Ge Gen Huang Qin Huang Lian Tang葛根黄芩黄连汤

Kudzu, Scutellaria and Coptis Decoction

Releasing Exterior and Interior Together 表里双解剂清脏腑热

Ingredients4 herbs

HerbDosageRoleWhat it does in this formula

葛Ge Gen葛根Puerariae Lobatae Radix15g君 ChiefReleases the remaining exterior and raises clear yang so the diarrhea stops 甘Zhi Gan Cao甘草炙Glycyrrhizae Radix Praeparata6g佐使 Assistant–EnvoyProtects the Stomach from the bitter cold and harmonizes the formula 黄Huang Qin黄芩Scutellariae Radix9g臣 DeputyClears heat and dries damp in the Stomach and Intestines 黄Huang Lian黄连Coptidis Rhizoma9g臣 DeputyDrains fire from the Large Intestine and checks the dysenteric flow

Indications

Releases the exterior and clears interior heatDries damp-heat and checks diarrheaRaises the clear yang of the Spleen

Interior heat with an unresolved exterior: damp-heat scorches the Large Intestine while a remnant of the exterior pattern persists. The diarrhea here is hot and driving, not the watery, odourless, cold kind.

Clinical Manifestations

Acute diarrhea that is hot, foul-smelling and urgent
Dysenteric diarrhea with burning at the anus
Diarrhea with fever, sweating and thirst
Gastroenteritis of the food-poisoning type with heat signs
Enteritis presenting as damp-heat in the Large Intestine

TongueRed with a yellow, often greasy coating

PulseRapid, sometimes hurried

Health Categories

Digestive HealthLiver Health & Detox

Modern Applications

Acute gastroenteritis Bacterial diarrhea Dysentery Food poisoning Colitis

Common adjustments

Marked abdominal pain with tenesmus — add Bai Shao 白芍 and Mu Xiang 木香
Blood in the stool — add Ma Chi Xian 马齿苋
Nausea and vomiting alongside — add Huo Xiang 藿香 and Jiang Ban Xia 姜半夏
Food stagnation accompanying the diarrhea — add Shan Zha 山楂 and Shen Qu 神曲
No exterior sign remaining — reduce Ge Gen 葛根 and treat as a purely interior damp-heat pattern

Contraindications

Not for cold diarrhea of Spleen-yang deficiency — watery, odourless stools with undigested food and cold limbs will be made worse by a formula this bitter and cold. Not intended for prolonged use: sustained bitter cold injures Stomach qi and appetite. Acute diarrhea with dehydration, high fever, blood in the stool, or in an infant or frail elderly patient, needs conventional medical assessment alongside any herbal treatment.

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

Pregnancy

Use in pregnancy only under practitioner supervision and for short courses — the formula is strongly bitter and cold, and coptis in particular is used cautiously in pregnancy.

References

Source Shang Han Lun 《伤寒论》 · Eastern Han

「太阳病，桂枝证，医反下之，利遂不止，脉促者，表未解也；喘而汗出者，葛根黄芩黄连汤主之。」
— 《伤寒论》(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.