What medication is good for damp-heat in the gastrointestinal tract?
Aug 27, 2025
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Sun Lianqing
Introduction
Under normal circumstances, patients with gastrointestinal damp-heat syndrome can use medications under the guidance of a doctor. Commonly used medications include Gegen Qinlian Tablets, Xianglian Pills, Zhishi Daozhi Pills, Fengliao Changweikang Granules, and Huoxiang Zhengqi Water. During treatment, patients should also maintain a light diet, avoid spicy, greasy, raw, and cold foods, eat regularly, and avoid overeating.
Generally, patients with gastrointestinal damp-heat may use medications under a doctor's guidance, such as Ge Gen Qin Lian Pian (Kudzu Root Coptis Complex Tablets), Xiang Lian Wan (Costus Root and Coptis Pills), Zhi Shi Dao Zhi Wan (Immature Bitter Orange Eliminating Stagnation Pills), Feng Liao Chang Wei Kang Granules (Gastrointestinal Wellness Granules with Kuding and Polygonum), and Huo Xiang Zheng Qi Shui (Agastache Qi Rectifying Liquid). Detailed explanations are as follows:
1. Ge Gen Qin Lian Pian
Ge Gen Qin Lian Pian consists of kudzu root, skullcap root, coptis root, and honey-fried licorice. It functions to relieve muscle tension, clear heat, and stop diarrhea. It improves diarrhea caused by gastrointestinal damp-heat, alleviating symptoms such as fever with irritability, anal burning, urgent loose stools, and yellowish-brown foul-smelling stools. Therefore, it is suitable for patients experiencing gastrointestinal discomfort due to damp-heat.
2. Xiang Lian Wan
Xiang Lian Wan contains traditional Chinese herbs such as coptis and costus root. It clears heat, dries dampness, regulates qi, and relieves pain. It can alleviate dysentery caused by gastrointestinal damp-heat, improving symptoms such as tenesmus, passage of pus and blood in stool, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. It helps regulate infectious intestinal issues caused by gastrointestinal damp-heat and should be taken under a doctor's guidance.
3. Zhi Shi Dao Zhi Wan
Zhi Shi Dao Zhi Wan is composed of ingredients such as immature bitter orange, rhubarb, and coptis. It helps eliminate food stagnation, guide qi movement, clear heat, and resolve dampness. It is suitable for symptoms such as epigastric and abdominal distension and pain, loss of appetite, and constipation or unsatisfactory loose stools caused by food accumulation and internal damp-heat blockage. Thus, it is particularly appropriate for patients with gastrointestinal damp-heat accompanied by food stagnation.
4. Feng Liao Chang Wei Kang Granules
Feng Liao Chang Wei Kang Granules are composed of Apocynum venetum and fiery polygonum. They clear heat, remove dampness, and resolve stagnation. They can be used to treat acute gastroenteritis of the food injury diarrhea type and damp-heat diarrhea type, improving symptoms such as abdominal pain and distension, foul-smelling diarrhea, and nausea with vomiting of undigested food. They help regulate acute gastrointestinal discomfort caused by gastrointestinal damp-heat.
5. Huo Xiang Zheng Qi Shui
Huo Xiang Zheng Qi Shui contains ingredients such as atractylodes, tangerine peel, and magnolia bark. It functions to resolve exterior syndromes, transform dampness, regulate qi, and harmonize the middle jiao. It is specifically used for gastrointestinal discomfort caused by external contraction of cold and internal injury from dampness retention. It alleviates symptoms such as epigastric and abdominal distension and pain, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, and heaviness in the head. Therefore, it is one of the commonly used medications when gastrointestinal damp-heat is accompanied by external contraction symptoms.
Patients with gastrointestinal damp-heat should also maintain a light diet during treatment, avoid spicy, greasy, and cold foods, eat regularly, and avoid overeating.
