Yellow-Transforming Decoction

Yellow-Transforming Decoction

Dioscoreae Rhizoma (Shan Yao dry-fried) 1 liang (30g), Euryales Semen (Qian Shi dry-fried) 1 liang (30g), Phellodendri Chinensis Cortex (Huang Bai fried by salt-water) 2 qian (6g), Plantaginis Semen (Che Qian Zi wine-fried) 1 qian (3g), Ginkgo Semen (Bai Guo smashed) 10 pieces (12g)

Decoct with water. Note: In the source text, bai guo is crushed into pieces and huang bai is fried with wine before decocting.

Consolidates the kidney and arrests vaginal discharge, clears heat and dispels dampness.

Yi Huang Tang is indicated for patients with abnormal vaginal discharge due to damp-heat accumulation. Symptoms include excessive yellow, sticky, thick leucorrhea. The yellow discoloration may have the appearance of dark tea in severe cases. Generally, the tongue body is red and the coating is greasy, yellow.

This pattern is caused by kidney deficiency and damp-heat accumulation. The kidney communicates with the ren mai. Therefore, kidney deficiency and heat in the kidney may be a cause of its pathology. Qi fails to promote fluid transformation and the fluids then form into dampness. Pathological dampness sinks downwards, travelling along the channels into the lower jiao and manifests as abnormal yellow, stinky, sticky vaginal discharge. The red tongue body with a yellow, greasy tongue coating indicates interior damp-heat. The treatment should consolidate the kidney and arrest vaginal discharge, clear heat, and dispel dampness.

1. Essential pattern differentiation Yi Huang Tang is a representative formula for abnormal vaginal discharge caused by damp-heat accumulation and kidney deficiency. This clinical pattern is marked by yellow stinky vaginal discharge, yellow greasy tongue coating. 2. Modern applications This formula may be used in the following biomedically defined disorders when the patient shows signs of kidney deficiency and damp-heat accumulation: cervicitis, vaginitis, or proteinuria after nephritis.