Bai Tou Weng Jia Gan Cao E Jiao Tang白头翁加甘草阿胶汤

Pulsatilla Decoction plus Licorice and Ass-Hide Gelatin

Clearing Heat 清热剂Clear Organ Heat 清脏腑热

Ingredients6 herbs

HerbDosageRoleWhat it does in this formula

白Bai Tou Weng白头翁Pulsatillae Radix6 g君 ChiefCools the blood and resolves the heat toxin driving the bloody stool 黄Huang Lian黄连Coptidis Rhizoma9 g臣 DeputyDrains fire and dries damp in the Intestines 黄Huang Bai黄柏Phellodendri Chinensis Cortex9 g臣 DeputyClears damp-heat from the lower burner 秦Qin Pi秦皮Fraxini Cortex9 g臣 DeputyCools and firms the Intestines at once 阿E Jiao阿胶Corii Asini Colla6 g (dissolved)佐 AssistantReplaces the blood and yin lost, so the cold herbs do not strip a depleted patient 甘Gan Cao甘草Glycyrrhizae Radix6 g使 EnvoySupports the middle burner and harmonizes an otherwise unrelieved cold formula

Indications

Clears heat and resolves toxicityCools the blood and stops dysenteric bleedingNourishes blood and yin while cooling

Heat-toxin dysentery on a background of blood and yin depletion, classically the postpartum case. The heat still has to be cleared, but the person no longer has the reserves to take clearing alone, so cooling and nourishing are given together.

Clinical Manifestations

Dysentery after childbirth or after significant blood loss
Bloody stool with weakness, dizziness and a dry mouth
Heat dysentery in a depleted or elderly patient
Chronic bloody diarrhoea with yin depletion signs
Recovery phase of a dysenteric illness with lingering heat

TongueRed with little coating

PulseThin and rapid, or wiry and thin

Health Categories

Women's HealthDigestive HealthHeart & Circulation

Modern Applications

Postpartum dysentery Bloody diarrhoea Anaemia Colitis Chronic dysentery

Common adjustments

Blood depletion pronounced — increase E Jiao 阿胶 and add Dang Gui 当归
Heat toxin still fierce — keep the full dose of Bai Tou Weng 白头翁 and add Ma Chi Xian 马齿苋
Qi exhausted with the blood — add Dang Shen 党参 once the toxin is receding

Contraindications

Not for dysentery of deficiency cold, and not where damp is heavy with a thick greasy coating — E Jiao is cloying and would hold the damp in. Postpartum bleeding or fever is a situation for obstetric assessment first; this formula addresses a pattern within supervised care, not instead of it.

For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.

Pregnancy

Written for the postpartum period rather than for pregnancy. In pregnancy use only under practitioner supervision; the four cold herbs remain hard on the middle burner even with E Jiao and licorice softening them.

References

Source Jin Gui Yao Lue 《金匮要略》 · Eastern Han

「产后下利虚极，白头翁加甘草阿胶汤主之。」
— 《金匮要略》(classical source, public domain)

Classical source (public domain), cited in the source-quote section.
2. Scheid, Bensky, Ellis & Barolet. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies, 2nd ed. — composition & dosage cross-checked.
3. 《方剂学》（全国中医药行业高等教育规划教材）— pattern analysis cross-checked.

Professional reference notice. Entries are scholarly references for licensed TCM practitioners and students — not medical advice, and not a recommendation to self-prescribe. Chinese herbal formulas should be used under the guidance of a qualified practitioner. Content is an original editorial compilation by Cura x Cura, cross-checked against the cited references.