English Name: Dragon Gallbladder Decoction to Drain the Liver.
Category: Heat Clearing – Clear Heat from the Organs.
Functions: Clears excess Heat from the Liver and Gallbladder, dries Damp and promotes urination.
Indications: Long Dan Xie Gan Tang is clinically indicated for syndromes of excess Heat in the Liver and Gallbladder, Liver-Fire rising and Damp-Heat in the Liver. Typical clinical manifestation of symptoms include:
- Red eyes with or without discharge
- Headaches
- Bitter taste in the mouth
- Tinnitus or deafness
- Intercostal pain
- Swollen or itchy genitals
- Painful urination with or without urinary tract infections (UTI)
Tongue and Pulse: The tongue is red with a yellow coating and the pulse is usually wiry, rapid, and forceful.
Ingredients:
- Long Dan Cao [Radix Gentiae] – 6g*
- Huang Qin [Radix Scutellariae] – 9g*
- Zhi Zi [Fructus Gardeniae] – 9g*
- Ze Xie [Rhizoma Alismatis] – 9g
- Mu Tong [Caulis Akebiae] – 6g**
- Che Qian Zi [Semen Plantaginis] – 9g
- Dang Gui [Radix Angelicae Sinensis] – 3g*
- Sheng Di Huang [Radix Rhemanniae] – 6g*
- Chai Hu [Radix Bupleuri] – 6g
- Gan Cao [Radix Glycyrrhizae] – 6g
* These ingredients are traditionally fried with medicinal wine prior to use in the formula.
** Mu Tong is NOT used in Long Dan Xie Gan Tang in the U.K. due to its slightly toxic nature. It has been included here to highlight its use in the classical formula. It may be substituted with a herb of similar Damp expelling function such as Fu Ling [Poria].
Cautions and Contra-Indications: Long Dan Xie Gan Tang should be used with caution in cases of Spleen and Stomach deficiency. It should not be used in cases of headache and conjunctival congestion attributable to Yang excess due to Yin deficiency.