Qing Re Zhi Beng Tang (Clear Heat and Stop Excessive Uterine Bleeding Decoction)

Actions

Indications

Western Uses:

• What is Qing Re Zhi Beng Tang used for in modern practice?

  In modern practice, Qing Re Zhi Beng Tang’s Heat-in-the-Blood pattern is referenced for episodes of heavy, bright-red uterine bleeding — the kind described in Western terms as dysfunctional or abnormal uterine bleeding, menorrhagia, or metrorrhagia. This traditional pattern (sudden, profuse, bright-red bleeding with signs of heat) does not map to any single biomedical diagnosis; it is a functional presentation that can arise from several underlying causes.

  This biomedical correlate is offered as a reference to the formula’s traditional use, not as a claim that it treats any diagnosed condition. Heavy or prolonged uterine bleeding warrants evaluation by a qualified clinician to rule out structural or systemic causes; any herbal use belongs alongside that care, not in place of it.

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

Originally Appeared In:

• Traditional Chinese Medical Treatment of Women's Disorders (Zhong Yi Fu Ke Zhi Liao Xue)

Notes:

• How is Qing Re Zhi Beng Tang different from Gu Ben Zhi Beng Tang?

  Qing Re Zhi Beng Tang and Gu Ben Zhi Beng Tang treat opposite poles of beng lou (uterine flooding). Qing Re Zhi Beng Tang addresses the Heat-excess pole — bright-red, forceful bleeding with heat signs — by clearing heat, cooling Blood, and astringing. Gu Ben Zhi Beng Tang (from Fu Qing-zhu’s Fu Qing Zhu Nu Ke) addresses the opposite, deficiency-cold pole — pale, watery bleeding with exhaustion and cold limbs from Spleen and Kidney failing to hold Blood — by warming and tonifying qi, blood, and yang.

  Correctly distinguishing the two patterns matters clinically: applying a cold, draining formula like Qing Re Zhi Beng Tang to a deficiency-cold flooding pattern (or a warming, tonifying formula to a heat pattern) would worsen the underlying imbalance rather than stop the bleeding.

  Source: Bensky & Barolet, Formulas & Strategies, cross-referenced with the classical source of Gu Ben Zhi Beng Tang, Fu Qing Zhu Nu Ke (Fu Qing-zhu’s Gynecology).

Clinical Studies & Research:

• Is there modern research on Qing Re Zhi Beng Tang?

  PubMed does not currently index a clinical trial evaluating Qing Re Zhi Beng Tang as a whole formula; the modern evidence available concerns its individual hemostatic herbs and the broader category of Chinese herbal medicine for uterine bleeding. That herb-level research does support the traditional processing choices built into the formula — several of its ingredients are specified as charred or calcined, a preparation step used specifically to strengthen their bleeding-stopping action.

  • Di Yu (Sanguisorba officinalis), charred vs. raw: a review of the genus reports that charred Sanguisorba produced significantly stronger shortening of bleeding time and clotting time than the raw root at equivalent doses in animal models (PMID 34616302).
  • Ce Bai Ye (Platycladi Cacumen), heated/charred processing: a phytochemical study identified a hemostatic compound formed specifically when the herb’s flavonoid extract is heated, which promoted platelet aggregation and plasma coagulation in a dose-dependent way — a chemical rationale for using Ce Bai Ye Tan (charred) rather than the raw herb (PMID 26393545).
  • Chinese herbal medicine for dysfunctional uterine bleeding (category-level, not formula-specific): a Cochrane-referenced meta-analysis of RCTs/quasi-RCTs found Chinese herbal medicine showed encouraging comparative effectiveness against conventional treatment for dysfunctional uterine bleeding, though trial quality was generally poor and larger, higher-quality trials were called for (PMID 18955223). This evidence is about the herbal-medicine category broadly, not Qing Re Zhi Beng Tang specifically.

  Sources: PubMed 34616302; PubMed 26393545; PubMed 18955223. Research context on component herbs and the broader treatment category, not a therapeutic claim for this formula; direct clinical trial evidence on Qing Re Zhi Beng Tang itself was not found.