Zhi Zi Bai Pi Tang栀子柏皮汤

Gardenia and Phellodendron Decoction

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

Ingredients3 herbs

HerbDosageWhat it does in this formula

栀Zhi Zi栀子Gardeniae Fructus10gDrains heat from all three burners and leads it out through the urine, resolving the yellow 甘Zhi Gan Cao甘草炙Glycyrrhizae Radix Praeparata3gGuards the Stomach against two bitter cold herbs and harmonizes them 黄Huang Bai黄柏Phellodendri Chinensis Cortex6gClears damp-heat from the lower burner and strengthens the heat-clearing action

Indications

Clears heat and resolves jaundiceDrains fire from the middle and lower burnersRelieves irritability and feverProtects the Stomach from bitter cold

Damp-heat jaundice in which heat is the greater part: heat steams the interior and shows as fever, thirst and irritability, while the damp component is light and the bowels move freely.

Clinical Manifestations

Jaundice with fever and irritability
Damp-heat jaundice where heat predominates
Fever with dark urine and a bitter taste
Jaundice without constipation or abdominal fullness
Restlessness and thirst in a febrile jaundice

TongueRed with a thin yellow coating

PulseRapid

Health Categories

Skin HealthLiver Health & DetoxCold & Flu Relief

Modern Applications

Jaundice Hepatitis Febrile illness Hyperbilirubinemia Pruritus

Common adjustments

The damp component is more evident — add Yin Chen 茵陈 and Ze Xie 泽泻
Constipation appears — add Da Huang 大黄 — effectively returning to the parent formula
Marked irritability and insomnia — add Dan Dou Chi 淡豆豉
Itching of the skin — add Di Fu Zi 地肤子

Contraindications

Bitter and cold throughout, so it is wrong for yin jaundice with a dull colour, cold limbs and a pale tongue, and it should not be continued once the fever has settled. Any jaundice needs a medical diagnosis before it is treated as a pattern.

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

Pregnancy

Use with caution in pregnancy — the formula is uniformly bitter and cold and can injure Spleen yang, though it lacks the purgative of the parent formula. Jaundice in pregnancy needs urgent medical assessment.

Related Formulas

References

Source Shang Han Lun 《伤寒论》 · Eastern Han

「伤寒身黄发热，栀子柏皮汤主之。」
— 《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）— 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.