 3-6 pairs of deeply lobed leaflets. 【Properties】Bitter, cold. Enters the Heart, Spleen, Stomach, Liver, Gallbladder, and Large Intestine. 【Functions and Indications】Clears heat and dries dampness, detoxifies. Used for damp-heat fullness, vomiting, acid regurgitation, diarrhea, jaundice, high fever with delirium, excessive heart fire, irritability and insomnia, blood heat with vomiting and nosebleeds, red eyes, toothache, thirst, carbuncles; externally used for eczema, damp sores, and purulent ear discharge. Jiu Huang Lian is good for clearing heat from the upper jiao. Used for red eyes and oral ulcers. Jiang Huang Lian harmonizes the stomach and stops vomiting. Used for cold-heat counterflow, damp-heat obstruction, fullness, and vomiting. Yu Huang Lian soothes the liver and harmonizes the stomach to stop vomiting. Used for disharmony between the liver and stomach, with vomiting and acid regurgitation. 【Applications】1. Used for damp-heat accumulation, gastrointestinal damp-heat, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. Combined with Huang Qin (Scutellaria baicalensis), Da Huang (Rheum palmatum), can treat damp-heat accumulation. For damp-heat lingering in the gastrointestinal tract, often combined with Ban Xia (Pinellia ternata), Zhu Ru (Bamboo shavings); combined with Mu Xiang (Aucklandia lappa), Huang Qin, Ge Gen (Pueraria lobata) to treat diarrhea. 2. Used for warm diseases with high fever, thirst, irritability, blood heat with reckless movement, and heat-toxicity sores. For warm disease with high fever and excessive heart fire, combined with Zhi Zi (Gardenia jasminoides), Lian Qiao (Forsythia suspensa); for blood heat with reckless movement, can combine with Huang Qin, Da Huang; for heat-toxicity sores, can combine with Chi Shao (Paeonia lactiflora), Mu Dan Pi (Paeonia suffruticosa). Additionally, Huang Lian can be used for stomach fire excess, combined with Tian Hua Fen (Trichosanthes kirilowii), Zhi Mu (Anemarrhena asphodeloides), Sheng Di (Rehmannia glutinosa); applied topically, can treat oral and tongue ulcers. 【Dosage and Administration】 Decoction, 2-5g. For external use, apply an appropriate amount. 【Precautions】 This product is very bitter and cold; excessive or prolonged use can harm the Spleen and Stomach. Those with Spleen and Stomach deficiency and cold should avoid use. Bitter and drying can injure fluids; those with Yin deficiency and fluid injury should use with caution.　　「Indications」1. Heart fire excess. Use Huang Lian Qi Yi, add 1.5 bowls of water, decoct to 1 bowl, take warm after meals (after a while). Reduce dosage for children. 2. Summer heat causing fever, thirst, vomiting, and red or white dysentery. Use 1 jin of Huang Lian, cut small, add 2.5 sheng of good wine, boil until dry, then roast and grind into balls the size of a wutong seed. Take 50 balls each time, three times a day. This formula is called “Huang Long Wan”. 3. Bone heat and yellowing. Use 4 fen of Huang Lian, cut small, add 5 large cups of children’s urine, soak overnight, simmer for 3-4 boils, remove dregs, take in two doses. 4. Children’s malnutrition heat (with sores all over, tidal fever, abdominal distension, thirst). Use 5 liang of Huang Lian, cut into pieces, moisten with water, place in a pig’s stomach, sew it up, steam with rice until cooked, mash with a little rice into balls the size of mung beans. Take 20 balls each time, with rice soup. Additionally, take blood-regulating heart medicine for faster recovery. 5. Thirst with frequent urination. Use Huang Lian powder and honey to form balls the size of a wutong seed, take 30 balls each time. Another formula: 0.5 jin of Huang Lian, 1 sheng of wine, place in boiling water for a while, dry, grind into balls the size of a wutong seed. Take 50 balls each time, with warm water. 6. Urine like oil (note: this is a late-stage thirst disease). Use 5 liang of Huang Lian, 5 liang of Gua Lou (Trichosanthes fruit), grind into powder, add Sheng Di (Rehmannia glutinosa) juice to form balls the size of a wutong seed. Take 50 balls each time, with milk, twice a day. Avoid cold water and pork. 7. Tetanus. Use 5 qian of Huang Lian, add a bowl of wine, decoct until 70% done, then add 3 qian of yellow wax, dissolve, take while hot. 8. White turbidity. Use equal parts Huang Lian and Bai Fu Ling (Poria cocos) powder, add wine and paste to form balls the size of a wutong seed. Take 30 balls each time, with soup made from Bu Guo Zhi (Psoralea corylifolia). Take three times a day. 9. Dysentery with blood. Use 1 liang of Huang Lian, add 2 sheng of water, boil to half a jin, expose overnight, take warm on an empty stomach the next day. Another formula: 1 liang of Huang Lian, mix with egg white to make a cake, moxibustion until purple, grind finely, with 3 sheng of water, simmer into a paste. Take half a cup, with warm rice soup. You can also take the egg white mixed with Huang Lian powder as pills. Another formula: 2 liang of Huang Lian, cut into pieces, roast until charred, add 1 liang of Dang Gui (Angelica sinensis) (roasted), grind into powder, then add a little musk. Take 2 qian each time, with aged rice soup. 10. Cold and hot dysentery. Use 1.5 liang of Huang Lian, 1 liang of Long Gu (Fossilized bone), 1 Da Fu Zi (Aconitum carmichaelii), 1.5 liang of Gan Jiang (Dried ginger), 1.5 liang of gelatin, cut finely, add 5 cups of water, boil until stopped, slightly cool, then add water to boil, repeat this nine times, finally obtaining about 1 sheng of medicinal juice, take all at once. 11. Dysentery with abdominal pain, urgency, and heaviness. Use equal parts Huang Lian and Mu Xiang (Aucklandia lappa) powder, mix with honey to form balls the size of a wutong seed. Take 20-30 balls each time, once a day. This formula is called “Xiang Lian Wan”. 12. Hemorrhoids. Use Huang Lian powder for topical application, adding red adzuki bean powder for better effect. 13. Constipation due to hemorrhoids. Use equal parts Huang Lian and Zhi Ke (Aurantii Fructus) powder, mix with paste to form balls the size of a wutong seed, take 50 balls each time, with rice soup on an empty stomach. 14. Diarrhea, Spleen deficiency. Use 1 liang of Huang Lian, 4 liang of Sheng Jiang (Fresh ginger), stir-fry until the ginger is crispy. Remove, grind both into powder. For diarrhea, use ginger powder; for Spleen deficiency, use Huang Lian powder. Take 2 qian each time, on an empty stomach, with hot water. This formula is called “Shen Sheng Xiang Huang San”, also treats dysentery. 15. Continuous vomiting of blood. Use 1 liang of Huang Lian, crush, add 20 grains of drum, boil with water to remove dregs, take warm. 16. Eye diseases. Use Huang Lian in any amount, crush, soak in clear water for 60 days, then extract the juice and simmer until dry. Additionally, use Ai Ye (Mugwort) to cover tiles, burn Ai, place the dried medicinal bowl on top, allowing it to be smoked by Ai. After the Ai smoke is gone, scrape the bottom of the bowl to make pills the size of small beans. Take 10 pills each time, with sweet bamboo leaf soup. 17. Sudden red and painful eyes. Use Huang Lian crushed and soaked in egg white overnight, the next day, filter out the dregs, use chicken feathers to dip in egg white and apply to the eyes. Another formula: use Huang Lian and wintergreen leaves to decoct for eye washing. Another formula: equal parts Huang Lian, Gan Jiang, and Xing Ren (Apricot kernel) powder, wrap in cotton, soak in hot water, and apply while hot. 18. Itchy and painful eyes. Use Huang Lian soaked in milk, take the juice at any time to apply to the eyes. 19. Continuous tearing. Use Huang Lian soaked in water to make a concentrated juice for washing. 20. Toothache. Use Huang Lian powder to apply to the painful area. 21. Oral and tongue ulcers. Use Huang Lian decocted in wine, gargle frequently. 22. Children’s oral thrush. Use equal parts Huang Lian and Aloe powder. Take 5 fen each time, with honey soup. If it is a case of running horse thrush, you can add toad powder in equal parts, and reduce Qing Dai (Indigo) by half, adding a little musk. 23. Children’s ear sores (called monthly erosion). Use Huang Lian powder for topical application. 24. Fetal movement with bleeding. Use Huang Lian ground into powder, take one teaspoon with wine three times a day. 25. Pregnant women’s irritability and insomnia. Use Huang Lian ground into powder, take 1 qian with thin rice porridge. 26. Unnamed swelling and toxicity. Use equal parts Huang Lian and Bing Lang (Areca catechu) powder, mix with egg white for topical application. This formula can be used whether the sore has ruptured or not. 27. Poisoning from Ba Dou (Croton) causing continuous diarrhea. Use equal parts Huang Lian and Gan Jiang powder, take one teaspoon with water.

Huang Lian Compatibility and Contraindications

For Spleen deficiency with vomiting, Spleen deficiency with diarrhea, and kidney deficiency with nocturnal diarrhea, should be used with caution. 1. Bencao Jing Jizhu: Avoid Chrysanthemum, Wuhua, Xuan Shen, Bai Xian; avoid Kuan Dong. 2. Yao Xing Lun: Avoid Bai Jiang Can, avoid pork. 3. Shu Bencao: Avoid Niu Xi. 4. Gang Mu: Huang Lian is very bitter and cold; it should be used to clear heat and dry dampness, and should be stopped when the condition improves; it should not be used for a long time, as it may harm the vital energy. 5. Bencao Zheng: Huang Lian is good for purging heart and Spleen excess heat; using it for false heat will lead to Yang collapse; therefore, it is advised to use with caution for those who are deficient and cold; Wang Haizang states: Huang Lian should not be used for prolonged blood dysentery in summer, as it is Yin inside. 6. Bencao Jing Shu: For patients with blood deficiency and Qi deficiency, weak Spleen and Stomach, blood deficiency leading to palpitations and insomnia, along with irritability and thirst, postpartum insomnia, blood deficiency with fever, diarrhea and abdominal pain, children with smallpox, Yang deficiency causing diarrhea, post-digestive diarrhea, elderly with Spleen and Stomach deficiency causing diarrhea, Yin deficiency causing morning diarrhea, named kidney diarrhea, true Yin deficiency, internal heat, irritability, and other symptoms, should be avoided. 7. Bencao Xinjian: Huang Lian, bitter and cold, can ascend and descend, is Yin, and non-toxic. It enters the heart and collaterals. It is the best for purging fire, and can also enter the liver. Generally, it can enter all meridians, but especially the heart. It stops vomiting, alleviates thirst, treats fiery eyes, soothes the heart, stops nocturnal emissions, calms irritability, relieves fullness, and reduces swelling in women. It treats children’s soil eating causing malnutrition, relieves summer heat, damp heat, and stagnant heat, and has specific efficacy.

Herbal Literature

Shennong Bencao Jing: Bitter, cold. Treats heat, eye pain, tear injury, clears vision, intestinal dysentery, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and swelling and pain in women’s genitals. Long-term use prevents forgetfulness. Ming Yi Bie Lu: Slightly cold, non-toxic. Treats the five organs’ cold and heat, long-term diarrhea, purulent blood, stops thirst, calms great fright, removes water, benefits bones, regulates the stomach, thickens the intestines, benefits the gallbladder, and treats oral ulcers. Bencao Shiyi: Treats emaciation and shortness of breath. Yao Xing Lun: Avoid Bai Jiang Can, avoid pork, avoid cold water. Kills children’s parasites, treats red eyes and pain, calms the liver, and removes heat toxins. Rihua Zi Bencao: Treats five labors and seven injuries, benefits Qi, stops heart and abdominal pain, calms fright, irritability, moistens the heart and lungs, promotes flesh growth, stops bleeding, and treats sores and abscesses, and night sweats, and summer heat diseases. Steamed with pig stomach for children’s malnutrition. Kaibao Bencao: Bitter, slightly cold, non-toxic. Treats the five organs’ cold and heat, long-term diarrhea, purulent blood, stops thirst, calms great fright, removes water, benefits bones, regulates the stomach, thickens the intestines, and benefits the gallbladder, and treats oral ulcers. Bencao Tujing: Huang Lian treats many eye diseases, especially the sheep liver pill is particularly unique. Eye diseases are caused by blood stasis, so it is treated with blood-moving herbs combined with Huang Lian. Blood moves with heat, so it is also used for hot washing. Bencao Yanyi: Nowadays, many use it to treat dysentery, as it is believed to be a bitter and drying agent. For diarrhea, if there is slight blood, it should not be used. It should not be used excessively, as it can lead to danger. If the Qi is solid at the onset of the disease, with much heat and blood dysentery, it can be used, but it should not be used excessively. If it is deficient and cold, it should not be used. Other than that, refer to the classics. Yao Lei Fa Xiang: Purges heart fire, removes damp heat from the Spleen and Stomach, treats irritability and nausea, and resolves heat in the middle jiao, causing a desire to vomit. It is essential for treating heart fullness. Zhang Zhongjing treated nine types of heart fullness, all using the same heart-purging decoction. Yao Xing Fu: Bitter, neutral, cold, non-toxic. It is heavy and Yin. Its uses are fourfold: to purge heart fire, to eliminate heart fullness; to treat intestinal dysentery, to remove mixed blood from the intestines; to treat eye diseases that suddenly appear, and to heal sores and abscesses. Tang Ye Bencao: Cold, bitter. It is thick in taste and thin in Qi, representing Yin within Yang. It ascends and is non-toxic. Yao Xiang: Purges heart fire, removes damp heat from the Spleen and Stomach, treats irritability and nausea, and resolves heat in the middle jiao, causing a desire to vomit. It is essential for treating heart fullness. Zhang Zhongjing treated nine types of heart fullness, all using the same heart-purging decoction. Yao Xiang: Purges heart fire, removes damp heat from the Spleen and Stomach, treats irritability and nausea, and resolves heat in the middle jiao, causing a desire to vomit. It is essential for treating heart fullness. Yao Xiang: Purges heart fire, removes damp heat from the Spleen and Stomach, treats irritability and nausea, and resolves heat in the middle jiao, causing a desire to vomit. It is essential for treating heart fullness. Disclaimer:Content on this site is added and organized by users for learning and reference purposes. Information on the site may not be accurate, comprehensive, or up-to-date, and the content should not be considered the final basis for diagnosing or treating diseases.Shanhe Pharmacy Networkreminds users that if there are any physical discomforts, please seek medical attention promptly. Thank you for your support and love; we will strive to do better~!!!Disclaimer:Content on this site is added and organized by users for learning and reference purposes. Information on the site may not be accurate, comprehensive, or up-to-date, and the content should not be considered the final basis for diagnosing or treating diseases.Shanhe TCM Networkreminds users that if there are any physical discomforts, please seek medical attention promptly. Thank you for your support and love; we will strive to do better~!!!