Qing Qi Hua Tan Wan (Clear the Qi and Transform Phlegm Pill)

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Indications

Western Uses:

• What is Qing Qi Hua Tan Wan used for in modern practice?

  In modern practice Qing Qi Hua Tan Wan is referenced for the traditional phlegm-heat cough pattern — a heavy, productive cough with thick yellow sputum and chest fullness. Practitioners have traditionally applied this pattern to presentations resembling acute or chronic bronchitis, and as adjunctive support during exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, in contexts where Western medicine recognizes excess mucus production and airway inflammation.

  These biomedical correlates are offered as a reference to the formula’s traditional use, not as a claim that it treats any disease. Modern study of it is preliminary and mostly mechanistic or in combination with other formulas (see research). Any use for a diagnosed respiratory condition belongs with a qualified practitioner and appropriate medical care.

  Source: traditional-use correlates summarized from Bensky & Barolet, Formulas & Strategies; reference only, not a treatment claim.

Originally Appeared In:

• Investigations of Medical Formulas (Yi Fang Kao)

Notes:

• How is Qing Qi Hua Tan Wan different from Er Chen Tang, Xiao Xian Xiong Tang, and Bei Mu Gua Lou San?

  Qing Qi Hua Tan Wan is Er Chen Tang reworked for heat. It keeps Er Chen Tang's Ban Xia + Chen Pi (+ Fu Ling) core, drops Zhi Gan Cao, and adds Dan Nan Xing, Gua Lou Ren, Huang Qin, Xing Ren, and Zhi Shi — turning a warm damp-phlegm formula into a cool phlegm-heat formula that also directs qi downward and stops cough.

  • vs Er Chen Tang: use Er Chen Tang for plain damp-phlegm (white, profuse, easy-to-expectorate sputum, no heat signs); move to Qing Qi Hua Tan Wan once the phlegm turns thick, sticky, and yellow with a red tongue and rapid pulse.
  • vs Xiao Xian Xiong Tang (Gua Lou Shi, Huang Lian, Ban Xia): that formula treats phlegm-heat that has bound more tightly in the chest, with focal distension or pain on palpation under the sternum — a more acute, localized "chest bind." Qing Qi Hua Tan Wan is for the more diffuse cough-with-copious-sputum presentation, without the bound, painful chest.
  • vs Bei Mu Gua Lou San: that formula addresses drier phlegm-heat with Lung-fluid damage — sputum that is scant, sticky, and hard to expectorate from dryness rather than heat-cooked excess phlegm. It is gentler and omits strongly bitter, drying, or qi-breaking herbs (no Huang Qin, no Zhi Shi), fitting a drier, less excess presentation than Qing Qi Hua Tan Wan.

  Discrepancy note: some herb-shop and reference listings file Qing Qi Hua Tan Wan under a general "dries dampness and expels phlegm" grouping (the same grouping as Er Chen Tang). Formula-strategy texts such as Bensky & Barolet instead classify it under formulas that clear heat and transform phlegm, distinct from Er Chen Tang's damp-phlegm category — consistent with its heat-clearing herbs (Dan Nan Xing, Gua Lou Ren, Huang Qin) and heat-pattern indications above. This page follows the heat-transforming classification; the formula's category assignment in the database was not altered by this content pass.

  Source: Bensky & Barolet, Formulas & Strategies (formula relationships, classification, comparison formulas).

Clinical Studies & Research:

• Is there modern research on Qing Qi Hua Tan Wan?

  Yes, but it is limited and mostly mechanistic or studied in combination with other formulas, not as a stand-alone clinical trial. A rat-model study of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (phlegm-heat stagnating in the Lung pattern) found that Zhuye Shigao Decoction combined with Qingqi Huatan Pills reduced IL-6 expression and downregulated JAK1/STAT3 signaling alongside improved airflow and reduced lung inflammation. A separate in-vitro study using human airway epithelial (H292) cells found that Qingqi Huatan Pills, combined with Xiao Qing Long Tang, were associated with inhibition of NF-κB/microRNA-494 signaling linked to mucin (MUC5AC) hypersecretion and with restored CFTR channel expression, proposing a mechanism for reduced pathological airway mucus.

  • COPD exacerbation, rat model (combination formula): Zhuye Shigao Decoction + Qingqi Huatan Pills reduced IL-6 and JAK1/STAT3 pathway activity, improving airflow limitation and lung inflammation (PMID 35571736).
  • Airway mucus hypersecretion, H292 cell model (combination formula): Xiao Qing Long Tang + Qingqi Huatan Pills linked to NF-κB/miR-494 pathway inhibition and CFTR restoration (PMID 36177926).

  Sources: PubMed 35571736; PubMed 36177926. Both studies test Qing Qi Hua Tan Wan in combination with another formula, not alone, and are preclinical (animal/cell) models — research context, not a therapeutic claim; direct clinical trial evidence on this formula alone remains limited/unverified and is omitted here.