Huangqin Qingfei Tang: A Formula of Only Two Herbs

In Weisheng Baojian (Mirror of Health-Boosting Prescriptions) there is a formula called "Huangqin Qingfei Tang." It is very simple, composed of Huangqin (Radix Scutellariae) 2 qian (6 g) and Zhizi (Fructus Gardeniae) 2 pieces (broken open). Each time, boil in one bowl of water until six-tenths remain, then strain. Take warm after meals, twice a day. This formula treats accumulation of heat in the lung with difficult urination (oliguria/dysuria).

Huangqin is an essential herb for clearing heat from the upper jiao (lung heat), and Zhizi is an essential herb for clearing heat from the lower jiao (bladder heat). So these two herbs can clear lung fire above and remove damp-heat from the bladder below, greatly draining the fire of the triple burner. According to modern pharmacological research, both Huangqin and Zhizi have good antimicrobial effects, and Zhizi is also a very effective diuretic. When Li Shizhen suffered a lung infection, his father treated him with the single herb Huangqin alone, precisely because Huangqin has such a good antimicrobial effect. Therefore, the combination of Huangqin and Zhizi can treat lung heat with thirst, cough and wheezing caused by various bacterial infections, where the heat has spread to the lower jiao so that urination is scanty, difficult and painful.

Steeping this formula as tea may work even better than decocting it, and is also easier to prepare.