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Formula清热剂· 清热凉血

白头翁汤

Bái Tóu Wēng Tāng

Pulsatilla Decoction

From the Shang Han Lun, this is the representative formula for heat-toxin bloody dysentery. Bai Tou Weng clears heat-toxins and cools the blood as sovereign, joined by three bitter-cold herbs — Huang Lian, Huang Bai, and Qin Pi — that clear heat, dry dampness, and resolve toxins together.

Source《伤寒论》

Treatment Principle

清热解毒，凉血止痢

Clear heat and resolve toxins, cool the blood and stop dysentery

Composition · 组成

Herb	Role	Dosage	Notes
白头翁Bái Tóu Wēng	君Sovereign	15g	清热解毒，凉血止痢，为君药
黄连Huáng Lián	臣Minister	6g	清热燥湿，厚肠止痢
黄柏Huáng Bǎi	佐Assistant	6g	清热燥湿，泻火解毒
秦皮Qín Pí	佐Assistant	6g	清热燥湿，收涩止痢

Preparation · 煎服法

水煎服。

Draft

PractitionerPatientDate

白头翁汤Bái Tóu Wēng Tāng

Pulsatilla Decoction

Herb	Pinyin	Role	Dose
白头翁	Bái Tóu Wēng	Jun (Sovereign)	15g
黄连	Huáng Lián	Chen (Minister)	6g
黄柏	Huáng Bǎi	Zuo (Assistant)	6g
秦皮	Qín Pí	Zuo (Assistant)	6g

Preparation: 水煎服。

This prescription is provided only by the dispensing TCM practitioner. Take as directed; do not modify the dose or share it. If you experience any adverse effect, stop immediately and contact your practitioner. The content of this platform is educational reference, not medical advice.
Bencao Dian · https://bencaodian.org · CC BY-SA 4.0

Permalink · CC BY-SA 4.0

Cite this entry

@misc{bencaodian-bai-tou-weng-tang,
  author       = {{Bencaodian Editorial}},
  title        = {Bái Tóu Wēng Tāng 白头翁汤 (Pulsatilla Decoction)},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {Bencao Dian: A Bilingual Knowledge Graph of Traditional Chinese Medicine},
  url          = {https://bencaodian.org/en/formulas/bai-tou-weng-tang},
  urldate      = {2026-04-16},
  note         = {CC BY-SA 4.0}
}

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Herb

Role

Dosage

Notes

白头翁Bái Tóu Wēng

君Sovereign

15g

清热解毒，凉血止痢，为君药

清热燥湿，厚肠止痢

清热燥湿，泻火解毒

清热燥湿，收涩止痢

Herb

Pinyin

Role

Dose

白头翁

Bái Tóu Wēng

Jun (Sovereign)

15g

黄连

Huáng Lián

Chen (Minister)

黄柏

Huáng Bǎi

Zuo (Assistant)

秦皮

Qín Pí

Zuo (Assistant)

@misc{bencaodian-bai-tou-weng-tang, author = {{Bencaodian Editorial}}, title = {Bái Tóu Wēng Tāng 白头翁汤 (Pulsatilla Decoction)}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {Bencao Dian: A Bilingual Knowledge Graph of Traditional Chinese Medicine}, url = {https://bencaodian.org/en/formulas/bai-tou-weng-tang}, urldate = {2026-04-16}, note = {CC BY-SA 4.0} }