Huang Long Tang黄龙汤
Yellow Dragon Decoction
Ingredients7 herbs
Indications
Yang Ming bowel excess with qi and blood already depleted. Purging alone would empty what little remains; tonifying alone would feed the blockage. The formula does both at once, which is the whole point of this sub-section.
Clinical Manifestations
- Bowel excess with watery discharge leaking past an impaction
- Constipation with a hard painful abdomen in an exhausted patient
- Febrile illness with delirium, picking at bedclothes, clouded consciousness
- Fever with cold extremities and a weak pulse alongside a blocked bowel
Health Categories
Modern Applications
Common adjustments
- Fluids severely damaged, tongue dry and cracked — the appended Xin Jia Huang Long Tang 新加黄龙汤 replaces the qi-breaking herbs with fluid-generating ones
- Qi collapse dominant — increase Ren Shen 人参 and reduce the purging share
- Excess dominant with strength still adequate — the plain Da Cheng Qi Tang is the more direct choice
Contraindications
Not for constipation from deficiency alone — there must be a real accumulation to remove. The presentation it treats is serious and often needs emergency medical assessment alongside herbal treatment. Because the patient is already weak, this is a short course watched closely.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.
Pregnancy
Contraindicated in pregnancy. Da Huang, Mang Xiao, Zhi Shi and Hou Po together are a full purge with strong qi-breaking, and the tonic herbs do not make that safe during pregnancy. A pregnant patient presenting this way needs emergency assessment.
Related Formulas
References
Source Shang Han Liu Shu 《伤寒六书》 · Ming
- 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）— chapter placement, 功用 and 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.