Huanglian Zhuru Jupi Banxia Tang for Damp-Heat Vomiting
'Huanglian Zhuru Jupi Banxia Tang' is from Wenre Jingwei. It consists of equal parts Huanglian (Coptidis Rhizoma), Zhuru (Bambusae Caulis in Taeniam), Jupi (Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium) and Banxia (Pinelliae Rhizoma). Decoct in water, strain and take warm, twice daily. This formula clears the stomach and resolves dampness, downbears counterflow and stops vomiting; it is a commonly used formula for damp-heat vomiting.
Today it is often used for the vomiting and diarrhea of acute gastroenteritis. This condition is most common in young children and is usually caused by irregular diet. But cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy also frequently develop these symptoms, because chemotherapy drugs greatly damage the digestive tract, so this formula may also be used for chemotherapy-induced vomiting and diarrhea.
In this formula, Huanglian clears heat and dries dampness and is an important Chinese medicine herb for gastroenteritis; the berberine it contains is a modern common treatment for acute gastroenteritis, so Huanglian here is used on a disease-differentiation basis. Zhuru, Jupi and Banxia are commonly used antiemetics; together they have a strong antiemetic effect.
This formula is derived from Jupi Zhuru Tang. Wang Shixiong commented that it 'removes the warming fresh ginger and the sweet Gancao from Jupi Zhuru Tang; adds the bitter-cold Huanglian to downbear the counterflow fire ascending on all sides, and the pungent-opening Banxia to unblock the rebelling and binding qi.' Although Jupi Zhuru Tang is a common antiemetic formula, it is not very effective for acute gastroenteritis.
Because acute gastroenteritis mostly occurs in summer and autumn, the ancients regarded such illnesses as damp-heat diseases, and therefore classified them as damp-heat vomiting. From a modern medical point of view, the main reason is that summer and autumn foods (especially raw and cold foods) contain more pathogenic bacteria; after eating unclean food the patient develops a bacterial infection, hence the illness.