What are the traditional Chinese medicines for clearing heat and reducing fire?
Sep 15, 2025
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Sun Lianqing
Introduction
In general, individuals requiring heat-clearing and fire-purging treatments may use traditional Chinese medicines such as honeysuckle, chrysanthemum, forsythia, gardenia, and skullcap under the guidance of a physician. Additionally, other suitable medications may also be used under a doctor's supervision. During the course of treatment, a light diet should be maintained and spicy, hot foods should be avoided.
Generally, individuals seeking to alleviate internal heat or inflammation may use traditional Chinese herbs under the guidance of a physician. Commonly used herbs include honeysuckle, chrysanthemum, forsythia, gardenia, and skullcap. Detailed explanations are as follows:
1. Honeysuckle
Honeysuckle consists of the dried flower buds or early-opening flowers of the honeysuckle plant (Lonicera japonica) from the Caprifoliaceae family. It has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, as well as dispersing wind-heat. It can help alleviate symptoms such as wind-heat common cold, sore throat, oral ulcers, and abscesses.
2. Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum includes the dried capitulum of the chrysanthemum plant (Chrysanthemum morifolium) from the Compositae family. It can disperse wind-heat, clear the liver and brighten the eyes, and clear heat and detoxify. It helps relieve discomforts such as wind-heat common cold, headache and dizziness, red and painful eyes, and sore throat, thus aiding in clearing heat and reducing fire symptoms.
3. Forsythia
Forsythia is made from the dried fruit of the forsythia plant (Forsythia suspensa) from the Oleaceae family. It has functions of clearing heat and detoxifying, reducing swelling and dispersing nodules, and relieving wind-heat. It is suitable for conditions such as carbuncles, scrofula, breast abscesses, erysipelas, wind-heat common cold, initial stages of warm diseases, heat entering the blood system, high fever with thirst, and is appropriate for individuals seeking to clear internal heat and inflammation.
4. Gardenia
Gardenia contains the dried mature fruit of the gardenia plant (Gardenia jasminoides) from the Rubiaceae family. It can purge fire and relieve irritability, clear heat and remove dampness, cool the blood and detoxify. It is used to treat symptoms such as irritability from heat illness, liver fire causing red eyes, headache, damp-heat jaundice, dysuria, bloody diarrhea, hematuria, and oral ulcers, thus regulating symptoms of internal heat and inflammation.
5. Skullcap
Skullcap consists of the dried roots of the Scutellaria baicalensis plant from the Lamiaceae family. It has effects of clearing heat and drying dampness, purging fire and detoxifying, stopping bleeding, and stabilizing pregnancy. It is specifically used for conditions such as damp-warmth, summerheat-dampness, chest tightness and nausea, damp-heat fullness in the epigastrium, diarrhea, jaundice, lung heat cough, high fever with thirst, and abscesses or toxic swellings. Therefore, it is one of the commonly used herbs for clearing heat and reducing fire symptoms.
In addition, individuals seeking to alleviate internal heat or inflammation may also use other suitable herbs under a physician's guidance. During medication, it is also important to maintain a light diet, avoid spicy and heat-inducing foods, maintain regular sleep patterns, and reduce the occurrence of excessive internal heat.
