Pulsatilla Decoction

Baekduong-tang

한글 백두옹탕 · Pinyin Bai Tou Weng Tang

白頭翁湯

Composition 構成

Baekduong Bai Tou Weng
白頭翁 백두옹 · Pulsatilla

6 g
Chief 君
Hwangbaek Huang Bai
黃柏 황백 · Phellodendron

6 g
Deputy 臣
Jinpi (Fraxinus) Qin Pi
秦皮 진피 · Ash Bark

6 g
Deputy 臣
Hwangnyeon Huang Lian
黃連 황련 · Coptis

6 g
Deputy 臣

Total 24 g per packet (첩) · representative dosage — verify against source texts.

Received this formula from your practitioner? Amounts shown here are classical reference values — granule and prepared products differ. Always follow your prescribed dosage and directions.

Actions 效能

Clears heat and resolves toxin from the intestines
Stops dysenteric diarrhoea with tenesmus

Indications 主治

Pattern-based

Shaoyin disease with diarrhoea and a wish to drink water because of heat
Heat-complicated diarrhoea with tenesmus and thirst

Biomedical correlates

Bacillary dysentery
Amoebic colitis
Ulcerative colitis flare

Source text 原文

Donguibogam 東醫寶鑑

治少陰病下利ㆍ欲飮水, 以有熱故也, 宜用此. 白頭翁ㆍ黃栢ㆍ秦皮ㆍ黃連各一錢半. 右剉, 作一貼, 水煎服. 且治挾熱下利ㆍ後重而渴. 《入門》

Translation

Treats shaoyin disease with diarrhoea and a wish to drink water, which is because heat is present; this should be used. Pulsatilla, phellodendron, ash bark and coptis, 1 don 5 fun each. Cut up, make one packet and decoct in water. It also treats heat-complicated diarrhoea with a heavy sensation after stool and thirst. — Immun 入門 (Donguibogam · Han, upper)

Clinical commentary 臨床

Diarrhoea in a shaoyin patient ought to come with no thirst, and the thirst here is the whole reason for the formula: it tells you heat has complicated the picture, so warming would be wrong. Four cold bitter drugs and nothing else. Ash bark is the one least used elsewhere and the one that makes this specifically an intestinal formula — astringent as well as cold, so it holds the bowel while the others clear. The tenesmus in the second indication is the classic dysentery sign, and this remains a working formula for it. — Eui Young (Justin) Chung, L.Ac., Dipl. O.M.