San Jin Pai Shi Tang
Chinese: 三金排石汤
Pinyin: Sān Jīn Pái Shí Tāng
Other names: Discharge Stones Decoction, Three Gold to Discharge Stones Decoction
Ingredients: 9 herbs
Category: Formulas that clear Heat and expel dampness
Mother formula: Shi Wei San
- Discharge Gallstones
- Clear Damp-Heat and promote urination
- Circulate Qi and Blood and relieve painful urination
The information provided here is not a replacement for a doctor. You shouldn't use it for the purpose of self-diagnosing or self-medicating but rather so you can have a more informed discussion with a professional TCM practitioner.
San Jin Pai Shi Tang is a 9-ingredient Chinese Medicine formula with Gold Coin Herb (Jin Qian Cao), Chicken Gizzard Skins (Ji nei jin) and Japanese Climbing Fern Spores (Hai Jin Sha) as principal ingredients.
It belongs to the category of formulas that clear Heat and expel dampness. Its main actions are: 1) discharge Gallstones and 2) clear Damp-Heat and promote urination.
In Chinese Medicine health conditions are thought to arise due to "disharmonies" in the body as a system. These disharmonies are called "patterns" and the very purpose of herbal formulas is to fight them in order to restore the body's harmony.
In this case San Jin Pai Shi Tang is used by TCM practitioners to fight patterns like Phlegm in Kidneys or Gallbladder. From a Western Medicine standpoint, such patterns can give rise to a range of conditions such as hepatic calculus, common bile duct stone or gallstones for instance.
On this page, after a detailed description of each of the nine ingredients in San Jin Pai Shi Tang, we review the patterns and conditions that San Jin Pai Shi Tang helps treat.
The nine ingredients in San Jin Pai Shi Tang
Jin Qian Cao is a king ingredient in San Jin Pai Shi Tang. Like the name indicates, it means it has more power than other ingredients in the formula.
1. Gold Coin Herb (Jin Qian Cao)
Part used: Dried aerial parts
Nature: Cool
Meridian affinity: BladderGallbladderKidneyLiver
Category: Herbs that drain Dampness
In general Jin Qian Cao's main actions are as follows: "Drains Damp-Heat. Promotes urination. Cools Heat and disperses swellings. Cools Blood and dispels Toxicity."
In the context of San Jin Pai Shi Tang, it is used because it drains Damp-Heat, promotes urination, cools Heat, dispels toxicity and disperses swellings. .
Ji nei jin is a king ingredient in San Jin Pai Shi Tang. Like the name indicates, it means it has more power than other ingredients in the formula.
2. Chicken Gizzard Skins (Ji nei jin)
Part used: Lining of the chicken gizzard
Nature: Neutral
Taste(s): Sweet
Meridian affinity: BladderSpleenStomachSmall intestine
Category: Herbs that relieve Food Stagnation
In general Ji nei jin's main actions are as follows: "Improves digestion and unblocks Food Stagnation. Dissolves stones in the urinary or biliary tract."
In the context of San Jin Pai Shi Tang, it is used because it soften the hardness and relieve painful urination.
Hai Jin Sha is a king ingredient in San Jin Pai Shi Tang. Like the name indicates, it means it has more power than other ingredients in the formula.
3. Japanese Climbing Fern Spores (Hai Jin Sha)
Part used: Dried ripe spores
Nature: Cold
Taste(s): Sweet
Meridian affinity: BladderSmall intestine
Category: Herbs that drain Dampness
In general Hai Jin Sha's main actions are as follows: "Promotes urination and clears Heat. Unblock painful urinary dysfunctions and expels stones. Clear Damp-Heat from the Spleen and reduces Edema and jaundice. "
In the context of San Jin Pai Shi Tang, it is used because it soften the hardness and relieve painful urination.
Learn more about Japanese Climbing Fern Spores (Hai Jin Sha)
Shi Wei is a deputy ingredient in San Jin Pai Shi Tang. This means it helps the king ingredient(s) treat the main pattern or it serves to treat a coexisting pattern.
4. Pyrrosia Leaves (Shi Wei)
Part used: Dried leaves
Nature: Cool
Meridian affinity: BladderLung
Category: Herbs that drain Dampness
In general Shi Wei's main actions are as follows: "Clears Damp-Heat, unblocks painful urinary dysfunction, clears urinary stones. Removes Heat and arrests bleeding. Clears the Lungs, expels Phlegm and stops coughing."
In the context of San Jin Pai Shi Tang, it is used because it promotes urination and relieve painful urination by draining Heat.
Bian Xu is a deputy ingredient in San Jin Pai Shi Tang. This means it helps the king ingredient(s) treat the main pattern or it serves to treat a coexisting pattern.
5. Knotgrass (Bian Xu)
In general Bian Xu's main actions are as follows: "Expels Damp-Heat and encourages urination. Drains Dampness and stops itching. Kills parasites."
In the context of San Jin Pai Shi Tang, it is used because it promotes urination and relieves painful urination.
Che Qian Zi is a deputy ingredient in San Jin Pai Shi Tang. This means it helps the king ingredient(s) treat the main pattern or it serves to treat a coexisting pattern.
6. Plantain Seeds (Che Qian Zi)
Part used: Dried ripe seeds
Nature: Cool
Taste(s): Sweet
Meridian affinity: KidneyLiverLungSmall intestine
Category: Herbs that drain Dampness
In general Che Qian Zi's main actions are as follows: "Encourages urination and clears Heat. Stops diarrhea by expelling water through urination. Brightens the eyes, used in combination either for Deficiency or Heat. Reduces inflammation of infections. Arrests cough and expectorates Phlegm."
In the context of San Jin Pai Shi Tang, it is used because it promotes urination and drain edema.
Qu Mai is an assistant ingredient in San Jin Pai Shi Tang. This means that it either serves to reinforces the effect of other ingredients or it moderates their toxicity.
7. Chinese Pink Herbs (Qu Mai)
Part used: Dried aerial part
Nature: Cold
Taste(s): Bitter
Meridian affinity: BladderHeartSmall intestine
Category: Herbs that drain Dampness
In general Qu Mai's main actions are as follows: "Encourages urination and expels Damp-Heat. Dissolves Blood Stasis and assists blocked menstruation."
In the context of San Jin Pai Shi Tang, it is used because it circulates Blood and unblocks meridians. It also clears Damp-Heat.
Hua Shi is an assistant ingredient in San Jin Pai Shi Tang. This means that it either serves to reinforces the effect of other ingredients or it moderates their toxicity.
8. Talc (Hua Shi)
Part used: The mineral itself
Nature: Cold
Taste(s): Sweet
Meridian affinity: BladderStomach
Category: Herbs that drain Dampness
In general Hua Shi's main actions are as follows: "Encourages urination. Expels Damp-Heat from the Urinary Bladder. Dispels Summer Heat. Dries Dampness when applied topically."
In the context of San Jin Pai Shi Tang, it is used because it promotes urination and relieve painful urination. It also clears Summer-Heat and Damp-Heat.
Mu Tong is an envoy ingredient in San Jin Pai Shi Tang. This means that it directs the formula towards certain area of the body and/or harmonizes the actions of other ingredients.
9. Akebia Stems (Mu Tong)
Part used: Dried stem
Nature: Cold
Taste(s): Bitter
Meridian affinity: HeartLungSmall intestine
Category: Herbs that drain Dampness
In general Mu Tong's main actions are as follows: "Encourages urination and clears Heat. Clears Heat and inflammation of the Heart. Promotes lactation. Moves and smoothes the flow of Blood. Used for painful obstruction associated with either Dampness, Blood Stagnation, Wind or Heat."
In the context of San Jin Pai Shi Tang, it is used because it directs Heat downward to be discharged through urination.
San Jin Pai Shi Tang is used to treat Phlegm in Kidneys or Gallbladder
It's important to remember that herbal formulas are meant to treat patterns, not "diseases" as understood in Western Medicine. According to Chinese Medicine patterns, which are disruptions to the body as a system, are the underlying root cause for diseases and conditions.
As such San Jin Pai Shi Tang is mostly used to treat the pattern "Phlegm in Kidneys or Gallbladder" which we describe below.
But before we delve into Phlegm in Kidneys or Gallbladder here is an overview of the Western conditions it is commonly associated with:
Hepatic calculus Common Bile Duct Stone Gallstones Urinary system stones Kidney stones Acute cystitis
Again it wouldn't be correct to say "San Jin Pai Shi Tang treats hepatic calculus" for instance. Rather, San Jin Pai Shi Tang is used to treat Phlegm in Kidneys or Gallbladder, which is sometimes the root cause behind hepatic calculus.
Now let's look at Phlegm in Kidneys or Gallbladder, a pattern that TCM practitioners commonly treat with San Jin Pai Shi Tang.
The Kidneys is a so-called "Zang" Organ. Learn more about the Kidneys in Chinese Medicine
Phlegm in Kidneys or Gallbladder
Pulse type(s): Slippery (Hua), Wiry (Xian)
Tongue coating: Sticky coating, Thick coating
Tongue shape: Swollen
Symptoms: Back pain Gallstones Bloody urine Abdomen pain Kidney stones Epigastric pain Urinary difficulty Frequent and urgent urination
San Jin Pai Shi Tang is sometimes prescribed by TCM practitioners to treat Phlegm in Kidneys or Gallbladder. This pattern leads to symptoms such as frequent and urgent urination, urinary difficulty, bloody urine and gallstones. Patients with Phlegm in Kidneys or Gallbladder typically exhibit slippery (Hua) or wiry (Xian) pulses as well as Swollen tongue with yellow sticky coating.
According to Chinese medicine, gallstones or Kidney stones are a form of Phlegm. It is the consequence of Phlegm left untreated in the Gallbladder and the Kidneys.
Over a long period of time, stagnant Dampness can give rise to a large amount of Heat which then dries up Body Fluids and solidify read more about Phlegm in Kidneys or Gallbladder
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