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Formula祛湿剂· 清热祛湿

茵陈蒿汤

Yīn Chén Hāo Tāng

Artemisia Yinchenhao Decoction

The Shang Han Lun ancestral formula for yang-type jaundice (yang huang). It treats damp-heat jaundice with bright yellow discoloration of the whole body and face resembling tangerine color, epigastric fullness, thirst, short dark urine, and a yellow greasy tongue coating. Its three herbs work together to eliminate stasis-heat and dampness through both stool and urine, resolving jaundice by draining damp-heat via the anterior and posterior pathways.

Source《伤寒论》辨阳明病脉证并治

Treatment Principle

清热利湿退黄

Clear heat, promote urination, resolve dampness, and reduce jaundice

Formula Rhyme

茵陈蒿汤治阳黄，栀子大黄组成方。湿热相伴发黄疸，清热利湿退黄良。

—— 方剂学教材

Composition · 组成

Herb	Role	Dosage	Notes
茵陈Yīn Chén	君Sovereign	18g	苦微寒，清利湿热，为治黄疸之要药，为君
栀子Zhī Zǐ	臣Minister	9g	清利三焦湿热，导湿热从小便而去
大黄Dà Huáng	佐Assistant	6g	泻热通便，使瘀热从大便而下

Modifications · 加减

热重便秘甚
+ mang_xiao
阳明腑实
湿重尿少
+ fu_ling、ze_xie
湿邪偏盛

Treats Patterns · 主治证型

中焦湿热证

Zhōng Jiāo Shī Rè Zhèng

Middle Burner Damp-Heat Pattern

阳明腑实证

Yáng Míng Fǔ Shí Zhèng

Yangming Bowel Repletion Pattern

Preparation · 煎服法

水煎服。以水一斗二升，先煮茵陈减六升，内二味，煮取三升，去滓，分三服。

Editor-reviewed· 2026-04-17

PractitionerPatientDate

茵陈蒿汤Yīn Chén Hāo Tāng

Artemisia Yinchenhao Decoction

Herb	Pinyin	Role	Dose
茵陈	Yīn Chén	Jun (Sovereign)	18g
栀子	Zhī Zǐ	Chen (Minister)	9g
大黄	Dà Huáng	Zuo (Assistant)	6g

Preparation: 水煎服。以水一斗二升，先煮茵陈减六升，内二味，煮取三升，去滓，分三服。

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-yin-chen-hao-tang,
  author       = {{Bencaodian Editorial}},
  title        = {Yīn Chén Hāo Tāng 茵陈蒿汤 (Artemisia Yinchenhao Decoction)},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {Bencao Dian: A Bilingual Knowledge Graph of Traditional Chinese Medicine},
  url          = {https://bencaodian.org/en/formulas/yin-chen-hao-tang},
  urldate      = {2026-04-17},
  note         = {CC BY-SA 4.0}
}

Permalink is fixed

Herb

Role

Dosage

Notes

茵陈Yīn Chén

君Sovereign

18g

苦微寒，清利湿热，为治黄疸之要药，为君

清利三焦湿热，导湿热从小便而去

泻热通便，使瘀热从大便而下

Herb

Pinyin

Role

Dose

茵陈

Yīn Chén

Jun (Sovereign)

18g

栀子

Zhī Zǐ

Chen (Minister)

大黄

Dà Huáng

Zuo (Assistant)

@misc{bencaodian-yin-chen-hao-tang, author = {{Bencaodian Editorial}}, title = {Yīn Chén Hāo Tāng 茵陈蒿汤 (Artemisia Yinchenhao Decoction)}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {Bencao Dian: A Bilingual Knowledge Graph of Traditional Chinese Medicine}, url = {https://bencaodian.org/en/formulas/yin-chen-hao-tang}, urldate = {2026-04-17}, note = {CC BY-SA 4.0} }