Gan Lu Xiao Du Dan甘露消毒丹

Sweet Dew Special Pill to Eliminate Toxin

Expelling Dampness 祛湿剂Clear Heat and Expel Damp 清热祛湿

Ingredients11 herbs

HerbDosageRoleWhat it does in this formula

飞飞滑石450g君 Chief

淡Huang Qin淡黄芩Scutellariae Radix300g君 ChiefClears heat and dries damp, particularly in the Lung and Stomach

绵绵茵陈330g君 Chief

石Shi Chang Pu石菖蒲Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma180g臣 DeputyAromatically opens turbid damp and keeps the middle burner from closing 川Chuan Bei Mu川贝母Fritillariae Cirrhosae Bulbus150g佐 AssistantDissolves phlegm nodules in the throat and neck 木Mu Tong木通Akebiae Caulis150g臣 DeputyFrees the water pathways — must be the Akebia (or Clematis) herb, never Guan Mu Tong 藿Huo Xiang藿香Pogostemonis Herba120g臣 DeputyTransforms damp turbidity and settles nausea 连Lian Qiao连翘Forsythiae Fructus120g佐 AssistantClears heat toxin and disperses swelling

白白蔻仁120g臣 Deputy

薄Bo He薄荷Menthae Haplocalycis Herba120g佐 AssistantVents heat upward and outward and eases the throat 射She Gan射干Belamcandae Rhizoma120g佐 AssistantBenefits the throat and relieves swelling and pain there

Indications

Drains damp and clears heat toxinTransforms turbidity and opens the middle burnerBenefits the throat and disperses swellingResolves jaundice

Damp-warmth epidemic disease with the pathogen at the qi level, damp and heat equally weighted. The damp-heat is toxic and mobile, so it shows above in the throat, outside in the skin and eyes, and below in the urine and stool.

Clinical Manifestations

Damp-warmth epidemic fever with a heavy body
Sore, swollen throat with fever
Swollen cheeks or parotid swelling
Jaundice with dark urine
Diarrhoea or turbid urination with damp-heat

TongueWhite or thick greasy coating, or dry and yellow

PulseSoggy and rapid

Health Categories

Digestive HealthRespiratory HealthLiver Health & DetoxImmune SupportCold & Flu Relief

Modern Applications

Influenza Mumps Tonsillitis Acute hepatitis Gastroenteritis Leptospirosis

Common adjustments

Throat swelling is severe — add Shan Dou Gen 山豆根 and Ma Bo 马勃
Jaundice is prominent — increase Yin Chen 茵陈 and add Zhi Zi 栀子
Damp clearly outweighs heat — add Cang Zhu 苍术 and Hou Po 厚朴
Heat clearly outweighs damp — add Jin Yin Hua 金银花 and Da Qing Ye 大青叶

Contraindications

Not for a warm disease without damp, and not once the pathogen has entered the nutritive or blood level with a crimson tongue and delirium. Mu Tong caution: some twentieth-century versions of this formula used Guan Mu Tong (Aristolochia manshuriensis), which contains aristolochic acid and causes irreversible kidney damage and urothelial cancer. Guan Mu Tong is banned and must never be used. The herb intended here is the Akebia-derived Mu Tong 木通 of the current pharmacopoeia (or Chuan Mu Tong, Clematis armandii); if a product's label does not make clear which was used, do not dispense it. A high fever with throat swelling can be a bacterial infection needing antibiotics — get it assessed.

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

Pregnancy

Use with caution in pregnancy — the formula is cold and draining and contains Mu Tong. It should not be self-prescribed at any time, and an epidemic fever in pregnancy requires medical care.

References

Source Yi Xiao Mi Chuan 《医效秘传》 · Qing

「此治湿温时疫之主方也。」
— 《温热经纬》(Wang Meng-ying's note, classical source, public domain)

Classical source (public domain), cited in the source-quote section; the formula is also transmitted in 《温热经纬》.
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.