What Dang Gui Long Hui Wan is for
This is the short, sharp formula for skin that is hot, red and furious: intense itch or red lesions on a robust person whose Liver Fire has no way down, so it drives out through the skin. It drains and purges that Fire, cools the Blood in the inflamed tissue, and is used only while the excess picture is clear.
This is excess heat at its most obvious. Lesions are red, hot and angry, the itch is intense and relieved by little, and the skin may feel tight and throb. On the breast it shows as red, itching skin that is worse for warmth and touch. The person is robust rather than depleted, the face is flushed, and the whole surface looks overcharged rather than dry or thin.
Liver Fire that has no downward outlet rises and finds the skin. Long Dan Cao drains the Liver Fire, Huang Lian, Huang Qin, Huang Bo and Zhi Zi clear every burner, Lu Hui and Da Huang purge the Fire downward, Qing Dai cools the Blood in the inflamed tissue, Dang Gui nourishes the Blood so the draining does not leave the person empty, and Mu Xiang and She Xiang move Qi and open the orifices. Nothing in the formula is gentle.
It is reserved for the strong and the excess, in a short course, and it is stopped as soon as the heat recedes. It is contraindicated in pregnancy, and it is not for anyone depleted, dry-skinned or without strong excess signs. Because the herbs are cold and purging, the skin can become dry if the course runs on, which is one reason it is not a long-term formula.
Actions
- Drains Liver Fire strongly
- Purges Heat downward
- Cools the Blood
- Opens the orifices and settles the spirit
Properties
- Taste and temperature: Predominantly bitter and cold. Bitter clears and drains Fire, cold cools the Blood.
- Organs: Liver, Gallbladder, Heart, Large Intestine
- Channels: Liver, Gallbladder, Large Intestine
The pattern behind it
The pattern is severe Liver Fire with a blocked bowel. The Fire produces the irritability, the headache and the red lesions, while the blocked bowel means it cannot leave downward. The formula drains the Fire and purges it out, which is why it is used for the robust constipated patient.
Composition
The herbs in Dang Gui Long Hui Wan, with their role and dose.
| Role | Herb | Dose | Properties | Why it is there |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Dan Cao | 6 to 9 g | Cold, Bitter | Drains Liver and Gallbladder Fire and Damp-Heat, the leading herb for the channel. | |
| Da Huang | 3 to 6 g | Cold, Bitter | Purges the bowel so the Fire has a downward route. | |
| King | Lu Hui | 1.5 to 3 g | Cold, Bitter | A strong purgative that clears Liver Fire downward. |
| Huang Lian | 6 to 9 g | Cold, Bitter | Clears Heat from the Heart and middle burner. | |
| Huang Qin | 6 to 9 g | Cold, Bitter | Clears Heat from the upper body. | |
| Huang Bo | 6 to 9 g | Cold, Bitter | Clears Heat from the lower body. | |
| Zhi Zi | 6 to 9 g | Cold, Bitter | Clears Heat from the three burners and drains it downward. | |
| Qing Dai | 1.5 to 3 g | Cold, Salty | Cools the Blood and clears Heat, used for hot inflamed tissue. | |
| assistant | Dang Gui | 6 to 9 g | Warm, Sweet, pungent | Nourishes Blood so the strong draining does not leave it depleted. |
| Mu Xiang | 1 to 3 g | Warm, Pungent, bitter | Moves Qi and relieves the congestion that accompanies the Fire. | |
| She Xiang | 0.1 to 0.3 g | Warm, Pungent | Opens the orifices and moves the Qi, used in a tiny dose. |
Patterns it treats
Liver Fire
Red, hot, intensely itchy lesions on robust, flushed skin, where Liver Fire has no downward outlet and drives out through the surface. The skin looks overcharged rather than dry or thin.
How the formula is built
Five cooling herbs drain Fire from every burner, two purgatives clear it downward, one cools the Blood and three protect and move. That combination is why it can resolve a strong Liver Fire picture quickly, and why it is not for a depleted person.
Skin conditions it is used for
Where this formula appears in the skin conditions of the library.
Preparation and use
Taken as prepared pills, under professional supervision.
Modifications
- If the constipation is not marked, the purgative herbs are reduced.
- If the Fire is extreme, the cooling herbs are increased.
- If the person is depleted, the formula is not used.
- For chronic milder patterns, a gentler Liver-clearing formula is used.
Timing
Taken under supervision, and stopped once the bowel moves and the Fire settles.
Duration
Short course: three to seven days, reassessed.
Diet while taking it
Avoid alcohol, hot spicy and fried food while the Fire is active.
Safety
Contraindications
Contraindicated in pregnancy. Avoid in depleted patients, in cold deficiency, and in anyone without strong excess signs. Requires professional supervision.
Interactions
The purgatives can affect electrolytes and interact with diuretics and digoxin. She Xiang is a potent substance. This formula requires a practitioner.
Pregnancy
Contraindicated in pregnancy because of the purgatives, the Blood-moving herbs and She Xiang.
Breastfeeding
Contraindicated without specialist guidance.
Children
Used only with professional supervision.
Before you use it
Recorded from the classical record and rewritten in this project's own words. Educational only: not a prescription. The purgatives and She Xiang make this a professional-only formula.
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
Recorded in the Ming formularies, developing the Liver-Fire draining approach.
Dang Gui Long Hui Wan developed in the Ming formularies as a stronger version of Liver-Fire draining, with purgatives added so the Fire could leave downward. Its strength and its contents make it a supervised formula rather than a routine one.
Classical record
The formula is recorded for severe Liver Fire with constipation and irritability, drained and purged downward with cooling and moving herbs.
As recorded in the classical record for this formula.
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
How is it different from Long Dan Xie Gan Tang?
It is stronger and adds purgatives, for Liver Fire with a blocked bowel. Long Dan Xie Gan Tang is gentler and includes Blood support.
Who should avoid it?
Pregnant women, depleted patients, and anyone without strong excess signs.
Is it safe without supervision?
No. It contains purgatives and She Xiang, and it requires a qualified practitioner.
How long is it used?
Three to seven days, reassessed.