Xian Fang Huo Ming Yin: Herbal Detox for Swelling and Pain
Hongji Medical- Jan 30
- 8 min read
Xian Fang Huo Ming Yin, or Immortal Formula Life-Giving Beverage, is a time-honored Chinese herbal recipe from the Ming Dynasty, first documented in Annotated Prescriptions for Women by physician Xue Ji.
Originally crafted for gynecological care in the imperial harem, this potent blend of thirteen herbs clears heat, detoxifies, reduces swelling, and relieves pain. Celebrated in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for treating ulcers, abscesses, and inflammations, it remains a powerful remedy for modern infections and immune disorders, embodying centuries of healing wisdom.
What’s in Xian Fang Huo Ming Yin?
Xian Fang Huo Ming Yin combines thirteen herbs, structured by the TCM principle of monarch, minister, assistant, and envoy, to combat heat, toxins, and stagnation. The ingredients and their roles are:
Monarch Herb
Honeysuckle Flower (Jin Yin Hua): Sweet and cold, honeysuckle clears heat, detoxifies, and disperses wind-heat, targeting inflammation and infections.
Minister Herbs
White Angelica Root (Bai Zhi): Pungent and warm, white angelica clears heat and promotes blood flow, easing pain.
Saposhnikovia Root (Fang Feng): Pungent and warm, saposhnikovia expels wind and heat, supporting detoxification.
Angelica Root Tip (Dang Gui Wei): Sweet and warm, angelica tip boosts blood circulation, aiding pain relief.
Red Peony Root (Chi Shao): Bitter and cool, red peony clears heat and moves blood, reducing inflammation.
Assistant Herbs
Pangolin Scales (Chuan Shan Jia): Salty and cool, pangolin scales reduce swelling and break up hardness.
Frankincense (Ru Xiang): Pungent and warm, frankincense promotes blood flow and relieves pain.
Myrrh (Mo Yao): Bitter and neutral, myrrh disperses stasis and reduces swelling.
Gleditsia Thorn (Zao Jiao Ci): Pungent and warm, gleditsia thorn dissolves abscesses and promotes healing.
Envoy Herbs
Licorice Root (Gan Cao): Sweet and mild, licorice harmonizes the formula and detoxifies.
Fritillaria Bulb (Bei Mu): Bitter and cool, fritillaria clears heat and reduces phlegm.
Trichosanthes Root (Tian Hua Fen): Bitter and cold, trichosanthes clears heat and purges fire.
Dried Orange Peel (Chen Pi): Pungent and warm, orange peel regulates qi and aids digestion.
Preparation
Decoct the herbs in water or a mix of water and alcohol, and drink warm as a tea. The residue can be mashed and applied externally to enhance local effects. Dosages are adjusted based on the patient’s condition.
How It Works
Xian Fang Huo Ming Yin targets yang syndrome ulcers and toxicity, a TCM condition where heat and toxins cause inflammation, swelling, and pain.
These block blood flow, like a dammed river, leading to redness, heat, and stasis. The formula works by:
Clearing Heat and Toxins: Honeysuckle and fritillaria neutralize pathogens, reducing fever and infection.
Reducing Swelling: Pangolin scales and gleditsia thorn break up hardness and abscesses.
Promoting Blood Flow: Angelica, frankincense, and myrrh clear stasis, easing pain and swelling.
Harmonizing the Body: Licorice and orange peel regulate qi and digestion, supporting recovery.
This multi-pronged approach, likened to clearing a blocked river, restores circulation and calms inflammation, as Xue Ji intended for acute, heat-driven conditions.
What Does It Treat?
Xian Fang Huo Ming Yin is used for early-stage yang syndrome inflammations, with symptoms including:
Local redness, swelling, or burning pain
Fever or chills
Thin white or yellow tongue coating
Rapid, strong pulse
These reflect heat and toxin accumulation, often seen in ulcers, abscesses, or infections, particularly in robust patients.
Pathogenesis in TCM
In TCM, heat and toxins invade the body, obstructing blood and qi flow, causing swelling, pain, and systemic symptoms like fever. This “internal war” between toxins and the body’s qi disrupts balance, leading to:
Local Inflammation: Blocked blood causes redness, swelling, and pain.
Systemic Effects: Heat battles qi, triggering chills or irritability.
Stasis and Hardness: Stagnant blood forms abscesses or nodules.
Xian Fang Huo Ming Yin acts as a mediator, clearing toxins, unblocking blood, and restoring harmony, ensuring the body’s “river” flows freely again.
Modern Applications
Modern research highlights the formula’s antibacterial, antiviral, and immune-regulating effects, driven by herbs like honeysuckle and angelica. Clinical uses include:
Infections: Treats cellulitis, mastitis, tonsillitis, and perianal abscesses by inhibiting pathogens and promoting healing.
Purulent Conditions: Manages deep abscesses and sores by reducing swelling and pus.
Immune Disorders: Supports rheumatoid arthritis by modulating lymphocyte activity and cytokines, reducing inflammation.
Wound Healing: Enhances recovery in skin infections with higher wound closure rates.
Its versatility makes it a go-to remedy for acute inflammatory and infectious diseases.
Related Formulas
Wu Wei Xiao Du Yin (Five-Ingredient Toxin-Dispersing Drink): Uses honeysuckle, wild chrysanthemum, dandelion, viola, and gynura to clear heat and treat early carbuncles with fever and hard, painful swellings.
Si Miao Yong An Tang (Four-Marvel Peaceful Soup): Combines honeysuckle, scrophularia, angelica, and licorice to clear heat and treat gangrene with dark, painful limbs and foul odors.
These formulas complement Xian Fang Huo Ming Yin for varying stages or types of heat-toxin conditions.
Precautions
Scope: Use only for early-stage, yang syndrome ulcers; avoid in ruptured or yin syndrome cases (pale, cold sores).
Administration: For those sensitive to alcohol, use water alone for decoction; apply residue externally for added effect.
Contraindications: Avoid in patients with weak spleen-stomach or qi-blood deficiency, as cold herbs may worsen digestion.
Side Effects: Rare, but improper use may cause gastrointestinal discomfort; monitor closely.
Professional Guidance: Consult a TCM practitioner to ensure proper diagnosis and safe dosing.
Conclusion
Xian Fang Huo Ming Yin is a potent Chinese herbal formula that clears heat, detoxifies, and relieves swelling and pain. With honeysuckle, angelica, and myrrh, it tackles infections, abscesses, and inflammations, rooted in Ming Dynasty care for women’s health.
Widely used in modern TCM for mastitis, cellulitis, and immune disorders, its benefits are backed by research showing antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects. Under professional guidance, Xian Fang Huo Ming Yin offers natural, effective relief, blending ancient wisdom with compassionate healing for today’s ailments.
Chinese Name | |
Phonetic | Xian Fang Huo Ming Yin |
English Name | Immortal Formula Life-Giving Beverage |
Classification | Heat-clearing formulas |
Source | 《Corrections and Annotations to Fine Formulas for Women》Jiao Zhu Fu Ren Liang Fang《校注婦人良方》 |
Combination | Angelicae Dahuricae Radix (Bai Zhi) 6 fen (3g), Manis Squama (Chuan Shan Jia) 1 qian (6g), Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma(Gan Cao) 1 qian (6g), Saposhnikoviae Radix (Fang Feng) 1 qian (6g), Myrrha (Mo Yao) 1 qian (6g), Paeoniae Radix Rubra (Chi Shao) 1 qian (6g), Angelicae Sinensis Radix (Dang Gui Wei) 1 qian (6g), Olibanum (Ru Xiang) 1 qian (6g), Fritillariae Bulbus (Bei Mu) 1 qian (6g), Trichosanthis Radix (Tian Hua Fen) 1 qian (6g), Gleditsiae Spina (Zao Jiao Ci) 1 qian (6g), Lonicerae Japonicae Flos (Jin Yin Hua) 3 qian (9g), Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (Chen Pi) 3 qian (9g) |
Method | Decoct one dose of the formula with three bowls of Chinese wine, and boil it down to one and a half bowls. Take the decoction after meals for diseases in the upper part of the body. Take the decoction before meals for diseases in the lower part of the body, and then take three or four cups of Chinese wine to enhance the power of the decoction. |
Action | Clears heat, resolves toxins, disperses swelling, promotes suppuration, invigorates blood, and relieves pain. |
Indication | This formula is indicated for yang patterns in the initial stage with sores, abscesses, and ulcers. The symptoms are redness, swelling, and pain in the affected areas, fear of cold with fever, a thin white or yellow tongue coating, and a forceful, rapid pulse. |
Pathogenesis | This is an initial stage of a yang pattern with sores, abscesses, and ulcers mainly caused by the accumulation and obstruction of heat toxins, as well as, qi stagnation, blood stasis, and phlegm coagulation. The heat toxins accumulate and obstruct causing a tangible accumulation of qi stagnation and blood stasis, which manifest as redness, swelling, and pain in the affected areas. The pathogenic qi struggles with the healthy qi in the fleshy exterior, causing fear of cold with fever and the intense pathogenic qi and healthy qi struggle within the channels, causing a forceful, rapid pulse. As the nature of the disease is a yang pattern of stagnant heat toxins in the fleshy exterior, the primary therapeutic method is to clear heat, resolve toxins, invigorate the blood, and regulate qi. The secondary method is to free the fleshy exterior, disperse swelling, and promote suppuration. |
Application | 1. Essential pattern differentiation Xian Fang Huo Ming Yin is a commonly used formula used to treat the initial stages of yang patterns with sores, abscesses, and ulcers. This clinical pattern is marked by redness, swelling, and pain in the affected areas, fear of cold with fever, and a forceful, rapid pulse. 2. Modern applications This formula may be used in the following biomedically defined disorders, when the patient has a yang pattern or an excessive pattern of suppurative inflammation: cellulitis, suppurative tonsillitis, mastitis, impetigo, boils, and deep abscesses. 3. Cautions and contraindications This formula should be used during the initial stage of a yang pattern with sores, abscesses, and ulcers in those with an excess-type constitution. If the formula is used properly, “those (sores, abscesses, and ulcers) without pus will dissipate, and those (sores, abscesses, and ulcers) with pus will drain.” Do not use this formula for those with open sores, abscesses, and ulcers. For patients who do not like alcohol, decoct the formula with water, or with half Chinese wine and half water. In addition to the decoction, the medicinals in this formula can be ground into powder and applied to the affected areas. Since the nature of medicinals in this formula is primarily cool-cold, use the formula with caution in patients who have sores, abscesses, and ulcers in a yin pattern, as well as, those with spleen, stomach, qi, and blood deficiency. |
Additonal formulae | 1. Wu Wei Xiao Du Yin (Five Ingredients Toxin-Removing Beverage, 五味消毒飲) [Source]《Golden Mirror of the Medical Tradition》Yi Zong Jin Jian《醫宗金鑒》 [Ingredients] Jin yin hua 3 qian (20g), ye ju hua 1.2 qian (15g), pu gong ying 1.2 qian (15g), zi hua di ding 1.2 qian (15g), tian kui zi 1.2 qian (15 g) [Preparation and Administration] Prepare the medicinals as decoction with 1 zhong of water. Add 0.5 zhong wine when 80% water was left, then continue to boil it for a little while. Take it hot to induce sweat. [Actions] Clears heat, resolves toxins, and dissipates boils. [Applicable Patterns] Boils caused by an accumulation of heat toxins. Symptoms include: hot, red, swollen, and painful boils, nail-like millet sores that have a firm root, a red tongue with a yellow coating, and a rapid pulse. 2. Si Miao Yong an Tang (Four Wonderfully Effective Heroes Decoction, 四妙勇安湯) [Source]《New Compilation of Proven Formulas》Yan Fang Xin Bian《驗方新編》 [Ingredients] Jin yin hua 3 liang (90g), xuan shen 3 liang (90g), dang gui 2 liang (60g), gan cao 1 liang (30g) [Preparation and Administration] Prepare it as a decoction. [Actions] Clears heat, resolves toxins, invigorates blood, and relieves pain. [Applicable Patterns] Sloughing deep-rooted abscesses caused by intense heat toxins. Symptoms include: hot, dark red, swollen limb, smelly ulcer with severe pain, fever and thirst, a red tongue, and a rapid pulse. |
Remark | All species of Pangolin are threatened. They are listed as "Vulnerable" , "Endangered" or "Critically endangered" in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Also, they are listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendix I. They are highly protected and the wild specices for commercial trade purposes are banned. |
