Bai He Gu Jin Tang
Star百合固金汤 (Lily Bulb Decoction to Preserve the Metal)
Source: Yi Fang Ji Jie quoted from Dr Zhao Ji An (1573)
Last updated October 1, 2026
Description
Bai He Gu Jin Tang (Lily Bulb Decoction to Preserve the Metal), from the Yi Fang Ji Jie quoted from Dr Zhao Ji An, is used to nourish Lung- and Kidney-Yin; moisten the Lung, reduce heat and transform phlegm.
Presentation: cough; coughing of blood; dry throat; bone steaming; night sweats; warm palms and soles; tongue: red without coating; pulse: thready and rapid.
Syndrome: Syndrome of Lung-Yin deficiency.
Composition strategy:
- Lung and Kidney are mother-son; herbs tonify both Lung- and Kidney-Yin although symptoms show in the Lung
- Mai Men Dong (Heart-Yin) plus Bai Shao and Dang Gui (blood) reflect links between Yin and blood and among Lung, Heart, Liver and Kidney Yin
Note: the book prints different doses in its two discussions of this formula: Bai He 3 g (p. 160) vs 6 g (p. 354).
Source: Yang Y. Chinese Herbal Formulas: Treatment Principles and Composition Strategies. Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, 2010, p. 160, 354.
Composition
| Herb | Amount | % | Role | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Bai He
as printed: Bai He (Lilii bulbus)
|
3g | 7.32% | Jun (Chief) | nourish Yin and reduce heat |
|
Sheng Di Huang
as printed: Sheng Di Huang (Rehmanniae radix)
|
6g | 14.63% | Jun (Chief) | nourish Yin and reduce heat |
|
Shu Di Huang
as printed: Shu Di Huang (Rehmanniae radix praeparata)
|
9g | 21.95% | Jun (Chief) | nourish Yin (Kidney) |
|
Mai Men Dong
as printed: Mai Men Dong (Ophiopogonis radix)
|
5g | 12.2% | Chen (Deputy) | reduce Upper-Jiao heat; also nourish Heart-Yin |
|
Xuan Shen
as printed: Xuan Shen (Scrophulariae radix)
|
3g | 7.32% | Chen (Deputy) | reduce Upper-Jiao heat |
|
Chuan Bei Mu
as printed: Chuan Bei Mu (Fritillariae cirrhosae bulbus)
|
3g | 7.32% | Zuo (Assistant) | eliminate phlegm |
|
Jie Geng
as printed: Jie Geng (Platycodi radix)
|
3g | 7.32% | Zuo (Assistant) | eliminate phlegm; with Gan Cao reduce heat-toxin and benefit throat |
|
Dang Gui
as printed: Dang Gui (Angelicae sinensis radix)
|
3g | 7.32% | Zuo (Assistant) | tonify blood to tonify Yin |
|
Bai Shao
as printed: Bai Shao Yao (Paeoniae radix lactiflora)
|
3g | 7.32% | Zuo (Assistant) | tonify blood to tonify Yin |
|
Gan Cao
as printed: Gan Cao (Glycyrrhizae radix)
|
3g | 7.32% | Zuo (Assistant) | reduce heat-toxin and benefit throat |
Energetics dose-weighted
The formula's overall nature, taste balance and channel reach, weighted by each herb's dose. Classical formulas often pair warm and cool herbs on purpose, so a net figure summarises the mix — it doesn't describe every herb in it.
Nature
Net slightly cool (-0.61)
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Grams by band: cold 34%, cool 22%, neutral 15%, warm 29%.
Pairs warm and cool. 29% of the weighed grams are warm or hot and 56% cool or cold — the net is their average, not the whole story.
Small but decisive: Bai He 3g (cold, 7% of the grams). Dose weighting nearly cancels a herb this small, but it may be what the formula is for.
Taste
- pungent 7%
- sweet 56%
- sour 4%
- bitter 31%
- salty 2%
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Channels reached
- Heart 56%
- Liver 51%
- Lung 49%
- Kidney 44%
- Spleen 34%
- Stomach 27%
Share of the grams entering each channel, from 100% of the weighed grams.
Dose-weighted from each herb's recorded nature, taste and channels (missing values are left out, never counted as neutral). It describes the composition — it is not a recommendation.
Preparation
Decoction. Most practitioners now use 2-3 times the listed dosage; some texts raise lily bulb to 24g. Fritillariae cirrhosae Bulbus (chuan bei mu) is generally used.
Source: Scheid V, Bensky D, Ellis A, Barolet R. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies, 2nd ed. Eastland Press, 2009, p. 384.
Relationships
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Formula family
Each entry reads as the larger formula written out: “+” adds its other catalogue cores, then the herbs none of them hold. A catalogue formula counts as a core only when at least 80% of its herbs are present, no more than 1 is absent, and the absent herb is not its chief.
Formula Network
Formulas that share herbs with this one — the closer to the centre, the stronger the match. Click a node to explore.
Similar Formulas by composition
Match score combines dosage-weighted composition (cosine, 70%) with shared-herb overlap (Jaccard, 30%).
Traditional formula information is for educational purposes only. Herbal formulas should be prescribed by a qualified practitioner — dosages and combinations are individualized and can interact with medications.
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