Hei Xi Dan
Star黑锡丹 (Lead Special Pill)
Source: Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang — Imperial Medical Department (1078)
Last updated October 1, 2026
Description
Hei Xi Dan (Lead Special Pill), from the Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang (Imperial Grace Formulary of the Tai Ping Era) by Imperial Medical Department.
Actions: Warms and tonifies true yang; Controls floating yang.
Presentation: 1. Kidney yang deficiency failing to grasp qi: upper excess with phlegm obstructing the chest, wheezing and dyspnea; lower deficiency with extremely cold extremities, continuous cold sweats, a pale tongue with a thin white coating, and a deep, faint pulse. 2. Ben tun (running piglet): qi rushing up from the lower abdomen to the chest, epigastrium and throat; distention and pain of chest, hypochondrium, epigastrium and abdomen. 3. Others: cold-type hernia with abdominal pain; borborygmus with loose stools; male impotence and infertility from yang deficiency; clear leukorrhea, irregular menstruation and infertility in women from blood deficiency-cold.
Composition: Hei Xi (lead) is a toxic heavy metal, rarely used today; most modern products remove it or substitute it. Included for historical/academic purposes.
Cautions:
- Contraindicated during pregnancy
- Potentially toxic (contains lead); use only when absolutely necessary and only briefly
Source: Chen JK, Chen TT. Chinese Herbal Formulas and Applications: Pharmacological Effects & Clinical Research. Art of Medicine Press, 2009, p. 492.
Composition
| Herb | Amount | % | Role | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Hei Xi
printed dose 60g (no single modern dose); as printed: Hei Xi (Lead, jing (cleaned)) 60g
|
g | — | anchors floating yang, guides qi downward, relieves wheezing and dyspnea | |
|
Liu Huang
printed dose 60g (no single modern dose); as printed: Liu Huang (Sulfur, use only the clear particles) 60g
|
g | — | warms and tonifies ming men fire to dispel cold | |
|
Zhi Fu Zi
printed dose 30g (no single modern dose); as printed: Fu Zi (Radix Aconiti Lateralis Praeparata, pao (blast-fried)) 30g
|
g | — | warms the Kidney and tonifies Kidney yang | |
|
Rou Gui
printed dose 15g (no single modern dose); as printed: Rou Gui (Cortex Cinnamomi, do not expose to heat) 15g
|
g | — | warms the Kidney and tonifies Kidney yang | |
|
Yang Qi Shi
printed dose 30g (no single modern dose); as printed: Yang Qi Shi (Actinolitum, shui fei (refined with water) into fine particles) 30g
|
g | — | warms ming men and dispels cold | |
|
Bu Gu Zhi
printed dose 30g (no single modern dose); as printed: Bu Gu Zhi (Fructus Psoraleae, jin (soaked) in liquor and chao (dry-fried)) 30g
|
g | — | warms ming men and dispels cold | |
|
Hu Lu Ba
printed dose 30g (no single modern dose); as printed: Hu Lu Ba (Semen Trigonellae, jin (soaked) in liquor and chao (dry-fried)) 30g
|
g | — | warms ming men and dispels cold | |
|
Xiao Hui Xiang
printed dose 30g (no single modern dose); as printed: Xiao Hui Xiang (Fructus Foeniculi, chao (dry-fried)) 30g
|
g | — | regulates qi, dissolves phlegm, warms the Kidney | |
|
Chen Xiang
printed dose 30g (no single modern dose); as printed: Chen Xiang (Lignum Aquilariae Resinatum, do not expose to heat) 30g
|
g | — | regulates qi, dissolves phlegm, warms the Kidney | |
|
Mu Xiang
printed dose 30g (no single modern dose); as printed: Mu Xiang (Radix Aucklandiae, do not expose to heat) 30g
|
g | — | regulates qi, dissolves phlegm, warms the Kidney | |
|
Rou Dou Kou
printed dose 30g (no single modern dose); as printed: Rou Dou Kou (Semen Myristicae, wei (roasted)) 30g
|
g | — | regulates qi, dissolves phlegm, warms the Kidney | |
|
Chuan Lian Zi
printed dose 30g (no single modern dose); as printed: Chuan Lian Zi (Fructus Toosendan, zheng (steamed)) 30g
|
g | — | bitter and cold; prevents the warm, drying herbs from injuring the body |
Dui Yao — Core Herb Pairs
The classical two-herb combinations at the heart of this formula, as recorded on the herbs' own pages — each pair has an action neither herb has alone.
Heavy descending of lead combined with the hot life-gate-warming action of sulphur, which warms Kidney yang and draws rebellious qi down to grasp qi.
Upper excess and lower deficiency with wheezing from Kidney failing to grasp qi. Both are toxic (lead and sulphur); short-term use only, contraindicated in pregnancy.
Preparation
Grind to fine powder, form pills with grain liquor, each the size of Wu Tong Zi (about 5 mm); take 30-40 pills on an empty stomach (men with Da Zao or salt-and-Sheng Jiang decoction; women with vinegar and Ai Ye decoction). Today 3-9g of pills per dose with warm water.
Relationships
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Formula family
Full herb lists
- This formula = Dan Liao Si Shen Wan + Chen Xiang, Chuan Lian Zi, Hei Xi, Hu Lu Ba, Liu Huang, Rou Gui, Yang Qi Shi and Zhi Fu Zi
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.
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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