Yang Yin Qing Fei Tang
Quick Facts
- What it is: A classical Chinese herbal formula, taken as one prescription, used traditionally for a dry, hot, painful throat and a dry cough.
- Main uses: Dry sore throat, Hoarse voice, Dry cough with little phlegm
- Best for: Short-term dry throat irritation in traditional Chinese medicine practice
- Active ingredients: Glycyrrhizin (licorice root), Paeoniflorin (white peony root), Paeonol (moutan bark), Catalpol and iridoid glycosides (raw rehmannia), Steroidal saponins (ophiopogon), Fritillaria alkaloids, Menthol-bearing volatile oil (field mint)
- Forms: Raw herb packets for decoction, Concentrated granules, Tablets or pills, Ready-made liquid
- Time to effect: Traditional users report throat comfort in one to two days; if nothing changes in a week, stop.
- Side effects: Usually mild digestive upset; the licorice can raise blood pressure and lower potassium with longer use.
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What is Yang Yin Qing Fei Tang?
Yang Yin Qing Fei Tang is a Chinese herbal formula. It is used for a dry, hot, sore throat and a dry cough. The name means Nourish the Yin and Clear the Lungs Decoction.
In old Chinese terms, it suits a throat and lungs seen as "dry and hot". It is not meant for a cough seen as cold and full of phlegm.
We treat it here as one remedy, not as eight separate herbs. The herbs are always taken together as one mix. Its eight herbs are listed further down this page.
The evidence line is short and honest. This formula has a long record in Chinese medicine. But we found no good human trials showing that it beats a dummy pill (placebo).
Long use tells you what people have done for years. It is not proof that the formula works. We say this once here, not in every section.
How does Yang Yin Qing Fei Tang work?
No one has shown clearly how this formula works in the body. The old Chinese account and the lab account are two different things.
In Chinese medicine it is said to "nourish yin" in the lungs and throat. That means it restores moisture and cools heat. It is also said to calm swelling and ease a cough.
That is a picture drawn inside an older system of ideas. It is not a measured effect in the body.
In lab and animal work, several of the single herbs calm swelling. Some also seem to coat and soothe a sore throat. Licorice and ophiopogon have been studied most.
Those findings come from cells and animals. They do not tell you what happens when a person drinks the tea.
What forms does Yang Yin Qing Fei Tang come in?
It comes in several forms:
Raw herb packets. You boil these at home into a decoction (a strong tea). This is the oldest form.
Strong granules or powder. You stir these into hot water.
Pills or tablets made from a dried extract.
Ready-made bottles of liquid, sold for a sore throat or a cough.
Strength varies a lot between makers. The ratio of herbs is not the same in every product.
Buy from a supplier that tests for heavy metals. Check that they do not add hidden drugs.
Where it comes from:
The formula first appears in a Chinese book from 1838. It is called Chong Lou Yu Yao (Jade Key to the Secluded Chamber).
The book dates from the Qing dynasty and deals with throat disease. It is credited to Zheng Mei-Jian.
It was written for bai hou, or "white throat". That is the illness we now call diphtheria, a serious throat infection caused by bacteria.
Today, diphtheria is treated in hospital with antitoxin and antibiotics. This formula is not a substitute for that care.
Modern Chinese practice uses it much more loosely. It is given for a dry sore throat, a hoarse voice, a dry cough and throat irritation.
It is a well-known, long-standing prescription inside Chinese medicine. It is not used outside that tradition.
If this is an emergency
Some reactions to Yang Yin Qing Fei 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 Yang Yin Qing Fei Tang?
- Do not use if you have high blood pressure, because the licorice in this formula makes the body hold salt and water.
- Do not use if you have low potassium (a low level of a mineral your heart and muscles need) or take a medicine that lowers it.
- Do not use if you take digoxin or another medicine for heart rhythm, unless a doctor is supervising you.
- Do not use if you take a diuretic (water pill) such as furosemide or hydrochlorothiazide.
- Do not use if you take corticosteroids such as prednisone.
- Do not use if you have heart failure, kidney disease or liver disease.
- Do not use if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, because the moutan bark and the licorice have not been shown to be safe and mint may reduce milk.
- Do not use if you have watery diarrhoea, a weak digestion or a cold, phlegmy cough, which is the opposite pattern to the one this formula is for.
- Never combine it with a herbal formula containing aconite (Fu Zi, Chuan Wu, Cao Wu) or Veratrum (Li Lu).
- Do not use it instead of antibiotics or antitoxin if diphtheria or another serious throat infection is suspected — that needs hospital treatment.
- Do not give it to a child without advice from a qualified practitioner or doctor.
When should you see a doctor?
Get medical help straight away if you have trouble breathing or swallowing, drooling, a muffled voice, a swollen neck, a grey or white coating on the throat, or a stiff neck with a high fever. These can mean a dangerous throat infection or a blocked airway.
See a doctor soon if your sore throat lasts more than a week, your voice stays hoarse for more than three weeks, you cough up blood, you lose weight without trying, or you keep getting fevers.
Stop the formula and speak to a doctor if you notice puffy ankles or face, a persistent headache, muscle weakness or cramps, or a fluttering or irregular heartbeat. Those can be signs that the licorice has pushed your potassium down or your blood pressure up.
Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.
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