Yin Qiao. Yin for the herb Jin Yin Hua or honeysuckle flower. Qiao for Lian Qiao or forsythia fruit. Both of these herbal allies would be quite at home in your garden. For many people, Yin Qiao was their first introduction to Chinese herbal medicine. Sometimes this formula is called Yin Chiao Chieh Tu Pian and sometimes Yin Qiao San. By any name, it is seen as a cure for the common cold, sometimes. Only sometimes. The presenting symptoms need to match and usage needs to be correct. Yin Qiao is no one trick common cold pony. This formula has an array of uses and an interesting history.
Yin Qiao Herbal Formula in Traditional Chinese Medicine| Functions | Expels toxic heat, dispels winds, releases the exterior. |
| Diagnosis |
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| Presentation |
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| Pulse | Rapid, floating |
| Tongue | Normal. Might have a thin yellow coat or red tip. |
Yin Qiao San– Where It All Started
The original Yin Qiao San was developed by Wu Ju Tong, and recorded in Wen Bing Tiao Bian, “Warm Diseases Systemic Differences” (1798 C.E.). Not a super catchy title, however, this tome represented advances in the understanding and treatment of febrile ( feverish ) diseases. Before Wen Bing or “Warm Diseases”, there was Shanghan Lun “Cold Damage Diseases” (200 C.E.) written by Zhang Zhongjing. In that book, the core concept was that all illnesses resulted from the damage of cold weather. Heat symptoms were the result of cold that had been trapped and transformed into heat. The treatment strategy was to drain the heat from the interior with cold and bitter herbs. In biomedical terms, this would be similar to treating a virus with an antibiotic. A strategy that can end up doing more harm than good. Nevertheless, many of the concepts and herbal formulas from this Han dynasty classic are used in modern clinics.
Yin Qiao San to Treat 17th-Century Wind-Heat Diseases
Also in the Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu, after hearing about trade opportunities, opened China to the west and the Silk Road was born. Silk was particularly coveted by the Romans. Other traded goods included porcelain, tea, paper, and gunpowder. By the beginning of the Tang Dynasty (1698 C.E.), the Silk Road was humming. Traders brought home goods, wealth and tales. They also brought diseases such as smallpox, diphtheria, tuberculosis, typhoid, and typhus. Chinese doctors realized they needed a framework beyond “Cold Damage” to understand and treat these new diseases.
Wen Bing Tiao Bian is the result of the experiences and observations of untold physicians. Wu Ju Tong organized the concepts, wrote it all down, and made some contributions of his own. There are significant breakthroughs about the nature of the disease. Wen Bing or fever disease spreads very quickly. This is referring to an epidemic situation. Once in the body, it can remain latent and after an incubation period, the condition develops. The pestilent qi or pathogen can be transmitted via the digestive system or through the air. Infections spread through food, water and from coughing and sneezing. For perspective, it was a hundred years later that English doctor William Budd realized Typhoid was transmitted through contaminated water.(5)
was originally cooked up to treat childhood Chicken Pox and Measles, which entered China via the Silk Road. These are febrile diseases and present as Wind-Heat. The formula was designed to clear the superficial levels of the body and to go deeper to the Qi and Blood levels to force the heat toxins out to the surface (1). With the surface cleared and opened, the Heat-Toxins are forced out and seen in the form of a rash. The rash is then cleared further from the surface and the skin. It was considered important to fully vent the rash lest the pathogen become trapped and later cause of an illness. A biomedical example of this is the Chicken Pox virus which causes shingles decades after the initial illness. The same herbs work in the same way for a Wind-Heat common cold though we do not get to see the surface clearing since there is no rash to monitor. What is important is the Wind-Heat pattern of the symptoms, not the name. These days Yin Qiao most likely to be used for the early stage of a Wind-Heat common cold.
Yin Qiao Ingredients
The following list contains all the herbs in Yin Qiao. The first entry is the Pin Yin name of the herb accompanied by a common name and/or the scientific nomenclature. Next, are the uses that pertain to colds and flu, then uses that are related to itches and rashes. Included in this list are the biomedical actions of each herb, so you can see that these support the workings of the formula. Chinese herbs are usually taken as a formula because of the synergistic workings of the herbs. Commentary on typical pairings is sprinkled throughout this list. I know you love lists, so have at it.| Pin Yin Name | Common Name/Scientific nomenclature | Uses | Biomedical action | Commentary |
| Jin Yin Hua | Honeysuckle flower/ Lonicera Japonica | Clears wind heat early stages of feverish diseases, sore throat, headache, dysentery: hot and painful swellings and sores, of the breast, throat, or eyes.(2) | Antiviral antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic (3) | |
| Lian Qiao | Forsythia fruit/ Fructus Forsythiae | Cools fever, clears heat and toxins from the surface, dissipates nodules. (2) In ancient times Lan Qiao was used primarily for swellings, sores, goiters, tumors, and abscesses. (4) | Antibiotic, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic. (3) | Jin Yin Hua and Lian Qiao are cooling herbs which also release the exterior. They clear the heat pathogen from the Wei or surface layer of the body, including the lungs. Jin Yin Hua paired with Gan Cao is used for itching damp rashes. |
| Jie Geng | The root of the balloon flower/Radix Platycodi Grandiflora | Any cough and phlegm, brings herbs to the upper body, expels pus from the lungs and throat, benefits voice. (2) | Expectorant, anti-tussive, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory. (3) | |
| Nui Bang Zi | Great burdock fruit/Fructus Arctic Lappae | Clears wind heat and toxicity, sore throat, red swellings, mumps, carbuncles, early stages of rashes. (2) | Jie Geng and Nui Bang Zi together strongly help the lung qi for coughing and throat. | |
| Bo He | Field mint/Herba Menthe Haplocalycis | Clears wind heat, fever, headache, cough, sore throat, vents rashes early stages. (2) | Antipyretic and anti-inflammatory. (3) | |
| Dan Dou Chi | Prepared soybean/Semen Sojae Preparatum | Clears wind cold or wind heat, irritability from febrile disorders. (2) | Mild diaphoretic. (3) | |
| Jing Jie | Japanese Catnip/ Herba Schizonepetae | Wind Cold or Wind Heat, vent rashes and alleviates itching. | Antibiotic, antipyretic, and analgesic. (3) | Jing Jie’s role is to boost the exterior releasing property of the formula. |
| Dan Zhu Ye | Bland bamboo leaves/ Herba Lophatheri Gracilis | Clears heat, mouth sore, irritability. (2) | Antipyretic. (3) | |
| Lu Gen, | Reed rhizome/ Rhizome Phragamitis Communis | Clears heat, generates fluid, clear heat for cough in the acute stage, promotes urine, encourages rashes to vent if incomplete. (2) | Antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic. (3) | Although Chinese herbs are rarely used singly, Lu Gen is for rashes. |
| Gan Cao | Licorice root/Radix Glycyrrhizae | Stops cough, clears heat, disperses wind-heat, resolves toxicity. (2) | Anti-inflammatory, increases phagocytosis, anti-tussive, expectorant, and antibiotic.(3) | Dan Zhu Ye, Lu Gen, and Gan Cao generate fluids and alleviate thirst. Gan Cao and Jie Geng treat sore throat. Pair Bo He and Nui Bang Zi for a severely itching rash or incomplete venting. Use Jing Jie and Bo He for itching and to vent a rash. |
How Yin Qiao Compounds Work
The primary ingredients in the Yin Qiao formula are Lian Qiao and Jin Yin Hua, which are particularly useful when used to dispel heat toxins outwards and upwards from the skin, eyes, throat, and head. They both resolve heat, clear heat from the Lungs, and release the exterior.
Dan Dou Chi, Niu Bang Zi, and Jing Jie all come together to promote sweating, dispel the wind, expel the wind-heat, release the exterior, and relax the muscles. They also have potent toxic-releasing attributes as they support the movement to the surface promoted by the fundamental herbs in the formula.
Niu Bang Zi’s activity involves resolving and traveling toxic heat up to the head, and then exceling it. At the same time, it dispels wind-heat, with the end target being to relieve occasional sore throat.
Bo He, Jing Jie, Niu Bang Zi, Jin Yin Hua, and Lian Qiao work synergistically to treat wind-heat sores, dispel heat toxins, and vent rashes. It should be noted that these ingredients are superbly effective when used for upper body sores related to wind-heat.
Combined with Gan Cao, Dan Zhu Ye, Niu Bang zi, Jing Jie, and Lian Qiao, Jie Geng relieves slight cough as it guides the formula to the throat and the Lung. Paired with Gan Cao, Bo He, Niu Bang Zi, Jin Yin Hua, and Lian Qiao, it soothes a sore throat.
Dan Dou Chi and Dan Zhu Ye work together to help calm irritability and clear heat while the latter also clears heat from the tongue and mouth as a means to provide relief from slight sores.
To harmonize the function of all the herbs in the formula, the manufacturer uses Gan Cao, which also benefits the throat and Lungs, and also clears toxic heat.
As for the cases of symptoms related to irritated eyes, Bo He, combined with Jing Jie, can work wonders, as they clear wind-heat. This, results in the alleviation of wind-heat-caused headaches.
Finally, Lian Qiao is a key compound that promotes the smooth Blood and Qi flow in the twelve channels. This activity enhances the effectiveness of the formula when used to treat sores.
Yin Qiao or Gan Mao Ling?
Both herbal formulas are hugely effective for early stages of wind-heat diseases. In fact, they are so similar that many practitioners use them interchangeably to treat or prevent common wind-heat invasion. However, others wonder what the differences between the two formulas are. Here is a short list of these for your consideration:
- Gan Mao Ling can be used for both wind-heat invasion and the initial stages of wind-cold, probably due to its immune-strengthening compounds whereas Yin Qiao is exclusively for wind-heat diseases. Nevertheless, if pronounced wind-cold signs appear and Gan Mao has not worked in the first 2-3 days, it is best to use another wind-cold dispelling formula.
- Yin Qiao is a superb formula to treat heat toxins or wind-heat rashes, which usually appear suddenly in the upper body and cause itchy red skin lesions, which quickly move around. Gan Mao Ling is not particularly effective in treating this condition, though.
- Yin Qiao helps prevent and treat external wind-heat symptoms and must be used for as long as the symptoms are there. Once they disappear, it should be discontinued. This is not the case with Gan Mao Ling, which can be used to tonify Wei and Lung Qi and clear toxic heat. For that reason, it is effective when used to resolve symptoms that either resurface in the morning or evening hours or linger on, such as malaise or runny nose.
- Gan Mao Ling is usually taken to help combat a runny nose, body aches, and fatigue (first symptoms of wind-heat) while Yin Qiao responds best to the first signs of an invasion that comes with a sore throat or running hot.
Important Notes:
- Neither Gan Mao Ling nor Yin Qiao should be taken by individuals with a pronounced Wei Qi deficiency or a weak Stomach or Spleen Qi.
- It is best not to take either formulas as a preventative too often.
- For maximum results, take Gan Mao Ling every 2-4 hours consistently after the appearance of the first signs of wind-heat or mild wind-cold.
- If occasional sore throat is more pronounced, then you definitely need to use Yin Qiao rather than Gan Mao Ling. You may also combine the formula with Chuan Xin Lian Tablets, in this case.
Yin Qiao Combinations
If you continue to have wind-heat symptoms after the first few days of the invasion onset, you can combine Yin Qiao with other formulas to maximize its effectiveness, such as Bi Yan Pian. This is particularly true for symptoms like pronounced sinus and nasal congestion. If you have a strong cough that won’t go away after using Yin Qiao for a few days, and you also have green or yello phlegm, consider using Yin Qiao with Qing Qi Huan Tan Wan. Take along with Zhong Gan Ling if the invasion penetrates into the Lung and manifests with severe heat and toxic heat signs.
Additional Notes
Correct usage leads to successful treatment in the herbal battle against the common cold. Yin Qiao is best used in the very beginning of a cold, at the first appearance of symptoms. The reason for this is that the herbs used in it do not address the deeper levels of the body. It can be used preventatively at a lesser dose or once a day. It should be used only for Wind-Heat.
The symptoms of Wind-Heat are the following: fever with mild chills, aversion to heat, headache, thirst, cough, upper backache, sore throat, a dry feeling around mouth and nose. Yin Qiao is contraindicated for Wind-Cold.
The symptoms for Wind-Cold would be, obviously, colder in nature. The chills would be stronger, a feeling of cold or stiffness in the upper back or neck, headache, and nasal congestion.
Biomedical indications for Yin Qiao are the common cold, flu, bronchitis, pneumonia, tonsillitis, measles, mumps, meningitis, and encephalitis B. Again these need to present overall with signs of Wind-Heat. Not all the symptoms need to be present. Because formula addresses itch it is useful in treating Poison Oak and Poison Ivy.
The next time you feel a Wind-Heat coming on, you can reach for the Yin Qiao with the sure knowledge that it is the right formula.
References:
- Chinese Medical Herbology and Pharmacology, by John Chen & Tina Chen, Art of Medicine Press, 2004.
- Chinese Herbal Formulas and Applications - Pharmacological Effects & Clinical Research, by John Chen & Tina Chen, Art of Medicine Press, 2009.
- The Clinical Manual of Chinese Herbal Patent Medicines,Edition, by Will Maclean with Kathryn Taylor, Pangolin Press, 2016.
