A modern "qing-re zao-shi" (clear heat and dry dampness) single-component preparation from the 1977 Pharmacopoeia, essentially the isolated alkaloid berberine HCl extracted from Coptis (huanglian).
Cultural reference - how this formula has been discussed in Chinese medical tradition. Not medical advice.
Background & origin
Standardized in the 1977 Pharmacopoeia of the PRC as a single-component preparation, it represents a uniquely modern chapter in TCM history, the traditional bitter-cold herb Coptis (黄连) is reduced to its principal alkaloid and produced in tablet form for the mass market. In Japan, the closely related compound idea appears in the kampo formula "San'o-shashin-tō" (三黄瀉心湯), sold by Tsumura (ツムラ) and Kracie (クラシエ) for "stomach heaviness" indications. In Korean hanbang, berberine-containing preparations (황련소) are produced by Kyungdong (경동). The product is a textbook example of how a single classical TCM herb has been industrialized into a universal OTC.
In tradition
In TCM framing, associated with "damp-heat" patterns affecting the digestive tract, a sense of heaviness in the abdomen, loose stools with a sticky or foul character, occasional burning sensation, and a yellow-coated tongue. The "huang-lian" name derives from the plant Coptis chinensis, the traditional source of berberine. In Japan, the closely related compound idea appears in the "San'o-shashin-tō" (三黄瀉心湯) sold by Tsumura and Kracie for "stomach heaviness and bleeding" indications, and in Korean hanbang berberine-containing preparations are produced by Kyungdong.
Formula composition
- Berberine hydrochloride (Huáng Lián Sù / 盐酸小檗碱) — the sole active component
International availability
Taiwan & Hong Kong
- 順天堂OTC黃連素片Huang Lian Su Pian
Cautions & context
- Not recommended for use in infants or young children without medical supervision, the formula is described as "bitter-cold" and may affect digestion in this age group.
- May interact with certain antibiotics (e.g., tetracyclines, macrolides) and with some cardiac medications, the berberine component has documented effects on several drug-metabolizing enzymes.
- Long-term high-dose use is generally discouraged in TCM framing, the formula is intended for short-term use during a defined "damp-heat" episode.
- Severe abdominal pain, persistent diarrhea with blood, or fever should be evaluated by a clinician, berberine is not a substitute for evaluation of acute abdominal conditions.
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 · digestion
Digestion
Upper-abdominal heaviness, bloating, sour reflux, loose stools, traveler's stomach, and the aftermath of a meal that was richer, spicier, or larger than usual.
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.
Editorial note
Compiled from "Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China" (1977).
Last reviewed: July 18, 2026
Three layers of evidence
Classical source
≈ 0 years · "Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China" (1977)
Pharmacopoeia indication
"Clear heat and dry dampness, regulate qi and stop pain, stop dysentery and diarrhea. Used for damp-heat accumulation: dysentery and enteritis with purulent bloody stool, tenesmus, and abdominal pain with diarrhea."
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 Huáng Lián Sù Piàn (盐酸小檗碱片 / Berberine Hydrochloride Tablets), "functional indication" reads "clear heat and dry dampness, regulate qi and stop pain, stop dysentery and diarrhea. Used for damp-heat accumulation: dysentery and enteritis with purulent bloody stool, tenesmus, and abdominal pain with diarrhea", the formula being a modern 中成药 standardized in the 1977 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 Huáng Lián Sù Piàn analysed in the "清热剂 / heat-clearing formulas" chapter as a representative modern single-component preparation derived from the classical bitter-cold herb Coptis (黄连), with explicit discussion of the isolated-alkaloid industrialization paradigm, the "damp-heat in the lower jiao" indication, and the contraindications for cold-deficiency 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 the modern Huáng Lián Sù Piàn formula and cross-references to its traditional source plants Coptis chinensis (黄连) and Phellodendron amurense (黄柏), providing the standard scholarly reference for berberine as the principal alkaloid and its "damp-heat" indications.