Formulas · Clear Heat 淸熱 · Uihak Immun (醫學入門)

Clear the Heart Powder

Cheongsim-san

한글 청심산 · Pinyin Qing Xin San

淸心散

The transcription prints 心癕 and 癕疽 for 心癰 and 癰疽, and 𤍠證 for 熱證, all normalized here. 甘草生 is printed without brackets and is read as 甘草(生), raw licorice.

Composition 構成

Wonji Yuan Zhi
遠志 원지 · Polygala

4 g
Chief 君
Saengjihwang Sheng Di Huang
生地黃 생지황 · Raw Rehmannia

4 g
Chief 君

dried (生乾地黃)
Jeokbongnyeong Chi Fu Ling
赤茯苓 적복령 · Poria (red)

4 g
Deputy 臣
Jeokjagyak Chi Shao
赤芍藥 적작약 · Red Peony

4 g
Deputy 臣
Maengmundong Mai Men Dong
麥門冬 맥문동 · Liriope

4 g
Assistant 佐
Jimo Zhi Mu
知母 지모 · Anemarrhena

4 g
Assistant 佐
Hwangnyeon Huang Lian
黃連 황련 · Coptis

—
Assistant 佐

added at will — 加黃連尤佳, better still with coptis added
Gamcho Gan Cao
甘草 감초 · Licorice

4 g
Envoy 使

raw (生)
Saenggang Sheng Jiang
生薑 생강 · Fresh Ginger

—
Envoy 使

three slices
Daejo Da Zao
大棗 대조 · Jujube

—
Envoy 使

two fruits

Total 28 g per packet (첩) · representative dosage — verify against source texts. Excludes 3 ingredients measured by count or used as a vehicle, shown as —.

Received this formula from your practitioner? Amounts shown here are classical reference values — granule and prepared products differ. Always follow your prescribed dosage and directions.

Actions 效能

Treats heart abscess and the hot patterns of abscesses generally
Clears heat while holding the fluids with ophiopogon and rehmannia
Takes the heat out through the urine by way of red poria

Indications 主治

Pattern-based

Heart abscess (心癰) with a hot pattern
Abscesses and indurations (癰疽) with heat signs
Restlessness and thirst with a suppuration

Biomedical correlates

Not identifiable as a modern entity; the Bogam's heart abscess does not correspond to a named diagnosis
Soft-tissue infection with fever and thirst, the signs the leaf describes

Source text 原文

Donguibogam 東醫寶鑑

治心癰及癰疽熱證. 遠志ㆍ赤茯苓ㆍ赤芍藥ㆍ生乾地黃ㆍ麥門冬ㆍ知母ㆍ甘草(生) 各一錢. 右剉, 作一貼, 入薑三ㆍ棗二, 水煎服. 加黃連尤佳. 《入門》

Translation

Treats heart abscess and the hot patterns of abscesses and indurations. Polygala, red poria, red peony, dried rehmannia, ophiopogon, anemarrhena and raw licorice, 1 don each. Cut up, make one packet, add three slices of ginger and two jujubes, decoct in water and take. Better still with coptis added. — Uihak Immun 入門 (Donguibogam · Ongjeo)

Clinical commentary 臨床

The same strategy as Cheongsim-hwan spread out into a decoction, and gentler for it. Polygala opens the Heart orifice, red poria and red peony move the heat downward and out, and dried rehmannia, ophiopogon and anemarrhena are the fluid-holding trio for a patient already thirsty. Raw licorice, ginger and jujubes keep the stomach willing. The leaf then adds that coptis makes it better still — which is to say, that the fire can be drained harder if the patient will stand it. Note how carefully the indication is widened: 心癰及癰疽熱證, heart abscess and the hot patterns of abscesses generally. The Bogam's 心癰 itself cannot be matched to a modern diagnosis and should not be given one, but the second half of that indication — a suppuration with fever and thirst — is ordinary enough. **A spreading soft-tissue infection needs antibiotics, and a collected abscess needs drainage.** — Eui Young (Justin) Chung, L.Ac., Dipl. O.M.