English: Phellodendron bark
Chinese: 黃柏
Parts used: Dried bark
TCM category: Herbs that clear Heat and dry Dampness
TCM nature: Cold
TCM taste(s): Bitter
Organ affinity: Bladder Kidney Large intestine
Scientific name: Phellodendron chinense
Other names: Huang Bai
Use of Huang Bo (phellodendron bark) in TCM
Please note that you should never self-prescribe TCM ingredients. A TCM ingredient is almost never eaten on its own but as part of a formula containing several ingredients that act together. Please consult a professional TCM practitioner, they will be best able to guide you.
Preparation: Remove the bark from the tree, cut into sections and let it dry under the sun
Dosage: 3 - 9 grams
Main actions according to TCM*: Expels Damp-Heat in the Lower Burner. Clears Kidney Yin Deficient Heat. Applied externally or toxic Fire, especially associated with Dampness.
Primary conditions or symptoms for which Huang Bo may be prescribed by TCM doctors*: Dysentery Jaundice Leukorrhea Urinary tract infection Weakness and edema of legs Fever Night sweats Seminal emission Sores Skin eruptions Eczema Swellings
Contraindications*: This herb should not be used by those with Spleen or Stomach Deficiency with or without diarrhea.
Common TCM formulas in which Huang Bo is used*
Er Miao San
Source date: 1481 AD
Number of ingredients: 2 herbs
Formula key actions: Expels Dampness from the Lower Burner. Drains Heat from the Lower Burner.
Conditions targeted*: OsteoarthritisGout and others
Huang Bo is a king ingredient in Er Miao San. Like the name indicates, it means it has more power than other ingredients in the formula.
In Er Miao San, Huang Bo directly enters into the Lower Burner to eliminate Heat and dry Dampness. The cooling nature of Phellodendron bark prevents the warmth of Black atractylodes rhizome from further aggravating pathogenic Heat, even as each herb supports the other in drying Dampness.
Zhi Bo Di Huang Wan
Huang Bo is a king ingredient in Zhi Bo Di Huang Wan. Like the name indicates, it means it has more power than other ingredients in the formula.
In Zhi Bo Di Huang Wan, Huang Bo is bitter and cooling. It removes excess Heat from the body.
San Zhong Kui Jian Tang
Source date: 1336 AD
Number of ingredients: 17 herbs
Formula key actions: Clears Heat and resolves Toxicity. Reduces swelling. Induces ulceration. Moves the Blood and dispels stasis .
Conditions targeted*: GoiterScrofula and others
Huang Bo is a king ingredient in San Zhong Kui Jian Tang. Like the name indicates, it means it has more power than other ingredients in the formula.
In San Zhong Kui Jian Tang, Huang Bo clears Toxic-Heat. It addresses the accumulated Heat that occurs at the area
of the tumor and also the Heat of specific Organs that are the root cause of the tumor.
Key TCM concepts behind Huang Bo's properties
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Huang Bo belongs to the 'Herbs that clear Heat and dry Dampness' category. Herbs in this category are used to clear inflammatory and infectious conditions, referred to as 'Internal Heat' in TCM. This is why most of the herbs in this category will have both antibacterial and antiviral properties. In TCM one has too much 'Internal Heat' in their body as a result of a deficiency of 'Yin' (which is Cold in nature, see our explanation on Yin and Yang) or, more commonly, an Excess of Yang (Hot in nature). Herbs that clear Heat and dry Dampness treat the latter while, at the same time, relieving the body of excess Dampness. As such they tend to be Cold or Neutral in nature.
As suggested by its category Huang Bo is Cold in nature. This means that Huang Bo typically helps people who have too much 'Heat' in their body. Balance between Yin and Yang is a key health concept in TCM. Those who have too much Heat in their body are said to either have a Yang Excess (because Yang is Hot in nature) or a Yin deficiency (Yin is Cold in Nature). Depending on your condition Huang Bo can help restore a harmonious balance between Yin and Yang.
Huang Bo also tastes Bitter. The so-called 'Five Phases' theory in Chinese Medicine states that the taste of TCM ingredients is a key determinant of their action in the body. Bitter ingredients like Huang Bo tends to have a cleansing action on the body by clearing Heat, drying Dampness and promoting elimination via urination or bowel movements.
The tastes of ingredients in TCM also determine what Organs and Meridians they target. As such Huang Bo is thought to target the Bladder, the Kidney and the Large intestine. In TCM the impure water collected by the Kidneys that cannot be used by the body is sent to the Bladder for storage and excretion as urine. The Kidneys do not only regulate the urinary system but also play a key role in the reproductive system and the growth and aging process of the body. The Large Intestine receives the "impure" parts of the digested food from the Small Intestine, absorbs the remaining fluids and excrete the remainder as feces.