温清饮

3. Tongue and pulse

• Tongue: Red or pale-red tongue body, with thin yellow or yellow greasy coating.
• Pulse: Thin and rapid, or wiry and rapid.

4. Granule conversion and dose

Calculation of the total raw herb weight in the original formula:

Dang Gui (Chinese angelica root) 9 g + Shu Di Huang (prepared rehmannia root) 12 g + Huang Lian (coptis rhizome) 6 g + Huang Qin (scutellaria root) 6 g + Bai Shao (white peony root) 9 g + Huang Bai (phellodendron bark) 6 g + Zhi Zi (gardenia fruit) 6 g + Chuan Xiong (chuanxiong rhizome) 6 g = 60 g.

Converted to 5:1 granules:

60 g raw herbs ÷ 5 = 12.0 g of granules.

Dose of granules: Dissolve in warm water and take twice daily, morning and evening, about 6 g per dose. It is recommended to take before meals.

5. Cautions and clinical notes

• Contraindications:
  1. This formula has strong heat-clearing and fire-draining action, and is therefore absolutely contraindicated in those with Spleen-Stomach cold deficiency or yang deficiency bleeding.
  2. To be used with caution in pregnant women.
• Key point: This formula is suitable for patterns where blood deficiency and excess heat coexist. It is not suitable for either pure blood deficiency or pure excess heat alone.
• Modern applications: Mainly used for dysfunctional uterine bleeding, pelvic inflammatory disease, vaginitis, menopausal syndrome, eczema, acne, and oral ulcers, when the pattern is identified as blood deficiency with heat, with intermingled cold and heat.
• Duration of use: This formula combines clearing and tonifying actions; it may be taken for a certain duration of use as advised by a practitioner. Once the fire-heat symptoms subside, the formula may be adjusted as appropriate, reducing the dosage of bitter, cold-natured herbs.