Xie Bai San
Classical TCM Formula Profile
Part of the HJMEDICAL TCM Discovery Center
瀉白散 · Xiè Bái Sàn
A classical formula for constrained Lung heat with cough, skin heat and mild wheezing, especially in children.
Read the complete guide →Quick Facts
- Formula Category
- Heat-Clearing Formulas
- Primary Pattern
- Lung Heat
- Primary Function
- Clear Lung heat, stop cough and wheezing
- Primary Therapeutic Principle
- Clear constrained heat in the Lung and stop cough
- Classical Source
- Li Dongyuan school / classical
- Available as Granules
- Yes
Formula Overview
A classical formula for constrained Lung heat with cough, skin heat and mild wheezing, especially in children.
Therapeutic Principle
Traditionally selected for constrained Lung heat with mild cough and skin heat — especially in children — rather than stronger heat-wheezing, phlegm-heat, or early Wind-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AssistantTreats accompanying patterns
Classical Composition
- Lycii Cortex (Di Gu Pi) 1 liang (30g)
- Mori Cortex (Sang Bai Pi dry-fried) 1 liang (30g)
- Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma Praeparata cum Melle (Zhi Gan Cao) 1 qian (3g)
Dosages follow the classical source and are shown for study, not as a prescription.
Related Conditions
Related Health Topics
Actions
- Clears and drains the heat constraint and relieves coughing and panting.
Indications
- This formula is indicated for coughing and panting caused by lung heat.
- The symptoms are coughing, panting, and steaming heat of skin that worsens in the late afternoon, a red tongue body with a yellow coating, and a thready, rapid pulse.
Traditional Pathogenesis
Cause & mechanism
- This is a pattern of heat constraint and fire retention in the lung.
- The heat is constrained in the lung, which causes qi to counterflow and produce coughing and panting.
- Lung heat steams outward to the skin, resulting in steaming heat of the skin.
- Different from exterior heat, retained interior heat gradually consumes yin, which increases the steaming heat in the late afternoon.
- When the skin is first touched, steaming heat is evident by the warmth that is initially felt.
- However, the heat sensation decreases over a period of time.
- This characteristic makes this type of steaming heat different from the steaming heat of yangming, which increases over time.
Clinical presentation
- A red tongue body with a yellow coating and a thready, rapid pulse are signs of consumption of yin by pathogenic heat.
Treatment strategy
- Therefore, the therapeutic method used is to clear and drain heat constraint, and to relieve coughing and panting.
How does this formula compare?
Clinical Perspective
Xie Bai San, Ma Xing Shi Gan Tang, Qing Qi Hua Tan Tang and Sang Ju Yin all address Lung heat or cough. Ma Xing Shi Gan Tang is stronger for heat with wheezing and residual exterior; Qing Qi Hua Tan Tang clears phlegm-heat with yellow sticky sputum; Sang Ju Yin is early Wind-Heat. Xie Bai San clears constrained Lung heat with mild cough and skin heat, often used in children.
Clinical Differentiation
- Xie Bai San is a commonly used formula used to treat coughing and panting caused by retained fire in the lung.
- This clinical pattern is marked by coughing, panting, and breathlessness, steaming heat of the skin, red tongue body with a yellow coating, and thready, rapid pulse.
Safety notes: Do not use the formula in patients with a cough caused by wind-cold or deficiency of the lung.
For educational reference only, based on traditional pattern differentiation — not a substitute for professional advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the actions of Xie Bai San?
Xie Bai San has the actions of draining latent Heat from the Lung and stopping cough and wheezing. It gently clears constrained or smoldering Fire in the Lung rather than attacking fierce excess Heat.
Which modern diseases is Xie Bai San suited to?
Modern TCM clinical practice commonly applies it to individuals whose pattern differentiation falls within latent Lung Heat, including pediatric bronchitis or pneumonia of Heat type, residual cough after a febrile illness, early-stage measles with Lung Heat, and certain cases of whooping cough or lingering Heat-type cough in children and adults.
Is Xie Bai San suitable for improving cough and wheezing with skin that feels hot in the afternoon?
For presentations of cough and panting, skin that feels steaming hot to the touch (often worse in the late afternoon), a red tongue with yellow coating, and a thin rapid pulse — reflecting Fire constrained in the Lung rather than an acute Wind-Cold attack — TCM commonly applies Xie Bai San as an adjunct. It cannot replace standard pediatric or respiratory medical care.
Related Products
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Related Articles
Xie Bai San: Classic TCM Formula for Lung Heat, Cough, Wheezing & Steaming Heat in the Skin
Ma Xing Shi Gan Tang: Traditional Chinese Herbal Formula for Cough, Wheezing, and Lung Heat
Sang Ju Yin: Classic TCM Formula for Early-Stage Wind-Heat, Cough & Sore Throat
Qing Qi Hua Tan Tang: Classic TCM Formula for Phlegm-Heat in the Lungs, Cough & Yellow Sputum
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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.