For clearing heat and purging fire, you might try Sanhuang Pian.
Introduction: For symptoms like toothache from heat, sores around the mouth and nose, many people know to take Sanhuang Pian. But do you know the origin of this Chinese patent medicine that clears heat, detoxifies, purges fire, and relieves constipation? In fact, the precursor to Sanhuang Pian is the famous millennium-old formula, Xiexin Tang.
First recorded in the "Jin Gui Yao Lue," Xiexin Tang was originally primarily used to treat hematemesis (vomiting blood) and epistaxis (nosebleeds) caused by blazing fire in the heart and stomach forcing blood to flow erratically. A closer analysis of this formula reveals that Scutellaria (Huangqin), Coptis (Huanglian), and Rhubarb (Dahuang) each purge fire from the upper, middle, and lower jiao (burners), respectively. Therefore, although the formula is named "Xiexin" (Purging the Heart), it is not limited to just clearing heart fire. It can be used to treat symptoms caused by excess fire everywhere, such as red, swollen and painful eyes, sores in the mouth, tongue ulcers, hematemesis, hematochezia (bloody stools), hemorrhoids, constipation, and skin sores. This formula is also commonly used for carbuncles, boils, and sores caused by blazing fire toxins, and it has excellent efficacy in treating acne. Besides oral administration, the three ingredients can also be ground into a fine powder for external application.
When taking Sanhuang Pian, it is important to note that Rhubarb, Scutellaria, and Coptis are all Chinese herbs with a bitter and cold nature, which can easily damage the spleen and stomach. Frequent or long-term use can lead to abnormal contraction and relaxation of gastrointestinal smooth muscle and abnormal neuroendocrine regulation in the gastrointestinal tract, causing gastrointestinal dysfunction. Moreover, it is not suitable for individuals with a deficient and cold spleen and stomach.
There are two possible reasons for long-term use of Sanhuang Pian: one might be for constipation, and the other might be for weight loss. I suspect the second reason is more likely. We can analyze the composition of Sanhuang Pian: its main ingredients are Scutellaria, Coptis, and Phellodendron. All three herbs are bitter and cold in nature and are purgatives. Excessive consumption can easily damage the spleen and stomach, and long-term use can also harm the kidneys. As the saying goes: all medicines have some side effects.