Lian Po Yin (连朴饮) — Coptis & Magnolia Beverage
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Overview
Lian Po Yin — the “Coptis and Magnolia Beverage” — is from Wang Mengying’s Qing-dynasty Huo Luan Lun (Treatise on Cholera). It was developed for acute Damp-Heat gastroenteritis in summer, the classical “summer cholera” (huo luan) of pre-antibiotic Chinese medicine. The formula treats Damp-Heat lodged in the middle burner with simultaneous vomiting[12] from above and diarrhoea from below, with chest oppression, restlessness and a sticky yellow tongue coat.
I prescribe Lian Po Yin as part of bespoke herbal formulas from pharmaceutical-grade granules sourced from Sun Ten in Taiwan.
TCM pattern
Lian Po Yin is prescribed for Damp-Heat in the middle burner with simultaneous vomiting and diarrhoea:
- Vomiting of acidic or bitter material
- Foul-smelling watery diarrhoea
- Chest and epigastric oppression
- Restlessness, irritability
- Burning, anal heat with diarrhoea
- Possible low-grade fever, thirst without desire to drink much
- Tongue — red, yellow greasy coat
- Pulse — slippery, rapid
Key herbs
- Huang Lian (Ginger-processed Rz. Coptidis, 3-10g) — chief; clears Damp-Heat from the Stomach and Intestines
- Hou Po (Prepared Cx. Magnoliae Officinalis, 6-12g) — aromatically transforms Damp; moves middle-burner Qi
- Shi Chang Pu (Rz. Acori Tatarinowii, 3-9g) — aromatically opens the orifices; resolves Damp
- Ban Xia (Rz. Pinelliae Preparatum, 3-12g) — harmonises Stomach; descends rebellious Qi; stops vomiting
- Dan Dou Chi (fermented soybean, 9-12g) — releases the exterior; clears mild Heat from the chest
- Zhi Zi (Dry-fried Fr. Gardeniae, 9-12g) — clears Heat from all three burners; relieves restlessness
- Lu Gen (reed root, 15-60g) — clears Heat; nourishes fluids
Formula actions
- Clears Damp-Heat from the middle burner
- Stops vomiting and diarrhoea
- Resolves chest oppression and irritability
Conditions treated
- Acute summer gastroenteritis with Damp-Heat pattern
- Bacterial enteritis with foul-smelling diarrhoea and chest oppression
- Food poisoning with Damp-Heat pattern
- Acute Damp-Heat dysentery in milder form
- Travellers’ diarrhoea with Damp-Heat
- Norovirus with foul-smelling diarrhoea and restlessness
Cautions
Severe dehydration, persistent vomiting, bloody diarrhoea, high fever or symptoms lasting more than 48 hours require urgent medical assessment.
Not appropriate for cold-pattern diarrhoea (clear watery stool, cold extremities, pale tongue) — use Liu He Tang instead.
Severe cholera-type illness requires emergency hospital care with IV rehydration.
Always consult a qualified Chinese herbalist registered with the RCHM.
Prefer to be treated from home? Chinese herbal medicine online consultations are available throughout the UK and worldwide.
References
[12] Zhai X, He Q, Chen M, Yu L, Tong C, Chen Y, et al. Pinellia ternata-containing traditional Chinese medicine combined with 5-HT3RAs for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting: A PRISMA-compliant systematic review and meta-analysis of 22 RCTs. Phytomedicine. 2023 Jul;115:154823. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2023.154823. PMID: 37099981.
