Qing Dan Li Shi Tang
StarSource: Tian Jin Nan Kai Yi Yuan Fang
Last updated October 23, 2026
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Description
Qing Dan Li Shi Tang (Clear the Gallbladder and Drain Damp Decoction), from Tian Jin Nan Kai Yi Yuan Fang.
Actions: Clear Gallbladder, promote urination, stop pain, and reduce jaundice.
Indications: Damp–heat type of cholecystitis and cholelithiasis. Symptoms include distending or spasmodic pain at the hypochondrium, bitter taste in mouth, dry throat, dizziness, no desire to eat, alternating chills and fever; yellow sclera, yellow body and yellow urine the color of a tangerine; constipation; red tongue yellow with greasy coating, and wiry, slippery, or slippery, rapid pulse.
Caution: Mu Tong here is Akebia (Akebiae Caulis). Guan Mu Tong (Aristolochia) is nephrotoxic and must never be substituted.
Source: Liu C, Tseng A, with Yang S. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Modern Applications of Traditional Formulas. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2005, p. 232.
Composition
| Herb | Amount | % | Role | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Chai Hu
as printed: Chai Hu 9 g
|
9g | 9.38% | — | |
|
Huang Qin
as printed: Huang Qin 9 g
|
9g | 9.38% | — | |
|
Ban Xia
as printed: Ban Xia 9 g
|
9g | 9.38% | — | |
|
Mu Xiang
as printed: Mu Xiang 9 g
|
9g | 9.38% | — | |
|
Yu Jin
as printed: Yu Jin 9 g
|
9g | 9.38% | — | |
|
Da Huang
as printed: Da Huang (add near end) 9 g
|
9g | 9.38% | — | |
|
Che Qian Zi
as printed: Che Qian Zi 9 g
|
9g | 9.38% | — | |
|
Mu Tong
as printed: Mu Tong 9 g; Akebia (owner decision 2026-10-22) — never substitute Guan Mu Tong
|
9g | 9.38% | — | |
|
Zhi Zi
as printed: Shan Zhi Zi 9 g
|
9g | 9.38% | — | |
|
Yin Chen
as printed: Yin Chen Hao 15 g
|
15g | 15.63% | — |
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 cool (-1.19)
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Grams by band: cold 56%, cool 25%, warm 19%.
Small but decisive: Huang Qin 9g (cold, 9% of the grams), Yu Jin 9g (cold, 9% of the grams), Da Huang 9g (cold, 9% of the grams), Che Qian Zi 9g (cold, 9% of the grams), Mu Tong 9g (cold, 9% of the grams), Zhi Zi 9g (cold, 9% of the grams). Dose weighting nearly cancels a herb this small, but it may be what the formula is for.
Taste
- pungent 31%
- sweet 5%
- bitter 59%
- bland 5%
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Channels reached
- Stomach 53%
- Spleen 53%
- Liver 53%
- Lung 47%
- Gallbladder 44%
- Heart 38%
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.
Conditions Addressed
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Formula family
Full equations
- This formula = Yin Chen Hao Tang + Ban Xia, Chai Hu, Che Qian Zi, Huang Qin, Mu Tong, Mu Xiang and Yu Jin. Da Huang at about 2.5× the dose relative to the other herbs, against the catalogue's Yin Chen Hao Tang.
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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