# Qingzao Jiufei Tang
**清燥救肺汤** (Qingzao Jiufei Decoction) is a classical Chinese medicine formula for dryness pathogen injuring the lung, first recorded in the *Yimen Falü* (《医门法律》, *Principles and Prohibitions of Medicine*) by the [Qing dynasty](https://www.edgepedia.org/qing-dynasty) physician Yu Chang (喻昌, style name Jiayan 喻嘉言). It clears dryness, moistens the lung, nourishes yin, and boosts qi, and it is the representative formula for severe warm-dryness (温燥) patterns with dual damage to qi and yin.[1](https://io.ctdm.org.cn/upload/ueditor/file/20220902/1662087381816084413.pdf) • [2](https://www.nmpa.gov.cn/directory/web/nmpa/images/1739501159108056814.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Source | *Yimen Falü* (《医门法律》), Qing dynasty, Yu Chang (喻昌); juan 4, the "shang zao" (伤燥) section[1](https://io.ctdm.org.cn/upload/ueditor/file/20220902/1662087381816084413.pdf) • [3](https://www.cnpharm.com/c/2021-09-08/802397.shtml) |
| Composition | Nine herbs: mulberry leaf (桑叶), gypsum (石膏, calcined), licorice (甘草), ginseng (人参), hemp seed (胡麻仁), donkey-hide gelatin (真阿胶), ophiopogon (麦门冬), apricot kernel (杏仁), loquat leaf (枇杷叶)[2](https://www.nmpa.gov.cn/directory/web/nmpa/images/1739501159108056814.pdf) |
| Original preparation | Mulberry leaf 3 qian, calcined gypsum 2.5 qian, licorice 1 qian, ginseng 7 fen, fried hemp seed 1 qian, gelatin 8 fen, ophiopogon 1.2 qian, apricot kernel 7 fen, one loquat leaf; one bowl of water decocted to six-tenths, taken hot in two or three sittings[2](https://www.nmpa.gov.cn/directory/web/nmpa/images/1739501159108056814.pdf) |
| Functions and indications | Clears dryness and moistens the lung, boosts qi and nourishes yin; warm-dryness injuring the lung with qi-yin dual damage: fever and headache, dry cough without sputum, reversed qi with wheezing, dry throat and nose, thirst and vexation, chest and rib-side fullness, dry tongue with little coating, deficient large rapid pulse[2](https://www.nmpa.gov.cn/directory/web/nmpa/images/1739501159108056814.pdf) |
| Regulatory status | Included in China's *Catalogue of Ancient Famous Classical Formulas (First Batch)* in 2018; key information (bases, processing, converted doses) published by the National Administration of TCM and NMPA in a January 2025 notice covering 43 formulas[1](https://io.ctdm.org.cn/upload/ueditor/file/20220902/1662087381816084413.pdf) • [4](https://www.315jiage.cn/n570011) |
| Modern converted doses | Mulberry leaf 11.19 g (raw), calcined gypsum 9.33 g; decoct 300 mL of water down to 180 mL and take hot[2](https://www.nmpa.gov.cn/directory/web/nmpa/images/1739501159108056814.pdf) |
## Historical origin
Yu Chang worked within a tradition that had left dryness poorly theorized. The *Huangdi Neijing* states that "when dryness prevails, things wither" (燥胜则干), but its system of pathogenesis verses omitted dryness, a gap the Jin–Yuan physician Liu Wansu filled by adding that all roughness, desiccation, and cracking belongs to dryness.[5](https://www.fx361.com/page/2023/1215/22954972.shtml) Yu Chang then created a dedicated treatise on autumn dryness (秋燥论) in *Yimen Falü*, holding that dryness belongs to the qi of autumn and comes in warm-dryness and cool-dryness (凉燥) types, that the dryness pathogen most readily injures the lung, and that treatment must not rely on moistening agents alone.[1](https://io.ctdm.org.cn/upload/ueditor/file/20220902/1662087381816084413.pdf) Within that treatise he created Qingzao Jiufei Tang as a specific formula for dryness disorders, and the original text records it as treating "constraint of the various qi, flaccidity, dyspnea and vomiting" (诸气膹郁，诸痿喘呕).[1](https://io.ctdm.org.cn/upload/ueditor/file/20220902/1662087381816084413.pdf) • [6](https://castjournals.cast.org.cn/joweb/yxxb/CN/1208489269950263918)
The formula's creator had an unusual biography: Yu Chang failed in an official career, turned to the study of medicine and Buddhism at about fifty, and became celebrated for his medical reputation.[3](https://www.cnpharm.com/c/2021-09-08/802397.shtml)
**The name.** The *Yifang Xiedu* (《医方絜度》) explains it: "Clear (清) refers to dryness, because dryness is fire qi and should be cleared and moistened; rescue (救) refers to the lung, because the lung is a tender organ that brooks no delay and must be urgently aided."[7](https://www.theqi.com/simplified/cmed/oldbook/name_orig.html)
**Transmission through Wu Jutong.** Wu Jutong (吴鞠通, [Wu Tang](https://www.edgepedia.org/wu-tang) 吴瑭), a founder of the warm-disease school, took up Yu's methods in his *[Wenbing Tiaobian](https://www.edgepedia.org/wenbing-tiaobian)* (《温病条辨》, completed around 1798, first printed 1813), collecting Qingzao Jiufei Tang alongside Sangxing Tang (桑杏汤) and Qiaohe Tang (翘荷汤) as formulas that treat dryness with acrid-cool medicinals.[5](https://www.fx361.com/page/2023/1215/22954972.shtml) • [8](https://tcm.szmdata.com/wbtb/index.html) The *Wenbing Tiaobian* also makes an unusual attribution, stating that Yu's formula corresponds to the latter half of [Zhang Zhongjing](https://www.edgepedia.org/zhang-zhongjing)'s Fumai Decoction (复脉汤) from the *Shanghanlun*.[1](https://io.ctdm.org.cn/upload/ueditor/file/20220902/1662087381816084413.pdf)
## Composition and preparation
The original prescription lists nine ingredients with specific processing: mulberry leaf gathered after frost, with branches and stems removed; gypsum calcined; licorice; ginseng; hemp seed, fried and ground; genuine donkey-hide gelatin; ophiopogon with the core removed; apricot kernel, blanched, with skin and tip removed, fried yellow; and one loquat leaf, brushed free of hairs, honey-coated and roasted yellow.[2](https://www.nmpa.gov.cn/directory/web/nmpa/images/1739501159108056814.pdf) A survey of 48 effective pre-1911 records across 46 medical books found that 83.33 percent preserve exactly this nine-herb composition, while a minority substitute ingredients: some sources list fire hemp seed (火麻仁) rather than black sesame for hu-ma-ren, some specify sweet apricot kernels, and some replace ginseng with [American ginseng](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-ginseng).[9](https://www.syfjxzz.com/en/article/doi/10.13422/j.cnki.syfjx.20251064) • [1](https://io.ctdm.org.cn/upload/ueditor/file/20220902/1662087381816084413.pdf)
The 2025 government key-information table fixes modern bases and doses: mulberry leaf is the dried leaf of *Morus alba* L. at 11.19 g raw, gypsum is the sulfate mineral yielding calcium sulfate at 9.33 g calcined, and the whole formula is decocted from 300 mL down to 180 mL and taken hot; because the original text does not distinguish a daily from a single dose, the notice recommends treating the original quantities as a per-dose amount taken three times a day.[2](https://www.nmpa.gov.cn/directory/web/nmpa/images/1739501159108056814.pdf) • [4](https://www.315jiage.cn/n570011) Historical sources disagree on some processing details, mainly for gypsum and ophiopogon, and on the doses of gypsum, ophiopogon, apricot kernel, and loquat leaf.[1](https://io.ctdm.org.cn/upload/ueditor/file/20220902/1662087381816084413.pdf)
## Formula rationale
The classical analysis assigns mulberry leaf, which lightly disperses lung dryness, and gypsum, which clears lung and stomach dry-heat, as the chief medicinals; donkey-hide gelatin, ophiopogon, and hemp seed moisten the lung and generate fluids as deputies; ginseng boosts qi and generates fluids while apricot kernel and loquat leaf direct qi downward, as assistants; licorice harmonizes the formula as envoy.[10](https://www.zysj.com.cn/zhongyaofang/qingzaojiufeitang/index.html) A modern textbook summary describes the method as combining dispersing, clearing, moistening, tonifying, and descending, with paired supplementation of qi and yin and "supporting earth to generate metal" (培土生金), the spleen-stomach tonification that nourishes the lung.[1](https://io.ctdm.org.cn/upload/ueditor/file/20220902/1662087381816084413.pdf)
Two structural points recur in the commentaries. First, although gypsum is deeply cold, the original formula uses it calcined and in a quantity lighter than the mulberry leaf, on the reasoning that the lung is a tender organ and clearing must not become excessively cold.[11](https://www.zydjg.com/formulas/detail.php?id=9215) Second, the *Lei Shanghan Jibu* argues that ginseng must not be casually removed, because its strength both generates fluids and restrains the coldness of gypsum, which by itself could harm the stomach.[1](https://io.ctdm.org.cn/upload/ueditor/file/20220902/1662087381816084413.pdf) Wu Tang characterized the pairing as an "acrid-cool, sweet-moist method" (辛凉甘润法).[11](https://www.zydjg.com/formulas/detail.php?id=9215)
## Relation to neighboring formulas
Qingzao Jiufei Tang sits at the severe end of a graded series of dryness formulas. Sangxing Tang shares mulberry leaf and apricot kernel with it, and both treat warm-dryness injuring the lung, but Sangxing Tang addresses a mild pattern in which the pathogen is still at the exterior and fever and cough are slight; Qingzao Jiufei Tang addresses a severe pattern with marked dry-heat, higher fever, frequent cough with wheezing, and dual damage to qi and yin, so it advances clearing, moistening, and yin-qi supplementation together.[12](https://gjjk.ahtcm.edu.cn/__local/2/D3/AB/580A6E5947A9B57FBB11B9872CE_1ACDDF1A_536A3.pdf) • [13](https://www.lfhospital.net/Uploads/Picture/2024-12-09/%E6%96%B9%E5%89%82%E5%AD%A6.pdf) Shashen Maidong Tang (沙参麦冬汤), also from the *Wenbing Tiaobian*, uses larger amounts of asparagus-family herbs and treats a pattern milder in dry-heat than Qingzao Jiufei Tang but deeper than Sangxing Tang; Wu Jutong called it the method of "using sweet-cold to rescue the fluids."[14](https://www.dayi.org.cn/prescriptions/1118214) For cool-dryness, the corresponding formula is Xingsu San (杏苏散).[15](https://hjmedicalstore.com/zh-hans/blogs/classic-formulas/sha-shen-mai-dong-tang-benefits)
One institutional discrepancy is worth recording: Taiwan's Ministry of Health and Welfare基准方剂 entry lists the source of Qingzao Jiufei Tang as the *Yizong Jinjian* (《医宗金鉴》) with a one-day raw-drug weight of 30 g,[16](https://dep.mohw.gov.tw/docmap/fp-866-7078-108.html) while the mainland textual tradition, the original *Yimen Falü* text, and the 2025 national key-information table all attribute the formula to Yu Chang's *Yimen Falü*.[2](https://www.nmpa.gov.cn/directory/web/nmpa/images/1739501159108056814.pdf) • [1](https://io.ctdm.org.cn/upload/ueditor/file/20220902/1662087381816084413.pdf)
## Modern research and clinical use
Clinical reports collected in the literature cover respiratory, dermatological, and digestive conditions. Published series include 60 cases of acute exacerbation of [simple chronic bronchitis](https://www.edgepedia.org/simple-chronic-bronchitis) treated with a modified formula against a brown mixture control over a 7-day course, and 32 cases of radiation pneumonitis treated with Qingzao Jiufei Tang added to glucocorticoid therapy against 20 symptomatic controls.[10](https://www.zysj.com.cn/zhongyaofang/qingzaojiufeitang/index.html) A review of modern studies lists reported benefit in lung cancer cough of the qi-yin deficiency type, [Mycoplasma pneumoniae](https://www.edgepedia.org/mycoplasma-pneumoniae) pneumonia, diabetic constipation, and psoriasis of the blood-dryness pattern.[9](https://www.syfjxzz.com/en/article/doi/10.13422/j.cnki.syfjx.20251064) A Chinese medicine guideline for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis specifies Mai Men Dong Tang combined with Qingzao Jiufei Tang for the yin deficiency lung-dryness pattern.[17](https://www.ttbz.org.cn/upload/file/20240411/6384843658957746921824508.pdf)
Animal and mechanism work has followed. In a rat model of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection, the high-dose formula group performed comparably to roxithromycin in improving lung inflammation and reducing bacterial DNA in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, while the low dose showed no clear effect.[18](https://www.zxek.net/CN/10.3969/j.issn.1674-3865.2013.01.001) A 2025 network pharmacology and 16S rRNA sequencing study of PM2.5-induced lung injury in BALB/c mice identified 344 compounds in the formula, of which 15 were considered active against the injury; the formula targeted 327 genes, and treated mice showed reduced inflammatory and oxidative-stress markers, upregulated AMPK-pathway proteins, restored colonic barrier proteins, and shifts in gut microbiota toward more beneficial taxa, pointing to AMPK signaling, microbial modulation, and lipoic acid metabolism as candidate mechanisms.[19](https://zyyl.cbpt.cnki.net/portal/journal/portal/client/paper/dd88bd3f1a511f11dd52951acb5fa210)
## References
1. [杨斯翔, 吴文辉 (2022). 经典名方清燥救肺汤的历史沿革及现代应用进展. 中国药房 33(16).](https://io.ctdm.org.cn/upload/ueditor/file/20220902/1662087381816084413.pdf)
2. [国家中医药局综合司, 国家药监局综合司 (2025). 古代经典名方关键信息表（四十二）清燥救肺汤.](https://www.nmpa.gov.cn/directory/web/nmpa/images/1739501159108056814.pdf)
3. [经典名方故事汇：清燥救肺汤专为治燥. 中国食品药品网 (2021).](https://www.cnpharm.com/c/2021-09-08/802397.shtml)
4. [清燥救肺汤-古代经典名方关键信息. 兔灵 (2025).](https://www.315jiage.cn/n570011)
5. [王秋月, 毕岩, 岳冬辉 (2023). 吴鞠通《温病条辨》治燥思想探析. 中国中医基础医学杂志 29(12).](https://www.fx361.com/page/2023/1215/22954972.shtml)
6. [清燥救肺汤质量控制研究概述. 药学学报.](https://castjournals.cast.org.cn/joweb/yxxb/CN/1208489269950263918)
7. [中医古书：方剂名称由来.](https://www.theqi.com/simplified/cmed/oldbook/name_orig.html)
8. [《温病条辨》全书点评. 中国中医科学院, 余瀛鳌.](https://tcm.szmdata.com/wbtb/index.html)
9. [经典名方清燥救肺汤的古今文献分析与关键信息考证. 沈阳药科大学学报.](https://www.syfjxzz.com/en/article/doi/10.13422/j.cnki.syfjx.20251064)
10. [清燥救肺汤. 中医世家.](https://www.zysj.com.cn/zhongyaofang/qingzaojiufeitang/index.html)
11. [清燥救肺汤方剂详情. 中医典籍馆.](https://www.zydjg.com/formulas/detail.php?id=9215)
12. [方剂学教学资料：桑杏汤与清燥救肺汤鉴别. 安徽中医药大学.](https://gjjk.ahtcm.edu.cn/__local/2/D3/AB/580A6E5947A9B57FBB11B9872CE_1ACDDF1A_536A3.pdf)
13. [方剂学（全国中医药行业高等教育"十三五"规划教材）.](https://www.lfhospital.net/Uploads/Picture/2024-12-09/%E6%96%B9%E5%89%82%E5%AD%A6.pdf)
14. [沙参麦冬汤. 中国医药信息查询平台.](https://www.dayi.org.cn/prescriptions/1118214)
15. [沙参麦冬汤：养阴生津润肺. HJMEDICAL.](https://hjmedicalstore.com/zh-hans/blogs/classic-formulas/sha-shen-mai-dong-tang-benefits)
16. [清燥救肺湯基准方剂. 台湾卫生福利部中医药司.](https://dep.mohw.gov.tw/docmap/fp-866-7078-108.html)
17. [特发性肺纤维化中医诊疗指南（共识）. 中华中医药学会.](https://www.ttbz.org.cn/upload/file/20240411/6384843658957746921824508.pdf)
18. [清燥救肺汤抗肺炎支原体感染大鼠作用的实验研究. 中国实验方剂学杂志相关期刊.](https://www.zxek.net/CN/10.3969/j.issn.1674-3865.2013.01.001)
19. [清燥救肺汤对PM2.5诱导小鼠肺损伤的保护作用及机制. 中药药理与临床 (2025).](https://zyyl.cbpt.cnki.net/portal/journal/portal/client/paper/dd88bd3f1a511f11dd52951acb5fa210)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Human health and medicine › Traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine › Traditional Chinese medicine formulas › Cough and asthma formulas*
*Initially written Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license