long dan xie gan wan  龍膽瀉肝丸

by: Joe Hing Kwok Chu  按此看中文。

Name of Formula: Long Dan Xie Gan Wan

Source of formula: (Lan Shi Mi Cang) See Warning.

Uses:

(1). Traditional uses: for overactive sympathetic nervous system, bacterial infection of urinary tract and/or vagina area, jaundice due to hepatitis, middle ear infection, gall bladder stones, conjunctivitis, migraine due to overactive sympathetic nervous system, overactive thyroid.

(2) New uses: 1. Mondor disease (source: 新 用 薈 萃 )

Directions: With high liver fire or liver/gall bladder with damp heat, take 3 times a day, 9 grams each time.

For shingles (herpes zoster), acute psoriasis, acute skin allergies with high liver fire or liver/gall bladder  with damp heat, take 3 times a day, 9 grams each time.

Caution: Do not use this formula if the diagnosis is blood deficiency and wind heat (血 虛 風 燥 ).

Ingredients of formula:

long dan cao 200 g, huang qin 100 g, jiang zhi shan ji 100 g, ze xie 200 g, mu tong 100 g, yan zhi che qian zi 100 g, chai hu 200 g, dang gui 100 g, gan cao 100 g, sheng di 100 g.

Directions for making pills: Grind into powder and make into pills with refined honey.

Dosage: 3 times per day, 9 grams each time. Take pills after meals with lukewarm drinking water. Dosage is to be adjusted for children. Stop taking when problem is solved. It is especially important that those who are spleen and stomach deficient do  not take this formula for a long period of time.

Note: Ready-made formulae are available over the counter. Unless you know the prepackaged herbs are safe, however, it is better to use the raw herbs and make them yourselves. Many prepackaged herbs have been tested by the government of ROC in Taiwan. Many did not pass the test. For example, sometimes the packages do not list all the ingredients properly or do not have expiration dates. Other times, the pills contain toxic trace minerals or vary in size. If you use raw herbs to make the pills yourself, it is important to know how to identify the individual herbs. If you need assistance in finding out if certain prepackaged herbs are safe or not, email our Research Librarian.

Warning: This formula can be toxic to the kidneys because of the herb mu tong. There are different varieties of mu tong in the market. Before the Qing dynasty, however, it was not toxic because mu tong was derived from either the plant of Akebia guinata or the plant Akebia lobata.  Today, ninety five percent of mu tong (guan mu tong 關木通) used in China is from the stem of Aristolochia debilis, a toxic plant usually grown in the northeastern provinces of China, formerly called Manchuria. Only rarely in a few localities in China, is mu tong obtained from Akebia guinata or Akebia lobata being used. Today, all formulae that contain guan mu tong are being banned in China because of the toxicity to the kidneys.

Letter of FDA to Industry

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In Chinese:

龍膽瀉肝丸(蘭室秘藏）

主治：肝陽上亢症狀之高血壓﹐属肝膽实火之癫狂﹐急性結膜炎﹐急性中耳炎﹐鼻前庭及外耳道之癤﹐急性膽囊炎﹐急性肝炎﹐自律神經失調症﹐黴菌或細菌感染帶下﹐腹股溝淋巴結炎﹐膀胱炎﹐尿道炎﹐急性睪丸炎﹐急性前列腺炎﹐過敏性皮膚炎﹐带狀疱疹﹐骨盤內炎症﹐膣炎﹐陰部疼痛﹐子宮內膜炎等症。

新用途：

 胸壁淺表血栓性靜脈炎 （Mondor disease） ( 新 用 薈 萃 )

龍膽草200克﹐黃芩100克﹐山梔(薑治) 100克﹐澤瀉200克﹐木通100克﹐

車前子(鹽制)100克﹐柴胡200克﹐當歸100克﹐甘草100克﹐生地100克﹐

煉蜜為丸。

用法﹕每日三次。每次9克。兒童用量酌減。飯後溫開水送服。10天為一療程。一般服一至二療程即得有效。忌辛辣刺激食物。脾胃虛弱者不宜久服。

注意﹕ 木通有幾種。現在市場上賣的 95% 是關木通, 屬于馬兜鈴科﹐對腎臟有毒。凡含有關木通的成藥將被禁賣。

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