Xie Bai San
Star泻白散 (Drain the White Powder)
Source: Xiao Er Yao Zheng Zhi Jue (1119)
Last updated October 1, 2026
Description
Xie Bai San (Drain the White Powder), from the Xiao Er Yao Zheng Zhi Jue, is used to drain heat from the Lung and relieve wheezing.
Presentation: Lung heat with injured Lung fluid; cough; wheezing; feverish sensation worse in the afternoon; dry mouth; tongue: red with a yellow coating; pulse: thready and rapid.
Syndrome: Syndrome of heat in the Lung.
Composition strategy:
- Targets mild smoldering Lung heat rather than clearing excess heat or nourishing Lung Yin
- For late and recovery stages of warm-febrile disease and mild cough/wheezing, e.g. recovery from bronchitis in children
Source: Yang Y. Chinese Herbal Formulas: Treatment Principles and Composition Strategies. Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, 2010, p. 110.
Composition
| Herb | Amount | % | Role | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sang Bai Pi
as printed: Sang Bai Pi (Mori cortex)
|
30g | 47.62% | Jun (Chief) | drain Lung heat safely, protect fluid |
|
Di Gu Pi
as printed: Di Gu Pi (Lycii cortex)
|
30g | 47.62% | Chen (Deputy) | enter Yin level; reduce smoldering Lung heat and Kidney empty-heat |
|
Gan Cao
role not named; as printed: Gan Cao (Glycyrrhizae radix)
|
3g | 4.76% | Zuo (Assistant) | tonify Stomach/Spleen to generate Lung Yin and Qi |
|
Jing Mi
role not named; dose printed as 15–30 g; as printed: Jing Mi (non-glutinous rice)
|
g | — | Zuo (Assistant) | tonify Stomach/Spleen ('cultivate Earth to generate Metal') |
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.
Together they drain lurking heat from the Lung and calm wheezing and cough without injuring the yin.
Classic indication: cough and wheezing from Lung heat with skin that feels hot, worse in the afternoon.
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 cold (-1.90)
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Grams by band: cold 95%, neutral 5%.
Taste
- sweet 76%
- bland 24%
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Channels reached
- Lung 100%
- Spleen 52%
- Kidney 48%
- Liver 48%
- Stomach 5%
- Heart 5%
Share of the grams entering each channel, from 100% of the weighed grams.
1 herb without a dose in grams, so left out of every figure above: Jing Mi.
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
Source: grind to powder, cook with the rice, take before meals. Now usually a decoction at one-third of the dose.
Source: Scheid V, Bensky D, Ellis A, Barolet R. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies, 2nd ed. Eastland Press, 2009, p. 186.
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Formula family
Full herb lists
- Sang Dan Xie Bai Tang = this formula + Chuan Bei Mu, Da Zao, Mu Dan Pi, Sang Ye and Zhu Ru
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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