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Ban Lan Gen Granules and Compound Ban Lan Gen Granules are popular products in retail pharmacies and are essential traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) for many households in China. Taking medicine immediately at the onset of a cold is the choice of most people. However, the only difference between Ban Lan Gen Granules and Compound Ban Lan Gen Granules is two characters, leading many pharmacy staff and consumers to overlook the differences between the two.
Case Study:
On this day, staff member Xiao L attended to a male customer in his thirties who reported having a cold. After consultation, Xiao L discovered that the customer exhibited symptoms of mild chills, headache, nasal discharge (either clear or yellow), sore throat, cough, yellow and thick phlegm, thirst, and a yellow tongue coating, along with a fever.
The customer specifically requested Ban Lan Gen Granules, but Xiao L believed that the customer’s symptoms warranted the use of Compound Ban Lan Gen Granules and persuaded the customer accordingly. Why is that?
First, we need to clearly understand the differences between Ban Lan Gen Granules and Compound Ban Lan Gen Granules, and what symptoms each is suitable for, in order to recommend the appropriate treatment.
Ban Lan Gen Granules
Ingredients: Ban Lan Gen (Isatis Root), excipients include sucrose and dextrin.
Functions: Clears heat and detoxifies, cools the blood and benefits the throat.
Indications: Used for sore throat caused by excess heat in the lungs and stomach, dry mouth and throat, and acute tonsillitis with the aforementioned symptoms.
Product Features: Primarily has antibacterial, antiviral, anti-endotoxin, anti-inflammatory effects, and enhances immune function. It is effective in preventing influenza, viral hepatitis, epidemic meningitis, conjunctivitis, etc.
Warnings: Not suitable for those with wind-cold colds. Patients with severe chronic diseases such as hypertension, heart disease, liver disease, diabetes, and kidney disease should take it under medical guidance. Children, the elderly, breastfeeding women, pregnant women, and those with spleen deficiency should also take it under medical guidance.
Pharmacist’s Experience: The ingredient is singular, consisting solely of Ban Lan Gen. Ban Lan Gen is bitter and cold in nature, entering the heart and stomach meridians. It has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, cooling the blood, and benefiting the throat. It should be avoided by those with deficiency without excess heat toxins, and used cautiously by those with spleen and stomach deficiency and cold.
Compound Ban Lan Gen Granules
Ingredients: Ban Lan Gen (Isatis Root), Da Qing Ye (Indigo Leaf), excipients include sucrose and starch.
Functions: Clears heat and detoxifies, cools the blood.
Indications: Used for wind-heat colds and sore throat. Ban Lan Gen clears heat and detoxifies, cools the blood, and benefits the throat. Da Qing Ye clears heat and detoxifies, cools the blood and eliminates rashes, mainly used for heat toxin causing rashes, erysipelas, sore throat, mouth ulcers, and carbuncles. The combination of both achieves the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, cooling the blood, and benefiting the throat.
Product Features: Clinically used to treat acute and chronic pharyngitis, acute tonsillitis, viral colds, and sore throat.
Warnings: Not suitable for those with wind-cold colds. Patients with severe chronic diseases such as hypertension, heart disease, liver disease, diabetes, and kidney disease should take it under medical guidance. Children, the elderly, and pregnant women should also take it under medical guidance.
Pharmacist’s Experience: Both Ban Lan Gen and Da Qing Ye have the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, and benefiting the throat, making Compound Ban Lan Gen Granules more effective for wind-heat colds and sore throat.
Similarities Between the Two
Both have the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, dispersing wind-heat, and benefiting the throat.
Differences Between the Two
Compound Ban Lan Gen Granules adds Da Qing Ye (the aerial part of the same plant as Ban Lan Gen), enhancing the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, and cooling the blood, making it more suitable for patients with sore throat.
Which to Choose for Treating Colds?
Ban Lan Gen and Da Qing Ye come from different parts of the same plant and both have the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, cooling the blood, and eliminating rashes, used for warm toxin causing rashes, mumps, throat obstruction, and fire toxin sores, but their usage and processing methods differ, leading to different emphases in their effects.
Ban Lan Gen is particularly effective for detoxifying and benefiting the throat, often used for sore throat and mumps, while Da Qing Ye is stronger in cooling blood and eliminating rashes, often used for rashes and bleeding (eliminating rashes refers to using heat-clearing, blood-cooling, and detoxifying medicines to treat warm diseases with heat entering the blood, causing skin bruising and bleeding).
In terms of processing, Ban Lan Gen Granules contain a higher amount of Ban Lan Gen, while Compound Ban Lan Gen Granules contain Da Qing Ye. Currently, there is no strong evidence proving a significant difference in antiviral capabilities between the two, but Ban Lan Gen Granules are particularly suitable for sore throat and dry mouth caused by excess heat in the lungs and stomach, helping to enhance resistance and prevent infection.
On the other hand, Compound Ban Lan Gen Granules are stronger in cooling blood and eliminating rashes, used for warm disease fever, rashes, wind-heat colds, and severe sore throat.
Therefore, when treating a cold, it is better to choose Ban Lan Gen Granules for clearing heat and detoxifying, while Compound Ban Lan Gen Granules are preferable if there are symptoms of fever and elevated body temperature.
Thus, in the case study above, the male customer exhibited symptoms of wind-heat cold and fever, making Xiao L’s recommendation of Compound Ban Lan Gen Granules more reasonable.
(This article is for professional reference only)
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