A modern "runfei zhi-ke" (moisten the lung and stop cough) syrup standardized in the 1956 Pharmacopoeia, the "dew" (lu) form of the Chuanbei-Pipaye pairing, lighter and waterier than the classic gao (paste).
Cultural reference - how this formula has been discussed in Chinese medical tradition. Not medical advice.
Background & origin
Standardized in the 1956 Pharmacopoeia of the PRC as the "dew" (露) form of the Chuanbei-Pipaye loquat formula, it is one of the older continuously produced loquat-syrup brands in China. In Japan, similar loquat syrups (類似品) are sold by Kracie (クラシエ) and other makers as part of the "Ryukakusan" (龍角散) product family. In Korean hanbang, similar loquat-syrup preparations appear in Kyungdong's (경동) "과상등" range. The product is, in short, a TCM loquat formula that has been re-expressed in the OTC lines of every major East Asian manufacturer.
In tradition
In TCM framing, traditionally used in the context of "lung-heat" or "lung-dryness" with mild cough, dry or mildly productive cough, hoarseness, dry throat, a sensation of heat in the chest, and night-time worsening. The "lu" (露, dew) form is considered lighter and more "throat-soothing" than the "gao" (膏, paste) form, and is often the form chosen when the cough is mild and the throat is the primary focus. Similar loquat syrups (類似品) are sold by Kracie (クラシエ) and other Japanese makers as part of the "Ryukakusan" (龍角散) product family, and in Korean hanbang as part of Kyungdong's "과상등" loquat-syrup range.
Formula composition
Monarch1
- Loquat leaf (Pí Pá Yè / 枇杷叶) - principal, moistens the lung
Other ingredients6
- Fritillaria cirrhosa bulb (Chuān Bèi Mǔ / 川贝母) - clears heat, transforms phlegm
- Coltsfoot flower (Kuǎn Dōng Huā / 款冬花) - stops cough
- Apricot kernel (Xìng Rén / 杏仁) - descends lung qi, calms cough
- Platycodon root (Jié Gěng / 桔梗) - guides lung qi, expels phlegm
- Peppermint (Bò Hé / 薄荷) - soothes the throat
- Sucrose syrup base (Zhè Táng Táng Jiāng / 蔗糖糖浆) - moistens, carries the formula
International availability
Taiwan & Hong Kong
- 順天堂OTC川貝枇杷露Chuan Bei Pi Pa Lu
Cautions & context
- Contains apricot kernel (Xìng Rén), its TCM dosage and short-term use are considered safe, but it should not be combined with other CNS-depressant medications without professional guidance.
- Not appropriate for cough with profuse white, watery phlegm (a "cold-phlegm" pattern), the formula is described as moistening and cooling, not warming.
- People with diabetes are typically advised to use with caution, the syrup base is high in sugar.
- Persistent cough lasting more than two weeks, especially with blood or weight loss, should be evaluated by a clinician rather than self-addressed with OTC syrups.
Related formulas
Other formulas from this text· "Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China"
Other formulas by this contributor· Pharmacopoeia Commission of the PRC
Related concerns
Concern · immune
Immune Support
The everyday language of "wanting to stay well", a sense of being run down, the change of seasons, occasional mouth ulcers, the slow recovery after a cold.
Concern · sleep
Sleep
Difficulty falling asleep, light sleep, dream-disturbed sleep, and the "tired but cannot switch off" pattern that follows overwork or worry.
Editorial note
Compiled from "Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China" (1956).
Last reviewed: July 18, 2026
Three layers of evidence
Classical source
≈ 100 years · "Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China" (1956)
Pharmacopoeia indication
"Stop cough and resolve phlegm. Used for wind-heat cough: profuse phlegm with qi counterflow, and dry mouth with throat itch."
Modern research status
As of 2026-07-18, a PubMed search using the formula name and the Latin / Korean / Japanese transliterations together with "systematic review" and "meta-analysis" did not identify a dedicated systematic review for this formula. Any clinical evidence that does exist is fragmented across small individual trials or covered in broad herbal-medicine umbrella reviews, which do not allow a per-formula evidence assessment; the absence of a dedicated SR is itself the relevant editorial fact here.
References
References reviewed on July 18, 2026 · PubMed search on 2026-07-18
- 01PharmacopoeiaChinese Pharmacopoeia Commission, 《中华人民共和国药典》 2020 edition, vol. 1 (Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó Yàodiǎn, Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China, 2020 ed., vol. 1), China Medical Science Press, 2020, the official national monograph for Chuān Bèi Pí Pá Lù (糖浆剂), "functional indication" reads "镇咳祛痰。用于感冒引起的咳嗽" ("Stop cough and resolve phlegm. Used for cough caused by common cold"), the formula being a flagship "Chuanbei + loquat" "dew" form standardized in the 1956 Pharmacopoeia and re-confirmed in each subsequent edition through 2020.
- 02TextbookGao Xuemin (高学敏) et al. (eds.), 《中药学》 (Zhōngyào Xué / Science of Chinese Materia Medica), 1st edition, People's Medical Publishing House, 2002, the standard national textbook of Chinese-medicine higher education in mainland China, with Chuān Bèi Pí Pá Lù analysed in the "化痰止咳平喘剂 / phlegm-transforming, cough-stopping, wheeze-leveling formulas" chapter as the lighter "dew" form of the "Chuanbei + loquat-leaf" family, with explicit discussion of the cooling-moistening approach, the sucrose-based carrier, and the classical contraindications for cold-phlegm patterns.
- 03TextbookZhonghua Bencao Editorial Committee (中华本草编委会), 《中华本草》 (Zhōnghuá Běncǎo / Chinese Materia Medica Compendium), Shanghai Scientific and Technical Publishers, 1999, the most comprehensive modern TCM-materia-medica compendium in mainland China (30 volumes, 8980 monographs), with a dedicated monograph on Chuān Bèi Pí Pá Lù and cross-references to each of its 7 component ingredients, providing the standard scholarly reference for the "Chuanbei + loquat" "dew" formula family and its "lung-heat / lung-dryness" indications.