Ban Xia Xie Xin Tang: A Traditional Chinese Herbal Remedy for Digestive Harmony
- Hongji Medical
- Feb 2
- 8 min read
Ban Xia Xie Xin Tang, also known as Pinellia Heart-Draining Decoction, is a classic Chinese herbal formula from Zhang Zhongjing’s Shang Han Lun (Treatise on Febrile Diseases).
Designed to balance cold and heat in the body, it relieves digestive issues, reduces bloating, and disperses stagnation.
This versatile remedy is widely used for conditions like stomach pain, vomiting, and indigestion caused by disharmony in the spleen and stomach. This article explores its ingredients, benefits, modern uses, dietary support, and precautions in a clear, accessible way, using common plant names.
Ingredients of Ban Xia Xie Xin Tang
Ban Xia Xie Xin Tang combines seven herbs, each contributing to its therapeutic effects:
Ban Xia (Pinellia, 12g): Dries dampness and relieves nausea.
Huang Qin (Skullcap, 9g): Clears heat and reduces inflammation.
Gan Jiang (Dried Ginger, 9g): Warms the stomach and stops vomiting.
Ren Shen (Ginseng, 9g): Boosts energy and supports digestion.
Huang Lian (Coptis, 3g): Clears heat and soothes the stomach.
Da Zao (Jujube Dates, 4 pieces): Nourishes the spleen and balances the formula.
Zhi Gan Cao (Roasted Licorice, 9g): Harmonizes the herbs and protects the stomach.
Preparation: Boil the herbs in 1.2 liters of water until reduced to 600ml, strain, and boil again to 300ml. Take 100ml warm, three times daily. Modern methods may use decoctions or pre-made pills, dosed as prescribed.
How the Herbs Work Together
The herbs in Ban Xia Xie Xin Tang follow the traditional Chinese medicine principles of monarch, minister, assistant, and envoy:
Ban Xia (Pinellia): The primary herb (monarch), it dries dampness, clears phlegm, and relieves vomiting and bloating.
Gan Jiang (Dried Ginger): A minister herb, it warms the stomach, softens Pinellia’s drying effect, and stops nausea.
Huang Lian (Coptis): Another minister, it clears heat and calms stomach fire, balancing Pinellia’s warmth.
Huang Qin (Skullcap): An assistant, it clears damp-heat and reduces vomiting and diarrhea.
Da Zao (Jujube Dates): An assistant, it nourishes the spleen and softens the formula’s intensity.
Zhi Gan Cao (Roasted Licorice): The envoy, it harmonizes the herbs and protects the stomach from irritation.
Ren Shen (Ginseng): Also an envoy, it boosts energy and prevents the formula from weakening digestion.
This balanced blend restores Ascending and descending, addressing cold-heat imbalances and restoring spleen-stomach harmony.
Effects and Indications
Main Effects:
Balances cold and heat to restore digestive harmony.
Relieves bloating, stagnation, and lumps in the stomach.
Harmonizes the spleen and stomach to improve digestion.
Indications: Ban Xia Xie Xin Tang treats “pi” syndrome, a condition where cold and heat intertwine, causing stagnation in the middle burner (spleen and stomach). Symptoms include:
Abdominal bloating or fullness (distended but painless)
Vomiting or nausea
Diarrhea
Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
Sticky, slightly yellow tongue coating
This syndrome often results from improper use of laxatives, which weakens the middle burner’s yang qi, allowing heat to invade and disrupt the spleen’s ascending and stomach’s descending functions.
Benefits of Ban Xia Xie Xin Tang
Relieves Digestive Discomfort: Eases stomach pain, bloating, and vomiting.
Balances Cold and Heat: Restores harmony in the digestive system.
Supports Spleen and Stomach: Improves digestion and nutrient absorption.
Reduces Stagnation: Disperses lumps and promotes smooth energy flow.
Modern Applications
Ban Xia Xie Xin Tang is widely used in modern medicine for:
Digestive disorders: Treats gastritis, duodenitis, gastric ulcers, acid reflux, chronic colitis, and gastroptosis.
Liver conditions: Manages chronic hepatitis and early cirrhosis.
Mental health: Alleviates insomnia, neurosis, irritability, and anxiety-related conditions like hysteria or nightmares.
Cardiovascular issues: Supports treatment of hypertension, heart failure, and arrhythmias.
Urinary conditions: Addresses nephrotic syndrome, urinary tract infections, and nephritis.
Other conditions: Helps with gynecological issues (e.g., pregnancy obstruction), male reproductive issues (e.g., impotence), cancers (e.g., esophageal or pancreatic), and allergies (e.g., rhinitis, eczema).
Research highlights its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-tumor properties, as well as its ability to reduce chemotherapy side effects and protect gastric mucosa.
Dietary Support
Pairing Ban Xia Xie Xin Tang with dietary remedies can enhance its effects:
Pinellia Porridge: Boil 10g pinellia, 5g coptis, 10g skullcap, 5g dried ginger, 5g ginseng, 5 jujubes, and 5g roasted licorice for 30 minutes. Strain, then cook the liquid with 100g rice into porridge. Add salt or sugar to taste. This supports digestion and clears heat.
Pinellia Tea: Simmer the same herbs for 30 minutes, strain, and add honey or lemon. This relieves stomach pain and nausea.
Pinellia Steamed Egg: Boil the herbs, strain, mix the liquid with 2 eggs, salt, and water, then steam for 10-15 minutes. This harmonizes the stomach and reduces vomiting.
These recipes reinforce the formula’s ability to balance digestion and reduce discomfort.
Precautions
Use Ban Xia Xie Xin Tang cautiously:
Contraindications: Avoid in cases of bloating due to qi stagnation, food accumulation, yin deficiency dry cough, or blood disorders. Not suitable for pregnant women due to Pinellia’s mild toxicity.
Drug interactions: Consult a doctor, as Pinellia may interact with other medications.
Special populations: Use with caution in breastfeeding women and children, under medical supervision.
Storage: Keep in a cool, dry place, away from sunlight. Do not use expired medicine.
Dietary restrictions: Avoid raw, cold, or greasy foods during treatment.
If discomfort occurs, stop use and consult a doctor.
Conclusion
Ban Xia Xie Xin Tang is a powerful Chinese herbal formula that harmonizes the spleen and stomach, balances cold and heat, and relieves digestive issues like bloating, vomiting, and stomach pain. Its carefully balanced herbs address a wide range of conditions, from gastritis and ulcers to mental health issues and cardiovascular disorders.
Modern research underscores its anti-inflammatory and protective effects, making it a valuable remedy. With proper use, dietary support, and professional guidance, Ban Xia Xie Xin Tang can restore digestive harmony and improve overall health.
Chinese Name | 半夏瀉心湯 |
Phonetic | Ban Xia Xie Xin Tang |
English Name | Pinellia Heart-Draining Decoction |
Classification | Harmonizing formulas |
Source | 《Treatise on Cold Damage》Shang Han Lun《傷寒論》 |
Combination | Pinelliae Rhizoma (Ban Xia) 0.5 sheng (12g), Scutellariae Radix (Huang Qin) 3 liang (9g), Zingiberis Rhizoma (Gan Jiang) 3 liang (9g), Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma (Ren Shen) 3 liang (9g), Coptidis Rhizoma (Huang Lian) 1 liang (3g), Jujubae Fructus (Da Zao) 12 pieces (4 pieces), Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (Zhi Gan Cao) 3 liang (9g) |
Method | Decoct these seven medicinals with one dou of water, boil them until six sheng of water remains, remove the dregs, and boil them until three sheng of water is left. Take one sheng of the warm decoction three times a day. (Modern use: prepare as a decoction.) |
Action | Disperses pi and dissipates masses through the combination of cold and warm medicinals. |
Indication | Pi is caused by the binding of cold and heat, marked by stuffiness below the heart, fullness without pain, vomiting, borborygmus, diarrhea, and a slightly yellow, greasy coating. |
Pathogenesis | The pattern of pi treated by Ban Xia Xie Xin Tang is originally caused by inappropriate purgative treatment in a Xiao Chai Hu Tang pattern. The purge damages the yang in the middle jiao and the shaoyang pathogenic heat invades inward. The result is pi below the heart because of the binding of cold and heat. Pi describes an obstruction, which causes the interaction between the upper jiao and lower jiao to fail. Pi below the heart actually refers to pi in the stomach cavity. The spleen and stomach are located in the middle jiao, which is the hub of the ascending and descending movement of qi. Since center qi weakness leads to binding of cold and heat, pi may result. The spleen is a yin zang that governs ascent, while the stomach is a yang fu that governs descent. Damaged center qi may cause disordered ascending and descending, which may lead to vomiting, borborygmus and diarrhea. The pathogenesis of this pattern is quiet complicated because the middle jiao disharmony and the disordered ascending and descending are due to the binding of cold and heat, as well as a deficiency-excess complex. The treatment is to harmonize the cold and warm aspects, boost qi, harmonize the stomach, dissipate masses, and disperse pi. |
Clarification | About acrid medicinals that open and bitter medicinals that promote descent This is a particular type of combination that uses acrid warm medicinals in combination with bitter cold medicinals. This combined method is used to harmonize the cold and warm aspects, diffuse and unblock qi movement, direct qi downward and arrest vomiting, and disperse pi and eliminate fullness. It is applicable for binding of cold and heat or damp-heat accumulation, characterized by pi and fullness, diarrhea, and vomiting. In this formula, acrid warm (hot) ban xia and gan jiang are used together with bitter cold huang qin and huang lian in order to manifest the therapeutic effect of acrid medicinals that open and bitter medicinals that promote descent. |
Application | 1. Essential pattern differentiation Ban Xia Xie Xin Tang is a commonly used formula used to treat the disharmony of the intestines-stomach due to center qi weakness, binding cold and heat, and disordered ascending and descending of the qi movement. It is also a common formula to utilize the method of harmonizing the cold and warm aspects through the combination of cold and warm medicinals. It uses acrid medicinals to open and bitter medicinals to promote descent. This clinical pattern is marked by pi and fullness below the heart, vomiting and diarrhea, and a slightly yellow coating, and an rapid and forceful pulse. 2. Modern applications This formula may be used in the following biomedically defined disorders when the patient shows signs of binding cold and heat and center qi deficiency: acute and chronic gastroenteritis, chronic colitis, chronic hepatitis, and early cirrhosis. 3. Cautions and contraindications This formula is not applicable for pi and fullness below the heart due to qi stagnation or food accumulation. |
Additonal formulae | 1. Sheng Jiang Xie Xin Tang (Fresh Ginger Heart-Draining Decoction, 生薑瀉心湯) [Source]《Treatise on Cold Damage》Shang Han Lun《傷寒論》 [Ingredients] Sheng jiang 4 liang (12g), zhi gan cao 3 liang (9g), ren shen 3 liang (9g), gan jiang 1 liang (3g), huang qin 3 liang (9g), ban xia 0.5 sheng (9g), huang lian 1 liang (3g), da zao 12 pieces (4 pieces) [Preparation and Administration] Decoct these eight medicinals with 1 dou of water, boil them until 6 sheng of water remains, remove the dregs, and boil them again. Take 1 sheng of the warm decoction three times a day. [Actions] Harmonizes the stomach and disperses pi. [Applicable Patterns] Pi syndrome due to binding cold and heat. Symptoms include: pi and hardness below the heart, belching that smells like food, diarrhea with thunderous rumbling in the abdomen. 2. Gan Cao Xie Xin Tang (Licorice Heart-Draining Decoction, 甘草瀉心湯) [Source]《Treatise on Cold Damage》Shang Han Lun《傷寒論》 [Ingredients] Zhi gan cao 4 liang (12g), ren shen 3 liang (9g), gan jiang 3 liang (9g), huang qin 3 liang (9g), ban xia 0.5 sheng (9g), huang lian 1 liang (3g), da zao 12 pieces (4 pieces) [Preparation and Administration] Decoct these seven medicinals with 1 dou of water, boil them until 6 sheng of water remains, remove the dregs, and boil them again. Take 1 sheng of the warm decoction three times a day. [Actions] Harmonizes the stomach, supplements the center, directs counterflow downward, and disperses pi. [Applicable Patterns] Pi syndrome due to stomach qi deficiency. Symptoms include: diarrhea dozens of times with undigested food in the stool, diarrhea with thunderous rumbling in the abdomen, pi, hardness, and fullness below the heart, belching, vexation and easy to get upset. 3. Huang Lian Tang (Coptis Decoction, 黃連湯) [Source]《Treatise on Cold Damage》Shang Han Lun《傷寒論》 [Ingredients] Huang lian 3 liang (9g), zhi gan cao 3 liang (9g), gan jiang 3 liang (9g), gui zhi 3 liang (9g), ren shen 2 liang (6g), ban xia 0.5 sheng (9g), da zao 12 pieces (4 pieces) [Preparation and Administration] Decoct these seven medicinals with 1 dou of water, boil them until 6 sheng of water remains, remove the dregs, and boil them again. Take 1 sheng of the warm decoction three times a day. [Actions] Harmonizes the cold and heat, harmonizes stomach and directs counterflow downward. [Applicable Patterns] Upper heat and lower cold. Symptoms include: Pi and oppression in the chest and stomach cavity, vexing heat, qi counterflow and nausea, abdominal pain, borborygmus, diarrhea, white and glossy tongue coating and wiry pulse. |
Remark | Ginseng (Panax ginseng) is listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendix II. Its trade is allowed but subject to licensing controls. |
