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Qing Ban Xia清半夏

Pinelliae Rhizoma praeparata cum Alumine · Alum-processed Pinellia

Herbs that Transform Phlegm and Stop Coughing 化痰止咳平喘药Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing 《神农本草经》, as Ban Xia 半夏

Overview

Pinellia tuber steeped and processed with alum. The raw tuber is toxic and fiercely irritating to the throat and mucous membranes, and is never taken internally; this processing is what makes the herb usable, and Qing Ban Xia is the form that leans furthest toward drying damp and transforming phlegm. Acrid and warm, entering the Spleen, Stomach and Lung, it is the backbone of the damp-phlegm formulas — Er Chen Tang 二陈汤 chief among them.

Nature & Flavor

Acrid · Warm

Channels

Spleen · Stomach · Lung

Typical Dosage

3–9 g in decoction
清半夏Photography for this entry is on its way.

Actions

4 core actions

  • Dries dampness, transforms phlegmCough with copious white sputum that comes up easily, a full oppressed chest, and the dizziness and heavy head of phlegm-damp.
  • Directs counterflow downward, stops vomitingNausea and vomiting where phlegm-damp is blocking the Stomach; the ginger-processed Jiang Ban Xia 姜半夏 is the form preferred when nausea leads the picture.
  • Disperses clumping, dissipates nodulesFocal epigastric distention that is soft to the touch, and the plum-pit sensation of something lodged in the throat.
  • How the processed forms differQing Ban Xia 清半夏 (alum) is the drying, phlegm-transforming form; Jiang Ban Xia 姜半夏 (ginger) is directed at nausea and vomiting; Fa Ban Xia 法半夏 (licorice and lime) is milder and favoured for drying damp and harmonizing the Stomach over longer courses.

In Formulas

Formulas containing Qing Ban Xia

No published formula lists this herb yet — the library is growing.

Indications & Clinical Uses

  • Cough with copious white or watery sputum
    - Dizziness and a heavy, muddled head from phlegm-damp
    - Nausea and vomiting from phlegm-damp in the Stomach
    - Soft focal distention below the breastbone; plum-pit throat sensation

Western Medical Keywords

Searchable condition terms

Productive coughNauseaVertigoFunctional dyspepsia

Contraindications

Cautions

Only the properly processed article is used internally — raw Pinellia is toxic and strongly irritating to the throat and mucous membranes, and Qing Ban Xia is precisely the alum-processed form prepared to make it safe. Warm and drying, so it is unsuitable on its own for a dry cough of yin deficiency, for bleeding, or for hot, thick, sticky phlegm without appropriate partners. Classical incompatibility: not combined with the Wu Tou group (Chuan Wu, Cao Wu, Fu Zi). Source it from a licensed supplier; do not use unprocessed material.

Contraindicated in pregnancy: Use with caution in pregnancy, and only where a practitioner has weighed it directly

For licensed practitioners’ reference only

References

  1. Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing《神农本草经》, as Ban Xia 半夏 (classical source, public domain).
    2. Bensky, Clavey & Stöger. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed.
    3. 《中华人民共和国药典》.

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.