What Liang Xue Qing Fei Yin is for
The skin this formula addresses is facial: a nose or cheeks that stay red and congested, capillaries that show as fine lines, and an oily surface that is inflamed rather than dry. It suits a persistent flushing picture rather than an acute eruption, and the explanation the tradition gives is Heat in the Lungs, which govern the skin, carried to the surface by the Blood.
The face is red in a way that sits deep rather than on the surface. The colour is present most days, fine capillaries are visible across the nose and cheeks, and the skin is oily and inflamed rather than dry. Heat, sun, hot drinks and alcohol deepen the flush. Over years the tissue over the nose can thicken and change shape, which is why a changing nasal appearance needs medical assessment, and the formula is used alongside that assessment rather than instead of it.
The formula works at the two levels the pattern describes. Sheng Di Huang cools the Blood and protects the fluids, Mu Dan Pi and Chi Shao cool it and keep it moving so the colour eases without stagnation, and Huang Qin, Sang Bai Pi and Pi Pa Ye clear the Lungs and send the Heat downward. Zhi Mu clears Heat and moistens, Shi Gao cools strongly, and Gan Cao harmonises the whole. That is why it can act on a face that is both deeply red and oily: the Lung clearing addresses the source, and the Blood cooling addresses the colour and the vessels at the surface.
Cold and deficient pictures are excluded: pale, cool, thin skin that heals slowly is the opposite of this, and more cooling would leave it worse. The formula is given over two to four weeks and then reassessed, while the rosacea itself is managed medically and the usual triggers are avoided. It is supportive rather than curative, and it does not replace the assessment that a persistent red face, or a nose that is changing shape, still needs.
Actions
- Cools the Blood
- Clears Heat from the Lungs
- Reduces facial redness and congestion
- Reduces oiliness and inflammation
Properties
- Taste and temperature: Predominantly bitter and sweet with a cold quality. Bitter clears Heat, sweet and cold cool the Blood and protect fluids.
- Organs: Lungs, Heart, Liver
- Channels: Lung, Heart, Liver
The pattern behind it
The pattern is Lung Heat with Blood Heat. The Lungs govern the skin, so their Heat shows on the face as redness and oiliness, and the Blood carries that Heat to the surface. The formula clears the Lungs and cools the Blood, which is why it is used for facial redness rather than for general heat.
Composition
The herbs in Liang Xue Qing Fei Yin, with their role and dose.
| Role | Herb | Dose | Properties | Why it is there |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| King | Sheng Di Huang | 30 g | Cold, Sweet, bitter | Cools the Blood deeply and protects the fluids. |
| King | Mu Dan Pi | 9 g | Slightly cold, Bitter, pungent | Cools the Blood and moves it, addressing the redness without stasis. |
| Chi Shao | 9 g | Slightly cold, Bitter | Cools and moves Blood, supporting the reduction of congestion. | |
| Huang Qin | 9 g | Cold, Bitter | Clears Heat from the Lungs and upper body. | |
| Sang Bai Pi | 9 g | Cold, Sweet | Clears Lung Heat and directs it downward. | |
| Pi Pa Ye | 9 g | Slightly cold, Bitter | Clears Lung Heat and descends the Qi. | |
| Zhi Mu | 9 g | Cold, Bitter, sweet | Clears Heat and moistens, balancing the drying herbs. | |
| Envoy | Shi Gao | 30 g | Cold, Sweet, pungent | Clears strong Heat while protecting the fluids. |
| Gan Cao | 6 g | Neutral, Sweet | Harmonises the formula and protects the middle. |
Patterns it treats
Lung Heat
Red congested skin of the nose and cheeks, with capillaries that show and oiliness that is inflamed rather than dry. The Heat sits in the Lungs that govern the skin, and the Blood carries it to the surface as colour and congestion.
How the formula is built
The formula cools at two levels. The Lung-clearing herbs address the source of the facial heat, while the Blood-cooling herbs address the redness and capillaries at the surface. That combination is why it is used for facial redness rather than for a simple Heat pattern.
Skin conditions it is used for
Where this formula appears in the skin conditions of the library.
Preparation and use
Decocted in water and taken warm, in two divided doses.
Modifications
- If the redness is marked, more Blood-cooling herbs are added.
- If oiliness dominates, drying herbs are added.
- If the Heat is strong, more cooling is added.
- If the person is depleted, the cooling is reduced.
Timing
Taken warm in two divided doses.
Duration
Two to four weeks, reassessed.
Diet while taking it
Avoid alcohol, hot spicy food and hot drinks, which trigger the flushing.
Safety
Contraindications
Avoid in cold or deficient patterns. Rosacea and rhinophyma need medical assessment, and the formula is supportive rather than curative.
Interactions
The mineral content can affect absorption of some medicines, so it should be separated from other medication.
Pregnancy
Use with caution in pregnancy because the Blood-cooling and moving herbs are strong.
Breastfeeding
Use only under professional 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, and persistent facial redness or a changing nasal appearance needs medical assessment.
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 later dermatological tradition as a development of the Lung-Heat approach to facial skin disease.
Liang Xue Qing Fei Yin developed in the later dermatological tradition as a way to treat facial redness at two levels at once: the Lungs that govern the skin and the Blood that carries the heat. It is used where oiliness and redness coexist on the face.
Classical record
The formula is recorded in the later dermatological tradition for facial redness from Lung and Blood Heat, clearing the Lungs and cooling the Blood together.
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
What is it used for?
Facial redness and congestion with oiliness, including rosacea-type flushing and rhinophyma, alongside medical care.
How is it different from Pi Pa Qing Fei Yin?
Pi Pa Qing Fei Yin clears Lung Heat for oily acne. This formula adds strong Blood cooling, for redness and capillaries.
Can it cure rosacea?
It is supportive. Rosacea needs medical management, trigger avoidance and sun protection.
How long is it used?
Two to four weeks, then reassessed.