Qing Hao Bie Jia Tang — Sweet Wormwood & Turtle Shell Decoction

On this page

1. Overview
2. TCM pattern
3. Key herbs
4. Formula actions
5. Conditions treated
6. Cautions

Overview

Qing Hao Bie Jia Tang is from Wu Jutong’s Wen Bing Tiao Bian (1798). It addresses residual Heat lurking in the Yin level after a warm-pathogen disease — the picture of low-grade evening or afternoon fever, night sweats, and a feeling of bone-steaming Heat that persists after the main illness has resolved. The chief herb Qing Hao (sweet wormwood, the source of artemisinin) gently vents Heat outward; Bie Jia (turtle shell) anchors Yin and clears deficient Heat from the deeper levels.

I prescribe Qing Hao Bie Jia Tang as part of bespoke herbal formulas from pharmaceutical-grade granules sourced from Sun Ten in Taiwan.

TCM pattern

Qing Hao Bie Jia Tang is prescribed for residual Heat in the Yin level (Yin-deficient Heat after febrile illness):

• Low-grade fever, particularly in the evening or afternoon
• Night sweats
• Bone-steaming sensation
• Five-palm Heat (heat in palms, soles, chest)
• Restlessness, irritability
• Weight loss, weakness
• Tongue — red, dry, possibly with little coat
• Pulse — thin, rapid

Key herbs

1. Qing Hao (sweet wormwood, Artemisia annua) — vents deficient Heat outward through the surface
2. Bie Jia (soft-shell turtle plastron) — nourishes Yin and clears Yin-level Heat
3. Sheng Di Huang — nourishes Yin and cools Blood
4. Zhi Mu — clears Heat
5. Mu Dan Pi — cools Blood and clears deficient Heat

Formula actions

1. Nourishes Yin
2. Vents residual Heat from deep to surface
3. Clears deficient Heat
4. Stops bone-steaming and night sweats

Conditions treated

1. Persistent low-grade fever after viral illness — including Long COVID with prominent night sweats
2. Cancer-related night sweats and fevers (alongside oncology care)
3. Pulmonary tuberculosis with afternoon fevers (alongside conventional treatment)
4. HIV-related night sweats (alongside conventional care)
5. Recurrent malaria-like fevers (note: Qing Hao yields artemisinin)
6. Lupus with afternoon flushing and fevers
7. Hot flushes in perimenopause with empty Heat pattern — see menopausal symptoms

Cautions

Persistent fever needs medical investigation to identify cause (TB, autoimmune, malignancy, chronic infection).

Contains Bie Jia (soft-shell turtle) — an animal product. Modern Sun Ten preparations use aquaculture-sourced material. Vegetarian patients can request modification.

Generally well-tolerated.

Use cautiously in pregnancy — Qing Hao and Mu Dan Pi can move Blood.

Always consult a qualified Chinese herbalist registered with the RCHM.

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