Xie Bai San — Drain the White Powder
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What is Xie Bai San?
Xie Bai San — Drain the White Powder — is a classical Song dynasty paediatric formula from Qian Yi’s Xiao Er Yao Zheng Zhi Jue (1119). It is one of the most widely used formulas in Chinese herbal medicine for Lung Heat in children, with a gentle action well suited to slim, sensitive constitutions.
I prescribe Xie Bai San as part of bespoke herbal formulas from pharmaceutical-grade granules sourced from Sun Ten in Taiwan.
Xie Bai San TCM pattern
Prescribed for Lung Heat smouldering in the Lung-skin layer: cough or wheeze worse in the afternoon, mild low-grade afternoon fever, slight breathlessness on exertion, possible dry skin and dull complexion, red tongue with thin yellow coat and a thin rapid pulse.
Key herbs
- Sang Bai Pi — chief herb; clears Lung heat and arrests cough
- Di Gu Pi — clears deficient Lung heat without harshness
- Gan Cao, polished rice (gengmi) — harmonise and protect the Stomach
Formula actions
- Clears Lung heat without injuring Qi
- Eases wheezing and stops cough
- Suitable for sensitive paediatric constitutions
Conditions treated
- Childhood asthma and recurrent cough with afternoon worsening
- Subacute pneumonia after antibiotics have cleared the acute infection but cough persists
- Cough-variant asthma in slim sensitive children
- Recurrent low-grade chest infections with Lung-Heat features in deficient constitutions
Cautions
Contraindicated in cough from cold-phlegm or Wind-Cold without heat features. Generally very well tolerated in paediatric practice.
Always consult a qualified Chinese herbalist registered with the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine (RCHM). Online herbal consultations are available.
Prefer to be treated from home? Chinese herbal medicine online consultations are available throughout the UK and worldwide.
