Qing Qi Hua Tan Wan
Star清气化痰丸 (Clear the Qi and Transform Phlegm Pill)
Source: Yin Fang Kao (1584)
Last updated October 1, 2026
Description
Qing Qi Hua Tan Wan (Clear the Qi and Transform Phlegm Pill), from the Yin Fang Kao, is used to clear heat and transform phlegm; regulate the Qi and stop cough.
Presentation: cough with yellow sticky sputum difficult to expectorate; fullness in chest, upper abdominal distension; scanty urine; difficulty breathing in severe cases; tongue: red tongue with yellow sticky coating; pulse: slippery and rapid.
Syndrome: Syndrome of phlegm.
Composition strategy:
- Most herbs enter the Lung and descend, removing phlegm-heat directly
- Large Intestine-descending herbs assist the Lung-Qi descent
- Dispersing herbs make Lung-Qi movement more active
- Few heat-clearing herbs: once phlegm clears and Qi flows, heat subsides
Source: Yang Y. Chinese Herbal Formulas: Treatment Principles and Composition Strategies. Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, 2010, p. 243.
Composition
| Herb | Amount | % | Role | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Dan Nan Xing
as printed: Dan Nan Xing (Pulvis arisaemae cum felle bovis)
|
45g | 16.67% | Jun (Chief) | clear heat and dissolve phlegm |
|
Huang Qin
as printed: Huang Qin (Scutellariae radix)
|
30g | 11.11% | Chen (Deputy) | clear heat |
|
Gua Lou Ren
as printed: Gua Lou Ren (Trichosanthis semen)
|
30g | 11.11% | Chen (Deputy) | remove phlegm-heat, descend Qi via Large Intestine |
|
Zhi Shi
as printed: Zhi Shi (Aurantii fructus immaturus)
|
30g | 11.11% | Chen (Deputy) | regulate Qi, remove phlegm, promote bowel movement |
|
Chen Pi
as printed: Chen Pi (Citri reticulatae pericarpium)
|
30g | 11.11% | Chen (Deputy) | regulate Qi and remove phlegm |
|
Fu Ling
as printed: Fu Ling (Poria)
|
30g | 11.11% | Zuo (Assistant) | strengthen Spleen, leach out dampness |
|
Xing Ren
as printed: Xing Ren (Armeniacae semen)
|
30g | 11.11% | Zuo (Assistant) | disperse and descend Lung-Qi, remove phlegm |
|
Ban Xia
as printed: Ban Xia (Pinelliae rhizoma)
|
45g | 16.67% | Zuo (Assistant) | disperse and descend Lung-Qi, remove phlegm |
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.
Clears heat and transforms thick phlegm while moistening and directing phlegm downward.
Phlegm-heat cough with thick yellow sputum.
Clears and transforms phlegm-heat while draining fire from the lungs at its source.
Phlegm-heat cough. Dan Nan Xing is Tian Nan Xing processed with bile, which moderates its toxicity; the raw root is toxic.
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 (-0.33)
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Grams by band: cold 22%, cool 28%, neutral 11%, warm 39%.
Pairs warm and cool. 39% of the weighed grams are warm or hot and 50% cool or cold — the net is their average, not the whole story.
Taste
- pungent 26%
- sweet 17%
- sour 4%
- bitter 48%
- bland 6%
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Channels reached
- Lung 89%
- Spleen 78%
- Stomach 50%
- Large intestine 44%
- Heart 22%
- Liver 17%
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
Powder and form into pills with ginger juice; 6-9g twice daily. May be decocted with proportionally reduced doses.
Source: Scheid V, Bensky D, Ellis A, Barolet R. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies, 2nd ed. Eastland Press, 2009, p. 791.
Relationships
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Formula family
Full herb lists
- This formula = Ju Xing Wan + Dan Nan Xing, Gua Lou Ren, Huang Qin, Zhi Shi, Ban Xia and Fu Ling
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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