Da Qin Jiao Tang
Do not self-treat with Da Qin Jiao Tang
Practitioner-prepared only. Amounts should be set by a trained Chinese medicine practitioner who knows your full drug list and your kidney and liver history.
If this is an emergency
Some reactions to Da Qin Jiao Tang need urgent care. Call your local emergency number or go to an emergency department straight away — do not wait to see whether it passes.
Who should avoid Da Qin Jiao Tang?
- Do not use if you are pregnant, trying to get pregnant, or breastfeeding — this is an absolute no, at any dose.
- Do not use if you have any kidney disease, reduced kidney function, a kidney transplant, or a past episode of kidney failure.
- Do not use if you have had cancer of the urinary tract (the bladder, kidneys, or the tubes between them).
- Do not use any batch that contains xi xin (Asarum) unless a qualified practitioner has checked the source, because this herb can carry aristolochic acid, a chemical that harms the kidneys and can cause cancer.
- Do not use if you take warfarin or any other blood thinner.
- Do not use if you take digoxin (a heart drug), water pills (diuretics, drugs that make you pass more urine), or steroid tablets such as prednisolone.
- Do not use if you have high blood pressure, heart failure, a heart-rhythm problem, or low potassium in the blood (a salt your heart needs).
- Do not use if you have liver disease or hepatitis (swelling of the liver).
- Never give it to a child under 12.
- Do not use it in place of emergency care if your face, arm or speech has just gone weak — call an ambulance instead.
When should you see a doctor?
Call an ambulance now if your face droops, an arm goes weak, or your speech slurs. Those are stroke signs and every minute counts.
Stop the herbs and see a doctor the same day if you notice:
swelling in your face or ankles, a sharp rise in blood pressure, bad muscle cramps, a racing or skipping heartbeat, much less urine than normal, blood in your urine, yellow skin or eyes, or a spreading rash.
Book a normal appointment if numbness or weakness has not improved after four weeks, or if you want your kidney function checked after taking this mix. Tell any doctor or pharmacist that you have been taking a Chinese herbal formula, and take the packet with you.
- What it is: A Chinese herbal tea of about 16 herbs, counted as one product (a single drug, TCM formula), used for a droopy face, numb limbs and one-sided weakness.
- Active ingredients: Qin jiao (gentian root), Qiang huo and du huo, Fang feng, Dang gui and chuan xiong, Gan cao (licorice root), Xi xin (Asarum root) — the herb of concern
- Side effects: Usually a queasy stomach; rarely raised blood pressure, low potassium, kidney damage or cancer risk.
- Pregnancy & breastfeeding: Avoid in pregnancy and while breastfeeding.
Educational information, not medical advice — ask your doctor or midwife.
What is Da Qin Jiao Tang?
Da Qin Jiao Tang is a herb mix used in Chinese medicine. About 16 dried herbs are boiled into a tea. It is given for weakness on one side of the body, a droopy face, numb arms or legs, and stiff joints.
It is counted as one product here: a single drug (TCM formula), even though many herbs go into it. Its English name is Major Gentiana Macrophylla Decoction. The lead herb is qin jiao, a gentian root.
The short verdict: the mix has a long record in Chinese texts, but we found no solid human trials of it. Long use is not proof that a thing works. One herb in the mix, xi xin, brings a real safety worry, so read the safety part below.
How does Da Qin Jiao Tang work?
In plain terms: no one has shown how this mix acts in the body, or that it acts at all.
The old idea is that "wind" has got into the channels (the paths that Chinese medicine says blood and energy follow). Wind is said to block the flow and leave a limb numb or weak. The herbs are chosen to drive out wind, warm the flow, feed the blood and cool heat.
That is a model from tradition. It is not a map of what happens in your cells.
Lab and animal work on a few of the single herbs hints at less swelling and less pain. Those tests sit far from a person with a droopy face. They do not tell you what a cup of the tea will do.
What forms does Da Qin Jiao Tang come in?
The classic form is a tea. A day's packet of raw herbs is boiled in water, strained, and drunk warm.
You may also see it as granules (a dried powder you stir into hot water), as small pills, or as a liquid extract.
Blends vary. Some makers leave out xi xin or shi gao, and the label may not say. Ask the seller for a full herb list before you buy.
Where it comes from:
The mix comes from a Chinese text written by Liu Wansu around 1186, in the Jin dynasty. It was set down for what old doctors called wind-stroke in the channels: a face or limb that suddenly goes weak or numb. It has stayed in use in Chinese clinics and textbooks ever since.
What does Da Qin Jiao Tang help with?
- Sudden one-sided facial weakness (Bell's palsy): This is the classic use in Chinese medicine, and the mix is still taught for it today. We could not find a well-run human trial that tests it against a dummy treatment. Most facial palsy gets better on its own over weeks, which makes any herb look helpful unless it is tested properly.
- Weakness or numbness in an arm or leg after a stroke: Chinese practice uses it in the months of recovery, often beside physiotherapy (movement training). Proof from good trials is missing. Stroke care is time-critical, so this is never a stand-in for hospital treatment or the drugs your doctor gives you.
- Numb or tingling hands and feet: Traditional texts list numbness as a lead sign for this mix. Numbness has many causes, from a pinched nerve to diabetes to a lack of vitamin B12. Get the cause checked first; the herbs do not sort out which one you have.
- Stiff, aching joints and muscles that feel worse in cold, damp weather: Several herbs in the mix are traditional wind-damp remedies for aching joints. Human evidence for this whole mix is thin. A few single herbs in it have small lab studies on swelling, which is a long way from proof in people.
What are the side effects of Da Qin Jiao Tang?
- Upset stomach, nausea or loose stools
- A bitter taste and reflux (stomach acid rising into the throat)
- Skin rash or itching
- Feeling sleepy or dull-headed
- Puffy ankles and face, from the licorice in the mix
- A rise in blood pressure, from the licorice in the mix
- Low potassium in the blood (a salt your heart needs), which can bring cramps, weakness or an odd heartbeat
- Kidney damage, linked to aristolochic acid in some Asarum (xi xin) stock
- Cancer of the urinary tract (bladder, kidney and the tubes between them), a long-term risk of aristolochic acid
Good to know:
Most people who take a short course report nothing worse than a queasy stomach or loose stools.
The serious harms are rare but real, and two of them are permanent. Licorice effects build up with dose and time. Kidney damage and cancer from aristolochic acid can turn up years after the herb was taken.
That is why this mix is not a self-help remedy. Use it only with a trained practitioner and a supplier who can show what is in the packet.
Options to discuss with a clinician
Every problem on this page has routes that have been studied more carefully than this formula, and each of them is a conversation to open with a doctor, pharmacist or qualified herbalist — not something to pick up on your own.
**Numb or tingling hands and feet.** Numbness has many causes — diabetes, a trapped nerve, thyroid problems, or a shortage of vitamin B12 — and the cause decides the treatment, so a GP visit and blood tests come first. Where low B12 is confirmed, Methylcobalamin (B12 Active Form) is one option worth raising with the prescriber.
**Stiff, aching joints and muscles worse in cold, damp weather.** Ask a clinician about what is driving the stiffness (arthritis, inflammatory conditions). Moxibustion — warming a point on the body with a smouldering herb stick — is used in this situation and is something a licensed acupuncturist can discuss with you.
**Sudden one-sided facial weakness.** This is urgent. Same-day medical assessment matters, because treatment for Bell's palsy works best when started early, and a stroke can look similar.
**Weakness or numbness after a stroke.** Rehabilitation through a stroke team — physiotherapy, occupational therapy — has the strongest evidence. Mention any herbal interest to that team, as some products clash with blood-thinning medicines.
Graded pages for the options named above:
- Methylcobalamin (B12 Active Form) — evidence grade B, traditional tier T0
- Moxibustion — evidence grade B, traditional tier T3
- Vitamin B12 — evidence grade A, traditional tier T0
Review status
This page has not been signed off by a pharmacist and is not published. It is shown here for a policy decision only.