Qing Hao Bie Jia Tang
Classical TCM Formula Profile
Part of the HJMEDICAL TCM Discovery Center
青蒿鱉甲湯 · Qīng Hāo Biē Jiǎ Tāng
A classical warm-disease formula for later-stage yin deficiency with latent heat — night fever, morning coolness.
Read the complete guide →Quick Facts
- Formula Category
- Heat-Clearing Formulas
- Primary Pattern
- Yin Deficiency
- Primary Function
- Nourish Yin, vent heat, clear deficiency heat
- Primary Therapeutic Principle
- Enrich Yin and vent latent heat from the yin aspect
- Classical Source
- Wen Bing Tiao Bian (Wu Jutong, 1798)
- Available as Granules
- Yes
Formula Overview
A classical warm-disease formula for later-stage yin deficiency with latent heat — night fever, morning coolness.
Therapeutic Principle
Traditionally selected for later-stage warm-disease Yin deficiency with latent heat (night fever, morning coolness), rather than Kidney Yin-fire, night-sweat heat, or residual Qi-aspect heat.
Composition: Sovereign, Minister, Assistant, Envoy
Every herb in the formula, grouped by the job it does in the classical hierarchy.
君SovereignTreats the main pattern
臣MinisterReinforces the sovereign
佐/使Assistant & EnvoyTreats accompanying patterns, harmonises the whole
Classical Composition
- Artemisiae Annuae Herba (Qing Hao) 2 qian (9g)
- Trionycis Carapax (Bie Jie) 5 qian (15g)
- Rehmanniae Radix (Sheng Di) 4 qian (12g)
- Anemarrhenae Rhizoma (Zhi Mu) 2 qian (6g)
- Moutan Cortex (Mu Dan Pi) 3 qian (9g)
Dosages follow the classical source and are shown for study, not as a prescription.
Related Conditions
Related Health Topics
Actions
- Nourishes yin and vents heat.
Indications
- This formula is indicated for patterns where yin has been damaged along with latent pathogens.
- The symptoms are night fever that abates at dawn, fever that abates without sweating, a red tongue body with a scanty coating, and a thready, rapid pulse.
Traditional Pathogenesis
Cause & mechanism
- This pattern is caused by damage to the yin in the later stage of a warm disease, where there is also latent residual heat in the yin level.
- The wei yang of the human body runs in the exterior during the daytime and goes into the interior at night.
- Since latent heat has become retained in the yin level, when wei yang moves into the yin level during the night, it adds to the residual heat that is latent in the yin level.
- There becomes too much yang for the yin to balance, which causes the night fever.
- When wei yang moves back out of the yin level to the exterior in daytime, the fever abates at dawn.
- Although the fever may abate at dawn, the latent heat pathogen is still retained in the yin level unable to be released from the exterior.
- In addition, the residual heat damages yin over time, so there is no fluids for sweat.
- This results in a fever that abates without sweating.
- The characteristic feature of this pattern’s pathogenesis is damage to yin with latent heat in the yin level of the lower jiao.
Clinical presentation
- A red tongue with scant coating and a thready, rapid pulse are signs of yin deficiency and heat.
Treatment strategy
- Therefore, the therapeutic method is to nourish yin and expel pathogens.
How does this formula compare?
Clinical Perspective
Qing Hao Bie Jia Tang, Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan, Dang Gui Liu Huang Tang and Zhu Ye Shi Gao Tang clear deficiency heat. Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan clears Yin-deficiency fire; Dang Gui Liu Huang Tang clears heat and secures the exterior for night sweating; Zhu Ye Shi Gao Tang clears residual heat with fluid generation. Qing Hao Bie Jia Tang enriches Yin and vents latent heat for later-stage warm disease — night fever with morning coolness.
Clinical Differentiation
- Qing Hao Bie Jia Tang is a commonly used formula used to treat yin that has been damaged along with latent pathogens in the later stage of warm disease.
- This clinical pattern is marked by night fever that abates at dawn, fever that abates without sweating, red tongue body with scanty coating, thready, rapid pulse.
Safety notes: Do not use the formula in patients where the yin deficiency is about to generate wind.
For educational reference only, based on traditional pattern differentiation — not a substitute for professional advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the actions of Qing Hao Bie Jia Tang?
Qing Hao Bie Jia Tang has the actions of nourishing Yin and venting lingering Heat from the Yin aspect. Wu Jutong designed it for late-stage warm disease when Heat has sunk into Yin: fever at night that cools by morning, with a red tongue and little coating.
Which modern conditions is Qing Hao Bie Jia Tang suited to?
Modern TCM clinical practice commonly applies it to individuals whose pattern differentiation falls within lingering Yin-aspect Heat, including low-grade night fever after a warm-febrile illness, some consumptive or postoperative night-heat pictures of this pattern, and residual Heat with Yin injury once serious infection has been medically assessed.
Is Qing Hao Bie Jia Tang suitable for fever that rises at night and fades in the morning?
For presentations of night fever that recedes by morning without a proper Heat-clearing sweat, emaciation or dryness after a warm disease, a red tongue with scant coating, and a thin rapid pulse — in those whose pattern differentiation confirms Heat lurking in Yin — TCM commonly applies this formula as an adjunct. Persistent fever still requires medical investigation of infection, inflammation, and other causes.
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Qing Hao Bie Jia Tang: Classic TCM Formula for Residual Heat in Yin, Night Fever & Morning Coolness
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Medical Disclaimer
For general TCM education only — not medical advice. Consult a qualified TCM practitioner or licensed healthcare provider before use, especially if pregnant, nursing, on medication, or managing a chronic condition.