Huang Lian

Description:

The rhizome of perennial herb-Coptidis Chinensis Franch. For its strong property of being cold, descending, bitter and dry, it has stronger actions of clearing heat and drying dampness comparing with Huang Qin and Huang Bai and is good at entering middle energizer and large intestine meridians to dispel dampness and clear heat. It is commonly used for dysentery, vomiting due to damp-heat as one of the essential herb for damp-heat. It has wider actions on clearing heat of multiple organs, but specially clearing excess heat of heart and stomach meridians. Therefore, it has better therapeutic effects for clearing excess heat of heart meridian. It is commonly combined with heart-clearing and fire-purging or heat-clearing and toxicity-removing herbs when treating high fever, irritability, dizziness and delirium due to excess heart heat of external-contracted diseases. Because it has stronger actions of clearing heat and removing toxicity than Huang Qin and Huang Bai do, it is commonly-used herb for treating dermal sores and abscesses due to exterior heat toxin.