What Bing Peng San is for
Bing Peng San is a powder applied directly to a small hot, painful lesion, whether a mouth ulcer, an inflamed gum or a little weeping patch of skin. It cools the spot, eases the pain and dries the surface.
The lesion is small, local and hot: a shallow ulcer with a red rim, a gum margin that is swollen and tender, or a small patch of skin that is red, raw and weeping. It hurts on contact and looks angry rather than deep. The inflammation is confined to the surface, which is what makes a topical approach appropriate. There is no spreading redness and no deep pocket, because those need medical care rather than a powder.
Bing Pian cools and relieves pain on contact, Peng Sha clears Heat, resolves toxicity and is mildly astringent so the weep dries, Mang Xiao softens the lesion, and Zhu Sha settles the local inflammation in a very small amount. The combination is cooling and drying at the surface rather than through the body, and it is used in tiny quantities because the minerals are potent.
It is for external use only and never swallowed. It is not for large areas, deep wounds, broken skin over a wide surface or the area around the eyes, and it is not for prolonged use, because Zhu Sha contains mercury and Peng Sha contains boron. A lesion that is infected or spreading, or one that does not settle in a few days, needs medical treatment instead.
Actions
- Clears Heat and resolves toxicity topically
- Relieves pain of hot lesions
- Dries weeping skin lesions
- Reduces inflammation of the mouth and gums
Properties
- Taste and temperature: Predominantly bitter, salty and cooling. Bitter and salty clear Heat and dry the surface.
- Organs: Heart, Stomach, Lungs
- Channels: Heart, Stomach
The pattern behind it
The pattern is Heat and toxicity at the surface of a lesion. The Heat produces the pain and redness, and the local tissue needs cooling and drying rather than systemic treatment. The formula applies that directly to the affected area.
Composition
The herbs in Bing Peng San, with their role and dose.
| Role | Herb | Dose | Properties | Why it is there |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| King | Bing Pian | 1.5 g | Cool, Pungent, bitter | Cools and relieves pain on contact, the leading topical herb. |
| Zhu Sha | 1.8 g | Cool, Sweet | Clears Heat and settles the local inflammation; contains mercury and is used in a tiny amount only. | |
| Assistant | Peng Sha | 15 g | Cool, Salty | Clears Heat, resolves toxicity and is mildly astringent; contains boron. |
| King | Mang Xiao | 15 g | Cold, Salty, bitter | Clears Heat and softens the lesion on contact. |
Patterns it treats
Toxic-Heat
A small, hot and painful lesion on the mouth or skin, with a red rim, a raw or weeping surface and pain on contact. The Heat and toxicity are confined to the surface, so cooling and drying can be applied straight to the spot.
How the formula is built
Four cooling, drying substances applied directly. The proportions are by weight of a very small total, and the formula is not swallowed, so the amounts per application are tiny. That is why it is only for small superficial lesions.
Skin conditions it is used for
Where this formula appears in the skin conditions of the library.
Preparation and use
Used as a topical powder: a very small amount applied to the lesion, or blown onto mouth ulcers with the traditional applicator.
Modifications
- For mouth ulcers, a small amount is applied directly or blown onto the lesion.
- For skin lesions, a thin dusting is used on small areas only.
- If the lesion is infected or spreading, medical treatment is required instead.
- It is not combined with other topical products without advice.
Timing
A very small amount applied two to three times a day to the lesion.
Duration
Short term only, a few days at a time, and not for prolonged use.
Diet while taking it
Avoid hot spicy food while mouth ulcers are present.
Safety
Contraindications
External use only. Do not swallow. Do not apply to large areas, deep wounds, broken skin over a wide surface, or near the eyes. Avoid in pregnancy and in young children without professional advice. Not for infected or spreading lesions, which need medical care.
Interactions
Zhu Sha contains mercury and Peng Sha contains boron, so it must not be combined with other topical products or used on large areas. Keep away from the eyes and do not swallow.
Pregnancy
Avoid in pregnancy without professional advice because Zhu Sha contains mercury.
Breastfeeding
Avoid without professional advice.
Children
Used only with professional supervision, and not on young children without advice.
Before you use it
Recorded from the classical record and rewritten in this project's own words. Educational only: not a prescription. This is a topical powder containing mercury and boron compounds, used only in tiny amounts on small lesions and only under professional advice.
General safety references
General references for herbal hepatotoxicity and herb-drug interactions; they are not specific to this formula.
- Review article: Herbal hepatotoxicity - an update on traditional Chinese medicine preparations. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 2014. PMID: 24844799.
- Interactions between herbal medicines and prescribed drugs: an updated systematic review. Drugs, 2009. PMID: 19719333.
- Warfarin and food, herbal or dietary supplement interactions: a systematic review. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 2021. PMID: 32478963.
Origin and history
Wai Ke Zheng Zong (外科正宗, Orthodox Manual of External Medicine) by Chen Shigong, Ming dynasty, 1617.
Bing Peng San comes from Chen Shigong's surgical manual of 1617 and is one of the classic topical powders of the tradition. Its use is deliberately limited to small superficial lesions, and the modern understanding of its mercury and boron content reinforces that limitation.
Classical record
Chen Shigong recorded the powder as a topical treatment for hot painful lesions of the mouth and skin, applied in small amounts to cool and dry the surface.
Wai Ke Zheng Zong (外科正宗, Orthodox Manual of External Medicine), Chen Shigong, Ming dynasty, 1617.
Evidence note
No controlled trial of this treatment in skin conditions was identified for this entry. What is described here rests on the classical and later materia medica record and on traditional clinical use, not on controlled trial evidence, and it is not a prediction of benefit. Where skin-specific research does exist it is linked above.
Common questions
Is it swallowed?
No. It is a topical powder applied in very small amounts to the lesion. It is not taken internally.
Is it safe?
Only in tiny amounts on small superficial lesions under advice. It contains mercury and boron compounds, so it is not for large areas, deep wounds, the eyes or prolonged use.
Can it treat impetigo?
No. Impetigo is a bacterial infection that needs medical treatment. This powder is only for small superficial lesions under advice.
How long is it used?
A few days at a time, not for prolonged use.