Chai Hu Qing Gan Tang 柴胡清肝汤
Bupleurum Clear the Liver Decoction

Tradition:

TCM

Source / Author:

Golden Mirror of the Medical Tradition, 1742

Herb Name Chai Hu (Bupleurum) Sheng Di Huang (Rehmannia) Dang Gui (Chinese Angelica) Chi Shao (Paeonia rubra) Chuan Xiong (Sichuan Lovage) Lian Qiao (Forsythia) Niu Bang Zi (Burdock seed) Huang Qin (Baical Skullcap) Zhi Zi (Gardenia fruit) Tian Hua Fen (Trichosanthes root) Fang Feng (Saposhnikoviea) Gan Cao (Licorice)

Latin Bupleurum chinense Rehmannia glutinosa Angelica sinensis Paeonia veitchii Ligusticum chuanxiong Forsythia suspensa Arctium lappa Scutellaria baicalensis Gardenia jasminoides Trichosanthes kirilowii Saposhnikovia divaricata Glycyrrhiza uralensis Amount 4.5 grams 4.5 grams 6 grams 4.5 grams 3 grams 6 grams 4.5 grams 3 grams 4.5 grams 3 grams 3 grams 3 grams

Preparation:

Decoction

Function:

Clears Heat and Poison from the Liver, moves the Qi

Use:

Headache, irritability, insomnia, dark urine, red tongue, fast pulse
1. Headcahe
2. Viral Hepatitis
3. Herpes, Shingles
4. Eczema
5. Boils, Styes
6. Swollen Lymph nodes
7. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
8. Cough with thick, yellow Phlegm
9. Chronic Uteritis
10. Dysmenorrhea

Dose:

a small cupful 3 times daily

Cautions:

Not used in Cold and weak digestion

Modifications:

1. Liver heat in women, add Rose flower (Mei Gui Hua) and Chrysanthemum Ju Hua.
2. With Heart weakness with Insomnia, add Zizyphus spinosa seed (Suan Zao Ren) and Dragon Bones (Long Gu)
3. Swollen Lymph nodes, add Self Heal (Xia Ku Cao) and Scrophularia (Xuan Shen)
4. Headache, increase the dose of Ligusticum Chuan Xiong and add Chrysanthemum Ju Hua
5. If with Spleen deficiency, add Atractylodes Bai Zhu and Poria Fu Ling.
6. If there is Damp-Heat, increase the dose of Scutellaria Huang Qin and add Coptis Huang Lian
7. Constipation, add Rhubarb (Da Huang)

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