Liu He Tang六和汤
Six-Harmony Decoction
Ingredients11 herbs
Indications
Summerheat with damp injuring the Spleen and Stomach: damp blocks the middle burner while summerheat consumes qi, so obstruction and depletion appear together.
Clinical Manifestations
- Summertime vomiting with watery diarrhoea
- Lassitude and heavy limbs in humid weather
- Chest and epigastric fullness with no appetite
- Sudden vomiting and diarrhoea after cold food in hot weather
- Drowsiness with a greasy tongue coating
Health Categories
Modern Applications
Common adjustments
- Summerheat is marked with fever and irritability — add Hua Shi 滑石 and Lian Qiao 连翘
- Diarrhoea is severe — add Ze Xie 泽泻 and Che Qian Zi 车前子
- Cramping of the calves — increase Mu Gua 木瓜
- No qi deficiency — remove Ren Shen 人参
Contraindications
Not for damp-heat dysentery with blood and pus in the stool, and not where thirst is severe with a red dry tongue — that is summerheat that has already scorched fluids and needs a cooling, fluid-generating formula instead. Persistent vomiting and diarrhoea with signs of dehydration is a medical emergency, especially in children and the elderly.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.
Pregnancy
Use with caution in pregnancy — it contains Ban Xia and a full complement of acrid aromatic herbs. Prescribe only on a practitioner's assessment.
Related Formulas
References
Source 《太平惠民和剂局方》 · Ming
- Classical source of record (public domain).
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）— 附方 note 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.