What is Dang Gui Liu Huang Tang?

Dang Gui Liu Huang Tang is a Chinese herb formula. Its English name is Chinese Angelica and Six-Yellow Decoction. It is treated as a single drug (a TCM formula), not as seven separate herbs: the parts are cooked and taken as one mix.

It is used most often for night sweats. That means sweating that soaks your bedclothes while you sleep. It is also given for hot flushes and for feeling hot, dry and restless at night.

Here is the short verdict. The formula has a long record in Chinese medicine, but we could not find solid human trials of it. Long traditional use is not proof that a remedy works, and that point is not repeated later in this page.

How does Dang Gui Liu Huang Tang work?

No one has shown how this formula works in the body. What follows is the traditional idea, plus a few lab hints.

In Chinese medicine, night sweats are seen as "heat from within" that comes out when the body is low on yin (a word for the cool, moist side of the body). Three "yellow" herbs are used to cool that heat. Dang gui and two forms of rehmannia are used to build the body back up.

Huang qi (astragalus) is added to hold the surface closed, so less sweat escapes. That is a traditional idea, not a tested one.

Lab work on the single herbs shows some effects on swelling, blood sugar and gut bacteria. None of that tells you what the whole formula does in a person. Treat the mechanism as unproven.

What forms does Dang Gui Liu Huang Tang come in?

You will meet it in a few forms.

The classic form is a decoction (a strong herb tea made by boiling the raw herbs in water). Many clinics now use granules, which are dried herb extracts that you stir into hot water. Some brands sell ready-made pills or capsules.

Quality control is uneven. Some imported herb products have been found to hold heavy metals or hidden drugs. Buy only from a seller who tests each batch and will show you the test results.

Where it comes from:

The formula comes from a book by Li Dong-yuan, a famous Chinese doctor of the Jin-Yuan era. It appears in Lan Shi Mi Cang, written around 1249.

It has stayed in use ever since. Chinese medicine schools still teach it today, and it appears in standard formula textbooks. That gives it a firm place in one tradition, though not in others.

What does Dang Gui Liu Huang Tang help with?

• Night sweats (sweating that soaks you in your sleep): This is the main traditional use, and the reason most practitioners reach for it. Classic texts describe it for sweating at night with a dry mouth and a hot, edgy feeling. We found no good human trial that tested it against a dummy treatment for night sweats. So the support here is tradition, not proof. Night sweats can also come from infection, thyroid trouble or cancer, so get them checked first.
• Hot flushes around menopause: Chinese clinics often use this formula when hot flushes come with night sweating and dry skin. That use is modern but common. The human evidence is thin. We could not find a trial we can name that shows it beats a dummy pill. If flushes are wearing you down, ask your doctor about options that have been tested.
• Feeling hot, dry and restless at night: In traditional terms this is the pattern the formula was built for: heat rising at night, with thirst and a red tongue. There is no trial evidence for this as a symptom. A practitioner would judge it by your tongue and pulse, not by a test.
• Sweating during or after a long illness: Traditional use covers sweating in people who feel weak and drained after being ill for a long time. Huang qi is in the formula for that reason. No human trial supports this use. Long-lasting sweating with weight loss or fever needs a medical check, not an herb.
• Poor sleep with a hot, edgy feeling: Some practitioners use it when sweating breaks your sleep and leaves you tense. The claim is traditional. We found no sleep study on this formula. Nothing here says it will help you sleep.

Which foods are rich in Dang Gui Liu Huang Tang?

1. Dang gui root: sometimes simmered in Chinese soups and broths as a food herb

Practical Tips:

This is a medicine formula, not a nutrient found in food; only dang gui turns up in cooking, and in far smaller amounts.

What are the side effects of Dang Gui Liu Huang Tang?

• Loose stools or diarrhoea
• Belly pain or cramping
• Nausea and poor appetite
• Feeling cold or chilled
• Rash or itching
• Yellow skin or eyes, dark urine, or pain under the right ribs — these can be signs of liver harm; stop and get help
• Yellowing of the skin in a newborn if taken while breastfeeding

Good to know:

Gut upset is the common problem. Three of the herbs are strongly bitter and cooling, and they often loosen the stools or dull the appetite. This usually settles when you stop.

Liver harm is rare but real. Chinese skullcap has been linked to liver injury in some supplement users. Berberine, from coptis and phellodendron, can cause jaundice (yellow skin) in newborns.

Because of these risks, this formula is not a casual self-care product. Use it under a practitioner, and tell your doctor you are taking it.

How much Dang Gui Liu Huang Tang should you take?

• Recommended daily: No dose has been set by human trials. Everything below is traditional practice, not proof. As a decoction, a day's dose is often 6 to 12 grams of each herb, boiled in water. The liquid is split into two drinks. Granules are usually 3 to 6 grams, two times a day, but follow the label on your brand. Doses of the raw herbs are changed to fit the person. This formula holds strong, bitter, cooling herbs. It should be set by a trained practitioner who knows what else you take.
• Best time of day: It is usually split into two doses, one in the morning and one in the evening. Some practitioners give the second dose in the late afternoon, since the trouble shows up at night.
• With or without food: Take it after food. The bitter herbs can sting an empty stomach and cause nausea or loose stools.
• Time to effect: Traditional texts suggest a few days to two weeks for sweating to ease. This is not backed by trial data. If nothing has changed in two weeks, it is not working for you.
• How long to take it: Short runs are the norm. Many practitioners use it for one to two weeks, then look again. If your sweating has not eased in two weeks, stop and get checked. Do not stay on it for months on end without review. Long use of the bitter, cooling herbs can upset your gut.