A tablet form of the classical "zi-yin jiang-huo" (enrich yin and descend fire) formula, the same composition as the more familiar Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan, simply in a tablet dosage form for ease of swallowing.
Cultural reference - how this formula has been discussed in Chinese medical tradition. Not medical advice.
Background & origin
Compiled in the Qing-dynasty "Golden Mirror of Medicine" (《医宗金鉴》, 1742) as a "yin-tonic + fire-draining" expansion of the classic Liuwei Dihuang Wan. The "tablet" (片, pian) form is a modern production form, more common in hospital pharmacy and in export product lines. In Japan, チホジオウガン (Chiho-jiō-gan) is sold by Kracie (クラシエ) and JPS as the standard OTC "lower-burner fire" formula. In Korea, it is sold as 지백지황환 (Jibaek-jihwang-hwan) by Kyungdong (경동). The formula is, in short, the "yin-deficiency with heat" counterpart of the more widely known Liuwei Dihuang Wan.
From the source text
This page is cultural documentation, not medical advice.
From the source text · 卷一·删补名医方论·六味地黄丸方论附知柏地黄丸
Classical text
六味地黄丸加知母、黄柏，名知柏地黄丸。治阴虚火旺，骨蒸劳热，虚烦盗汗，口干咽痛，耳鸣遗精，小便赤涩。
Modern Chinese rendering
在六味地黄丸基础上加知母、黄柏两味苦寒清热之品，是为知柏地黄丸。用于阴虚火旺所致的骨蒸劳热、虚烦盗汗、口干咽痛、耳鸣遗精、小便赤涩。这是《医宗金鉴》"六味地黄丸系列"中"补阴兼清虚火"思路下的代表方剂：六味地黄丸滋补肾阴，知母清热滋阴、黄柏泻下焦虚火，三者合用使"滋阴泻火"思路在阴虚火旺、骨蒸潮热、盗汗遗精这一组典型"下焦虚火"证候中落地，是中医"壮水之主，以制阳光"治法的代表性方剂。
Editorial translation
Liuwei Dihuang Wan with Anemarrhena rhizome and Phellodendron bark added is known as Zhibai Dihuang Wan (Anemarrhena-Phellodendron Rehmanni Pills). It addresses yin deficiency with fire effulgence patterns: bone-steaming and taxation heat, vexation and night sweats, dry mouth and sore throat, tinnitus and seminal emission, and scanty dark urine with astringent sensation. This is the canonical "tonify yin and clear deficiency-fire" variation in the Liuwei Dihuang Wan series, as standardized in the Golden Mirror of Medicine: the six-ingredient base nourishes kidney yin, the added anemarrhena clears heat and nourishes yin, and the added phellodendron drains the lower-burner deficiency fire, the three together implement the "replenish the water lord to restrain the sunlight" treatment principle in the typical "lower-burner deficiency fire" presentation of yin deficiency with hot tidal fever, night sweats, and seminal emission.
In tradition
In TCM framing, traditionally used in the context of "yin deficiency with fire", particularly "lower-burner" fire: night sweats, a sensation of heat in the palms and soles, a dry mouth and throat at night, mild lower-back soreness, occasional tinnitus, and a red tongue with little coating. The formula adds two cold-natured herbs (Anemarrhena / Zhi Mu and Phellodendron / Huang Bai) to the more familiar Liuwei Dihuang base, intensifying the "drain fire" aspect. Tablet form is the more modern production form, and is most often seen in hospital pharmacies and in Japanese/Korean export product lines.
Formula composition
Monarch1
- Rehmannia root, cooked (Shú Dì Huáng / 熟地黄) — nourishes yin
Minister2
- Cornus fruit (Shān Zhū Yú / 山茱萸) — tonifies liver and kidney
- Chinese yam (Shān Yào / 山药) — tonifies spleen and kidney
Assistant5
- Moutan tree bark (Mǔ Dān Pí / 牡丹皮) — clears deficiency heat
- Poria (Fú Líng / 茯苓) — leaches dampness, strengthens spleen
- Alisma rhizome (Zé Xiè / 泽泻) — drains turbidity
- Anemarrhena rhizome (Zhī Mǔ / 知母) — clears heat, nourishes yin
- Phellodendron bark (Huáng Bǎi / 黄柏) — drains lower-burner fire
International availability
Taiwan & Hong Kong
- 順天堂OTC知柏地黃片Zhi Bai Di Huang Pian
Cautions & context
- A "bitter-cold" formula, long-term daily use is considered inappropriate in TCM framing; it is intended for short-to-medium courses of clearly "yin-deficiency with fire" presentations.
- People with what TCM describes as "spleen yang deficiency" (loose stools, cold limbs, fatigue) are typically advised to avoid it, the formula is "cold and draining" in nature.
- Sudden, severe, or rapidly progressing symptoms (high fever, severe night sweats, weight loss) should be evaluated by a clinician, these are not within the scope of self-treatment.
- Pregnant or breastfeeding people should consult a qualified practitioner before use.
Related formulas
Other formulas from this text· "Golden Mirror of Medicine"
Other formulas by this contributor· Imperial Medical Academy (Wu Qian, ed.)
Related concerns
Concern · stress
Stress & Mood
Everyday tension, low mood, irritability, the sense of being "wound up but tired". The cluster of complaints that brings many Chinese adults to the family 中成药 drawer before they ever see a doctor.
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 "Golden Mirror of Medicine" (1587).
Last reviewed: July 18, 2026
Three layers of evidence
Classical source
≈ 400 years · "Golden Mirror of Medicine" (1587)
Pharmacopoeia indication
"Nourish yin and clear heat. Used for yin deficiency with excess fire: tidal fever, night sweats, dry mouth with sore throat, tinnitus, and seminal emission."
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
- 01ClassicalWu Qian (吴谦) et al. (eds.), 《医宗金鉴·删补名医方论》 (Yī Zōng Jīn Jiàn · Shān Bǔ Míng Yī Fāng Lùn / Golden Mirror of Medicine · "Edited and Supplemented Formulas of Famous Physicians"), Qing dynasty, completed 1742, vol. 1, the section on Liuwei Dihuang Wan with the appended Zhibai Dihuang Wan (Anemarrhena-Phellodendron Rehmanni Pills) being the canonical text for the "tonify yin and clear deficiency-fire" variation of the Liuwei Dihuang Wan series.
- 02TextbookDuan Fuqin (段富津) et al. (eds.), 《方剂学》 (Fāngjìxué / Textbook of Formulas), Shanghai Scientific and Technical Publishers, 1995, the standard modern university-level formula textbook in mainland China, with Zhibai Dihuang Wan analysed as the representative "tonify yin and clear heat" formula combining the Liuwei Dihuang base with anemarrhena (Zhī Mǔ) and phellodendron (Huáng Bǎi) for "yin deficiency with fire effulgence" patterns.
- 03PharmacopoeiaChinese Pharmacopoeia Commission, 《中华人民共和国药典》 2020 年版一部 (Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó Yàodiǎn, Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China, 2020 Edition, Vol. I), China Medical Science Press, 2020, the official monograph for Zhī Bǎi Dì Huáng Piàn (and Wán) dosage forms, with the "functional indications" reading "滋阴清热" (nourish yin and clear heat).