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(Mountain Grass Category) Clears Heat-Fire and Dampness in the Upper and Middle Jiao

Huangqin (Coptidis Rhizoma, Huang Qin) [Radix Scutellariae] primarily enters the Heart, Spleen, and Lung meridians, and additionally enters the Liver, Large Intestine, and Bladder meridians. Medical texts record that its bitter flavor enters the Heart meridian. It is also recorded to enter the Lung meridian to drain Fire, enter the Spleen meridian to remove Dampness, and enter the Large Intestine meridian to treat abdominal pain within the intestines. (Dysentery refers to abdominal pain in the intestines. Dysentery can be classified into Cold and Heat patterns. If dysentery belongs to the Heat pattern, the patient's physique and Qi appear robust, the pulse is necessarily slippery, solid, and forceful, the body fears heat and prefers cold, dislikes clothing and bedding, feels thirsty and desires copious consumption of cold water, finding it increasingly refreshing as it cools, digesting immediately upon drinking, urine is hot, red, scanty, and painful to pass, stool is purely red, abdominal pain is accompanied by hard stool that refuses pressure, or there may be headache, fever, and soreness of bones and sinews. These are manifestations of excess syndrome in dysentery. If dysentery belongs to the Cold pattern, the patient's physique is frail, complexion is pale and clear, although the pulse is tight and rapid, it lacks strength and spirit; even if the pulse appears truly wiry, it indicates deficiency in the middle with an appearance of excess. The blood color is faint red and not bright, or mixed with purple-red or purple-white resembling roof-leakage water. The discharged matter may be light yellow and pale, not particularly foul-smelling. Abdominal pain is not firm or hard, or the patient prefers rubbing/massage or warm compresses. There may be a sensation of hunger in the chest and abdomen without desire to eat, epigastric nausea with much acid regurgitation, frequent urges to defecate with difficulty in passing stool, or thirst without desire to drink cold water, or inability to swallow cold water despite drinking. These are manifestations of deficiency syndrome in dysentery.) It enters the Small Intestine and Bladder meridians to treat strangury and urinary retention. Furthermore, it treats excess Fire in the Middle Jiao and pathogens located in the Shaoyang Gallbladder meridian. With Huangqin as a clearing agent, one herb treats both upper/lower and interior/exterior aspects. Its efficacy is broad, making it difficult to assign a single primary indication. One must realize that internal Fire surging and external pathogens invading can both cause widespread harm. From the upper regions like the chest, diaphragm, and throat, to the lower regions like the abdomen and bowels/bladder, to the middle regions between exterior/interior and Yin/Yang boundaries, all manner of symptoms manifest. Thus, conditions such as abdominal pain and intestinal dysentery, alternating chills and fever (Malaria), jaundice, strangury and urinary retention, chest fullness with asthma, carbuncles and sores, fire-cough with foul breath, amenorrhea and fetal bleeding, thirst with fluid exhaustion—all are caused by the inundation of Dampness, invasion of Heat, and dominance of Fire. (This highlights Damp-Heat and Fire as key factors in various diseases.) Huangqin has a bitter taste and cold nature. The older, larger parts are light and floating, ascending to clear Lung Heat; when Lung Heat is cleared, phlegm is naturally regulated. (Wang Ang stated: Phlegm moves due to Fire; one should first descend Fire.) The solid, slender parts are heavy and sinking, descending to promote urination; when urination is unobstructed, intestinal dysentery naturally resolves. Wine-fried Huangqin removes Heat from the diaphragm and extinguishes Liver-Gallbladder Fire. Raw Huangqin is suitable for excess Heat patterns, thereby relieving abdominal pain. (Li Shizhen stated: Zhang Zhongjing used Huangqin in Xiao Chai Hu Tang for Shaoyang syndrome, Huangqin Tang for dysentery in Taiyang-Shaoyang combined syndrome, and Xie Xin Tang for post-purging epigastric fullness without pain in Shaoyang syndrome. This is because Huangqin is bitter and cold, yellow-green in color, drains Heart Fire and removes Spleen Dampness, preventing Metal from being punished by Stomach Fire, thus saving the Lungs. Shaoyang syndrome, though located half-exterior half-interior presenting with chest and hypochondriac fullness, actually involves pathogens in the Heart-Lung Upper Jiao, irritability, vomiting, silence, and lack of appetite, alongside Middle Jiao Spleen-Stomach symptoms. Therefore, Huangqin is used to treat the Ministerial Fire of Hand and Foot Shaoyang. Huangqin is also a primary herb of the Shaoyang channel. Yang Shiying's *Zhizhi Fang* stated: Chaihu's ability to reduce fever is inferior to Huangqin. This likely stems from ignorance that Chaihu reduces fever by dispersing via bitter flavor, addressing the branch of Fire, whereas Huangqin reduces fever by using cold to overcome heat, breaking the root of Fire.) Additionally, combined with Baizhu (Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma) and Sharen (Amomi Fructus Rotundus), it calms the fetus; combined with Houpo (Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex) and Huanglian (Coptidis Rhizoma), it eliminates abdominal pain; combined with Shaoyao (Paeoniae Radix Alba/Rubra), it treats dysentery; combined with Chaihu (Bupleuri Radix), it treats alternating chills and fever. Although this combines upper/lower and interior/exterior treatments, ultimately it remains an herb for draining Fire, removing Heat, and eliminating Dampness in the Upper and Middle Jiao. (Li Dongyuan treated Lung Heat where the body felt like burning, with irritability, excessive thirst, and worsening during the day, recommending Yi Wei Huangqin Tang to drain Qi-level Fire in the Lung meridian, using one ounce of Huangqin.) However, it is strictly contraindicated for Lung deficiency with abdominal pain of the Cold pattern. (Li Shizhen stated: Unsuitable for Lung deficiency because bitter-cold damages the Spleen-Stomach, injuring the Mother organ.) The yellowish ones are superior. Those with hollow centers are called Ku Huangqin (Withered Coptis), also known as Pian Huangqin. Those with solid interiors are called Tiao Huangqin (Strip Coptis), also known as Zi Huangqin. For ascending action, wine-fry. To drain Liver-Gallbladder Fire, fry with Pig Bile. Yam (Shanyao) and Dragon Bone (Longgu) serve as guides. It is incompatible with Danpi (Moutan Cortex) and Dansha (Cinnabar).