Herbs that clear stomach fire by dredging the liver and bile include Yin Chen, Qian Cao, Gentian Herb and Huang Lian.
Yin Chen: Bitter and pungent in flavor, slightly cold in nature. Attributes to spleen, stomach, liver and gallbladder meridians. It has the effect of clearing dampness and heat, inducing diuresis and relieving jaundice (clearing evil Qi from the biliary tract and eliminating jaundice). It is used for jaundice with low urine output, dampness-warmth (warmth caused by feeling dampness-heat), summer dampness, and itching of wet sores.
Qian Cao: sweet, salty, slightly cold in nature. Attributed to the liver, gallbladder, kidney and bladder meridians. It has the effects of inducing dampness and jaundice (removing dampness and eliminating jaundice), diuretic and diaphoretic (improving the problem of dribbling in the urine, and the problem of small amount of urine not being passed), and detoxicating and subduing swellings.
It is used in treating jaundice due to dampness-heat, biliary distension and dystocia (pain in the region of the ribs), stonorrhea (discharge of gravel during urination, or sudden interruption of urination, pain in the urethra, intolerable pain in the lower back and abdomen), feverish dystocia (burning and stinging pain in the urine, accompanied by urinary urgency, and discomfort of abdominal traction), astringent pain in the urine, carbuncle and furuncle, and snake and insect bites.
Gentian herb: bitter flavor, cold nature. Attributed to the liver and lung meridians. It can clear away heat and resolve phlegm, relieve cough and asthma, detoxify dampness, cool blood and stop bleeding. It is used for coughing with lung heat, asthma with excessive phlegm, sore throat, mouth sores, jaundice with dampness-heat, rickety blood, blood in stool, leakage of menstruation (excessive menstruation or more than a few drops), bleeding from trauma.
Huang Lian: Bitter flavor, cold in nature. Attributes to heart, spleen, stomach, liver, gallbladder and large intestine meridians. It has the effects of clearing heat and drying dampness, diarrhea and detoxification. It is used in treating damp-heat lumpiness (stomach distension and discomfort), vomiting, diarrhea, stomach-heat vomiting and acid swallowing (swallowing acid that rushes upward from the stomach to the oropharynx), thirst, and stomach-fire toothache.
The adverse reactions and contraindications of the above drugs are not clear.
Herbal medicines for clearing stomach fire should be taken under the supervision of a doctor and not on one’s own.