long dan xie gan tang (Yi Zong Jin Jian )Uses:
(1). Traditional uses: for overactive sympathetic nervous system, bacterial infection of urinary tract and/or vagina area, jaundice due to hepatitis, middle ear infection, gall bladder stones, conjunctivitis, migraine due to overactive sympathetic nervous
system, overactive thyroid.
(2) New uses:
a. For Mondor disease
Directions:
With high liver fire or liver/gall bladder with damp heat, take 3 times a day, 9 grams each time.
b. For shingles (herpes zoster), acute psoriasis, acute skin allergies with liver yang ascending or liver/gall bladder with damp heat, take 3 times a day, 9 grams each time.
Caution: Do not use this formula if the diagnosis is blood deficiency and wind heat (血 虛 風 燥 ).
Composition:
long dan cao 6 g, huang qin 9 g, shan zhi zi 9 g, ze xie 12 g,
mu tong 9 g, che qian zi 9 g, chai hu 6 g, gan cao 6 g, sheng di 9 g.
Boil with water. One prescription a day, made into two servings.
Stop taking when symptoms subside. Do not take it for a long time.
Warning: This formula can be toxic to the kidneys because of the herb mu tong. There are different varieties of mu tong in the market. Before the Qing dynasty, however, it was not toxic because mu tong was derived from either the plant of Akebia guinata or the plant Akebia lobata. Today, ninety five percent of mu tong used in China is from the stem of Aristolochia debilis, called guan mu tong (關木通), a toxic plant usually grown in the northeastern provinces of China, formally called Manchuria. Only rarely in a few localities in China, is mu tong obtained from Akebia guinata or Akebia lobata being used. Many cases of kidney failure have been reported in the China from taking this manufactured formula. Today in China, all manufactured formulae that contain guan mu tong (aristolochia debilis) are being banned because of the toxicity to the kidneys.
If you use this formula in raw herb form, make sure you are not using guan mu tong. Use chuan chuan mu tong or huai tong, or bai mu tong tong instead.
Some western countries have banned all types of mu tong totally. Check with your government agencies for updated regulations.
Manufactured formulae that contain guan mu tong are being banned in China because of the toxicity to the kidneys.
Besides long dan xie gan tang, xin yi san, xiao feng san, ba zheng san, dang gui si ni tang , dao chi san all contain mu tong. Make sure they do not contain guan mu tong which is toxic.
