Huang Gan Wan: A Pill for Treating 'Alcohol Damage'

The Comprehensive Records of Holy Beneficence (Shengji Zonglu) includes a formula called "Huang Gan Wan" for treating harm caused by drunkenness. It is simple in composition: equal parts of Huangbai (Phellodendri Cortex, coarse bark removed) and Gancao (Glycyrrhizae Radix), ground together into powder, then formed with refined honey as a binder into pellets the size of a phoenix-tree seed (about 6 mm across, roughly the size of a soybean). Take 20 pills each time, on an empty stomach in the early morning or before bed, washed down with warm water or Maidong (Ophiopogonis Radix) decoction.

This formula drains fire and resolves toxin, clears the heart and calms the spirit. It is indicated for damage from excessive drinking leading to accumulated internal heat, with nocturnal emission in dreams.

Drinking alcohol greatly harms the body, especially in heavy drinkers. Those who drink too much usually damage their stomach and intestines, which TCM regards as accumulated internal heat. Long-term heavy drinkers, nine out of ten, feel a burning pain in the stomach, some suffer acid reflux and regurgitation, and may also have bad breath; in TCM these symptoms belong to upper burner heat-toxin syndrome, often caused by gastrointestinal ulcers. Excessive drinking also affects sexual function, causing nocturnal emission, premature ejaculation, and impotence.

TCM treats this kind of "alcohol damage" by primarily clearing heat and resolving toxin. This formula pairs Huangbai with Gancao. Huangbai is bitter and cold, clearing heat and drying dampness; it not only clears heat and resolves toxin and repairs gastrointestinal ulcers, but also relieves loose stools. In addition, Huangbai is a commonly used herb for sexual dysfunction; Zhibai Dihuang Wan, a TCM formula for sexual dysfunction, contains it. Using Huangbai here is very appropriate.

But Huangbai is bitter and cold and must be assisted by Gancao so as not to injure the stomach through excessive coldness. Gancao itself is also commonly used for stomach pain and gastric ulcers; TCM holds that it strengthens the spleen, stops pain, and mitigates the side effects of other herbs. In this formula, Gancao therefore serves multiple purposes.

Regular drinkers with the above problems may prepare these pills themselves according to the formula, or simply take suitable amounts of Gancao and Huangbai steeped in boiling water as a tea. Alcohol damage cannot be cured in a day or two; patients must persevere patiently, and at the same time stop drinking in order to remove the root.