Tao Hua Tang桃花汤
Peach Blossom Decoction
Ingredients3 herbs
Indications
Cold-deficient dysentery: prolonged illness has drained the yang of the Spleen and Kidney, the intestinal lining is ulcerated and no longer holds, so pus and blood leak steadily rather than pouring out with heat and urgency.
Clinical Manifestations
- Chronic dysentery with dull-coloured blood and pus
- Diarrhoea that will not stop after long illness
- Abdominal pain relieved by warmth and pressure
- Chronic bloody stool in a cold, depleted patient
Health Categories
Modern Applications
Common adjustments
- Yang collapse with cold limbs — add Fu Zi Fu Zi (Zhi) under supervision to rescue the yang
- Qi deficiency with sinking and prolapse — add Ren Shen 人参 and Bai Zhu 白术
- Bleeding prominent — add Pao Jiang 炮姜 or charred stanching herbs per pattern
Contraindications
Absolutely not for damp-heat dysentery — bright red blood, burning at the anus, tenesmus, thirst and a yellow greasy coating mean heat that must be cleared, and sealing the bowel then drives the illness inward. Blood in the stool always warrants a diagnosis before it is treated as a deficiency pattern.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.
Pregnancy
Used with caution in pregnancy and only on practitioner advice; the ingredients are not classically restricted, but bloody stool in pregnancy needs medical assessment first.
Related Formulas
References
Source Shang Han Lun 《伤寒论》 · Eastern Han
「少阴病，下利便脓血者，桃花汤主之。」
- 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.