Formulas · Purge Downward 瀉下 · Dansim (丹心)

Yellow and Black Powder

Hwangheuk-san

한글 황흑산 · Pinyin Huang Hei San

黃黑散

The transcription prints 癕 for 癰; 癰 is printed above. The weights are stated twice over: each drug is prepared from 1 nyang, and a named weight of the sifted powder is taken from it, which is the figure carried into the ingredient list. 破故紙 is the psoralea registered as bogolji and 黑牽牛子 the black morning glory seed registered as heukchuk.

Composition 構成

Daehwang Da Huang
大黃 대황 · Rhubarb

18 g
Chief 君

1 nyang, of which 4 don 5 fun of the powder is taken
Bogolji Bu Gu Zhi
補骨脂 보골지 · Psoralea

8 g
Deputy 臣

written 破故紙; 1 nyang, of which 2 don of the powder is taken
Heukchuk Hei Chou
黑丑 흑축 · Black Morning Glory Seed

8 g
Deputy 臣

written 黑牽牛子; 1 nyang, of which 2 don of the powder is taken
Ubangja Niu Bang Zi
牛蒡子 우방자 · Burdock Seed

4 g
Assistant 佐

1 nyang, of which 1 don of the powder is taken

Total 38 g per packet (첩) · representative dosage — verify against source texts.

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 an abscess and swelling inside the abdomen
Drives the bound heat and toxin out downward, taking free passage of the bowel as the measure
Taken as a powder stirred into honey water on an empty stomach

Indications 主治

Pattern-based

腹內癰腫 — abscess and swelling within the abdomen
Heat and toxin bound in the interior with a hard, tender belly
The bound pattern of intestinal and abdominal abscess

Biomedical correlates

Intra-abdominal abscess with constipation (classical use)
Peri-appendiceal mass
Pelvic abscess

Source text 原文

Donguibogam 東醫寶鑑

治腹內癰腫. 大黃一兩(取末四錢半), 破故紙一兩(取末二錢), 牛蒡子一兩(取末一錢), 黑牽牛子一兩(取末二錢). 右和勻, 分二貼, 每取一貼, 蜜水調, 空心服, 以利爲度. 《丹心》

Translation

Treats abscess and swelling inside the abdomen. Rhubarb, 1 nyang, of which 4 don 5 fun of powder is taken; psoralea, 1 nyang, of which 2 don of powder is taken; burdock seed, 1 nyang, of which 1 don of powder is taken; black morning glory seed, 1 nyang, of which 2 don of powder is taken. Mix the above evenly, divide into two packets, and for each dose take one packet stirred into honey water on an empty stomach, taking free passage of the bowel as the measure. — Dansim 丹心 (Donguibogam · Ongjeo)

Clinical commentary 臨床

A powder rather than a decoction, and the only formula in the intestinal and abdominal abscess group built on morning glory seed. Rhubarb and black morning glory seed purge, burdock seed cools and vents the toxin outward, and psoralea is the surprise — a warm kidney drug in a purging formula, presumably there to keep the drastic drugs from emptying the patient. The construction of the weights is unusual and worth reading carefully: a nyang of each drug is prepared, and only a named fraction of the resulting powder is used, so the ratio of what is actually taken is 4.5 : 2 : 1 : 2. It is the hot, bound counterpart of Mokdan-san: the chapter sends it to 腹皮急, 按之痛 with fever, the belly tight and hot, alongside Daehwang-mokdan-tang and Doin-seunggi-tang. 以利爲度, free passage as the measure, is the dosing rule and tells you the formula is titrated against the stool. **Black morning glory seed is a drastic purgative, and purging a patient with an intra-abdominal abscess risks perforation and peritonitis. Contains rhubarb and morning glory seed and must not be used in pregnancy. An abdominal abscess needs imaging and drainage.** — Eui Young (Justin) Chung, L.Ac., Dipl. O.M.