Qing Zao Jiu Fei Tang: A Gentle Remedy for Dry Lungs and Low Energy
Health Lab- Jan 30
- 6 min read
Updated: May 2
Qing Zao Jiu Fei Tang, or "Clear Dryness and Rescue the Lung Decoction," is a classic Chinese medicine recipe from Yi Men Fa Lu. Known for soothing dry, irritated lungs and boosting energy, this formula inspired later remedies like Wu Tang’s Sangxing Decoction. Perfect for autumn’s dry weather, it combines cooling and moisturizing herbs to ease coughs, hydrate the body, and restore vitality.
In this guide, we’ll explore its ingredients, benefits, and how to pair it with diet in a clear, easy-to-understand way.
What’s in Qing Zao Jiu Fei Tang?
This decoction blends nine herbs to hydrate the lungs and replenish energy:
Mulberry Leaves (frosted): Cool and light, they clear lung heat and moisten dryness.
Gypsum: A cooling mineral that reduces fever and lung irritation.
Licorice: Soothes the throat and balances the formula.
Ginseng: Boosts energy and supports overall vitality.
Sesame Seeds (toasted and ground): Nourishes and moistens the lungs.
Donkey-Hide Gelatin: Hydrates the body and strengthens lung health.
Ophiopogon Root (core removed): Moistens the lungs and eases dry throat.
Almonds (soaked, peeled, and toasted): Calms coughs and opens the airways.
Loquat Leaf (hair brushed off, honey-roasted): Soothes coughs and clears lung congestion.
How to Prepare It
Traditional Method: Boil the herbs in one bowl of water for six minutes. Serve hot, repeating 2–3 times.
Modern Method: Decoct in water, boil, and sip hot multiple times. Follow a doctor’s dosage guidance.
What Does It Do?
Qing Zao Jiu Fei Tang tackles lung dryness and low energy with these key benefits:
Clears Dryness: Reduces lung irritation from dry air or heat.
Moistens the Lungs: Hydrates to ease dry coughs and sore throats.
Nourishes Yin: Replenishes the body’s cooling fluids.
Boosts Qi: Restores energy to combat fatigue and weakness.
It’s designed for symptoms like:
Fever or feeling warm
Dry cough with little or no phlegm
Wheezing or shortness of breath
Dry throat and nose
Thirst or irritability
Chest or rib pain
Dry tongue with minimal coating
Rapid, weak pulse
These signs often flare up in autumn when dry air irritates the lungs, causing discomfort and low energy.
Why Does It Work?
In Chinese medicine, dry, warm air can harm the lungs, disrupting their ability to stay moist and clear out impurities. This leads to “qi and yin deficiency,” where low energy (qi) and depleted fluids (yin) cause coughs, wheezing, and chest tightness.
Mulberry leaves and gypsum cool and clear lung heat, while ginseng, ophiopogon, and donkey-hide gelatin hydrate and energize. Almonds and loquat leaves calm the lungs, ensuring smooth airflow. Together, they restore balance and lung health.
Who Can Benefit?
Qing Zao Jiu Fei Tang is ideal for anyone with dry, irritated lungs, especially in dry seasons. It helps with:
Pneumonia: Eases fever, cough, and chest discomfort.
Bronchial Asthma: Calms wheezing and shortness of breath.
Acute or Chronic Bronchitis: Soothes dry coughs and lung irritation.
Bronchiectasis: Reduces cough and supports lung health.
Lung Cancer: Complements treatment by hydrating lungs and boosting energy.
If you have a dry cough, feel thirsty, or notice chest pain in dry weather, this formula can help. It’s best for those with signs of lung dryness (dry tongue, weak pulse) rather than wet coughs with lots of phlegm.
Modern Uses
Modern research supports Qing Zao Jiu Fei Tang for lung conditions caused by dryness and low energy. Its cooling and moisturizing herbs reduce inflammation, ease coughs, and improve breathing, making it effective for both acute infections and chronic respiratory issues. It’s widely used to improve quality of life in lung-related diseases.
Diet Tips for Autumn
To boost the formula’s effects, pair it with lung-friendly foods and drinks:
Moisturizing Foods: Eat pears, citrus fruits, persimmons, pomegranates, grapes, dates, water chestnuts, radishes, white fungus, lilies, or pumpkin. These hydrate the body and support lung health.
Avoid Drying Foods: Skip spicy peppers, raw ginger, scallions, garlic, or greasy dishes, which can worsen dryness.
Hydrating Teas:
Oolong Tea: A semi-fermented tea that’s neither too cooling nor warming, it hydrates and clears body heat.
Mulberry Leaf and Chrysanthemum Tea: Clears lung heat and soothes coughs.
Aim for a balanced diet and sip these teas a few times a week to keep your lungs moist and healthy.
Precautions
Gypsum Use: The original recipe calls for calcined gypsum, but modern practice uses raw gypsum for internal use. Follow a doctor’s guidance on dosage to avoid harming lung energy.
Not for Wet Coughs: This formula is for dry, non-productive coughs, not phlegmy ones.
Consult a Doctor: If you’re pregnant, have chronic conditions, or are on medications, check with a healthcare provider before using.
Final Thoughts
Qing Zao Jiu Fei Tang is a gentle, effective remedy for dry lungs, coughs, and low energy, especially in autumn’s dry air. With herbs like mulberry leaves, ginseng, and loquat, it cools, hydrates, and energizes to restore lung health.
Pair it with moisturizing foods like pears or soothing teas like oolong for extra support. Whether you’re managing bronchitis, asthma, or seasonal dryness, this classic formula offers relief rooted in Chinese medicine wisdom. Always consult a doctor before starting to ensure it’s right for you. Breathe easier and feel refreshed with Qing Zao Jiu Fei Tang!
Chinese Name | 清燥救肺湯 |
Phonetic | Qing Zao Jiu Fei Tang |
English Name | Eliminate Dryness and Rescue the Lung Decoction |
Classification | Dryness-moistening formulas |
Source | 《Precepts for Physicians》Yi Men Fa Lu《醫門法律》 |
Combination | Mori Folium (Sang Ye) 3 qian (9g), Gypsum Fibrosum (Duan Shi Gao calcinated) 2.5 qian (8g), Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (Gan Cao) 1 qian (3g), Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma (Ren Shen) 7 fen (2g), Cannabis Fructus (Hu Ma Huang) 1 qian (3g), Asini Corii Colla (E Jiao) 8 fen (3g), Ophiopogonis Radix (Mai Men Dong) 1.5 qian (4g), Armeniacae Semen Amarum (Xing Ren) 7 fen (2g), Eriobotryae Folium (Pi Pa Ye) 1 piece (3g) |
Method | Cook the ingredients with 1 bowl of water until the liquid is reduced to 60% of the original volume. Take the strained decoction while warm 2-3 times daily. (Modern use: cook the ingredients, take the strained decoction while warm frequently. |
Action | Relieves dryness and moistens the lung, nourishes yin and boosts qi. |
Indication | Qing zao jiu fei tang is indicated for the pattern of warm-dryness damaging the lung, complicated by damage to both qi and yin. The symptoms are fever, headache, coughing with no sputum, labored breathing, dryness of the nose and throat, vexation, thirst, chest fullness and hypochondriac pain. The tongue body is dry with scanty tongue coating, and the pulse is deficient, big, and rapid. |
Pathogenesis | Qing Zao Jiu Fei Tang is designed for severe cases of warm-dryness injuring the lung. The autumn season is dry, and therefore, dryness-heat attacks the lung damaging both qi and yin causing headache and fever. The lung fails to purify, nourish and direct qi downward, which is reflected by the coughing with no sputum, labored breathing, thirst and dryness of the nose.《Basic Questions》Treatise on the Essentials of Supreme Truth says: “all kinds of qi stagnation belong to the lung”. The failure of lung qi to descend causes oppression and fullness in the chest, even hypochondriac pain. The dry tongue with scanty tongue coating and the deficient, big, and rapid pulse indicate that warm-dryness has damaged the lung. The therapeutic principle is to clear, diffuse and moisten the lung and to nourish yin and boost qi. |
Application | 1. Essential pattern differentiation Qing Zao Jiu Fei Tang is commonly used to treat severe cases of warm-dryness injuring the lung. This clinical pattern is marked by fever, coughing with no sputum, labored breathing, red tongue body with scanty tongue coating, deficient, big and rapid pulse. 2. Modern applications This formula can be used in the following biomedically defined disorders when the patient shows signs of dryness-heat invading the lung, accompanied by damage to both qi and yin: pneumonia, bronchial asthma, acute and chronic bronchitis, bronchodilation, lung cancer. |
Remark | Ginseng (Panax ginseng) is listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendix II. Its trade is allowed but subject to licensing controls. |
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