Pinellia and Coptis Decoction，*Treatise on Cold Damage*.，Indicated for the “pi” syndrome in typhoid fever, where there is a constitutional deficiency of stomach qi; or where vomiting or purgation has damaged the body’s vital energy, leading to disharmony in the stomach and intestines, disorder of the ascending and descending functions, fullness and distension beneath the heart (which feels soft and painless upon palpation), dry retching, borborygmi, and loose stools; with a thin, yellow, and greasy tongue coating and a string-like, rapid pulse.Currently used for acute and chronic gastritis, enteritis, gastrointestinal ulcers, and gastric dysfunction—all conditions characterized by disharmony of the stomach and intestines and disruption of the ascending and descending functions; in cases of typhoid fever on the fifth or sixth day, where vomiting and fever are present, the symptoms of Chaihu Decoction are evident, but the patient has been treated with purgatives, resulting in epigastric fullness without pain—this is defined as “pi”; vomiting accompanied by borborygmi and epigastric fullness;deficiency-cold in the upper jiao, with borborygmi and loose stools, and firm epigastric fullness; in the elderly and children with loose stools, undigested food and water, rumbling in the intestines, epigastric fullness, and restlessness with dry heaving; real heat in the heart, epigastric fullness, jaundice and fever, restlessness with dry heaving, difficulty urinating, undigested food and water, a desire to vomit but inability to do so, restlessness, and shortness of breath;Dysentery with abdominal pain, vomiting, and hard, hard-to-relieve fullness beneath the heart; or stools containing pus and blood, and after drinking decoctions, a constant gurgling sound in the lower abdomen accompanied by repeated diarrhea; masses and accumulations causing pain radiating to the heart and chest, hard, hard-to-relieve fullness beneath the heart, nausea and vomiting, borborygmi, and diarrhea.
Pinellia and Coptis Decoction
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Formulas Name : Pinellia and Coptis Decoction
Chinese Name : 半夏泻心汤
Drug Formulation
Pinellia (washed) half sheng, Scutellaria 3 liang, Dried Ginger 3 liang, Ginseng 3 liang, Licorice (roasted) 3 liang, Coptis 1 liang, Jujubes 12 (split).
Source
*Treatise on Cold Damage*.
Benefits
Indicated for the “pi” syndrome in typhoid fever, where there is a constitutional deficiency of stomach qi; or where vomiting or purgation has damaged the body’s vital energy, leading to disharmony in the stomach and intestines, disorder of the ascending and descending functions, fullness and distension beneath the heart (which feels soft and painless upon palpation), dry retching, borborygmi, and loose stools; with a thin, yellow, and greasy tongue coating and a string-like, rapid pulse.Currently used for acute and chronic gastritis, enteritis, gastrointestinal ulcers, and gastric dysfunction—all conditions characterized by disharmony of the stomach and intestines and disruption of the ascending and descending functions; in cases of typhoid fever on the fifth or sixth day, where vomiting and fever are present, the symptoms of Chaihu Decoction are evident, but the patient has been treated with purgatives, resulting in epigastric fullness without pain—this is defined as “pi”; vomiting accompanied by borborygmi and epigastric fullness;deficiency-cold in the upper jiao, with borborygmi and loose stools, and firm epigastric fullness; in the elderly and children with loose stools, undigested food and water, rumbling in the intestines, epigastric fullness, and restlessness with dry heaving; real heat in the heart, epigastric fullness, jaundice and fever, restlessness with dry heaving, difficulty urinating, undigested food and water, a desire to vomit but inability to do so, restlessness, and shortness of breath;Dysentery with abdominal pain, vomiting, and hard, hard-to-relieve fullness beneath the heart; or stools containing pus and blood, and after drinking decoctions, a constant gurgling sound in the lower abdomen accompanied by repeated diarrhea; masses and accumulations causing pain radiating to the heart and chest, hard, hard-to-relieve fullness beneath the heart, nausea and vomiting, borborygmi, and diarrhea.
Instructions for Use
Boil 1 dou of water until reduced to 6 sheng; strain out the residue; boil again until reduced to 3 sheng; take 1 sheng while warm, three times daily.
Copyright: Excerpt from *Treatise on Cold Damage*., Copyright belongs to the Original Author and all original sources, This article was shared by DeDe on August 18, 2026, Please credit the source and include a link to the original article when reposting.
Terminology Proofreading: [Cheng Bo] | August 18, 2026 Reviewed by: [Wang Zhongxiang, Associate Chief TCM Physician (China)] | August 18, 2026
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Pinellia and Coptis Decoction,Indicated for the “pi” syndrome in typhoid fever, where there is a constitutional deficiency of stomach qi; or where vomiting or purgation has damaged the body’s vital energy, leading to disharmony in the stomach and intestines, disorder of the ascending and descending functions, fullness and distension beneath the heart (which feels soft and painless upon palpation), dry retching, borborygmi, and loose stools; with a thin, yellow, and greasy tongue coating and a string-like, rapid pulse.Currently used for acute and chronic gastritis, enteritis, gastrointestinal ulcers, and gastric dysfunction—all conditions characterized by disharmony of the stomach and intestines and disruption of the ascending and descending functions; in cases of typhoid fever on the fifth or sixth day, where vomiting and fever are present, the symptoms of Chaihu Decoction are evident, but the patient has been treated with purgatives, resulting in epigastric fullness without pain—this is defined as “pi”; vomiting accompanied by borborygmi and epigastric fullness;deficiency-cold in the upper jiao, with borborygmi and loose stools, and firm epigastric fullness; in the elderly and children with loose stools, undigested food and water, rumbling in the intestines, epigastric fullness, and restlessness with dry heaving; real heat in the heart, epigastric fullness, jaundice and fever, restlessness with dry heaving, difficulty urinating, undigested food and water, a desire to vomit but inability to do so, restlessness, and shortness of breath;Dysentery with abdominal pain, vomiting, and hard, hard-to-relieve fullness beneath the heart; or stools containing pus and blood, and after drinking decoctions, a constant gurgling sound in the lower abdomen accompanied by repeated diarrhea; masses and accumulations causing pain radiating to the heart and chest, hard, hard-to-relieve fullness beneath the heart, nausea and vomiting, borborygmi, and diarrhea.