Qing Zao Jiu Fei Tang (Eliminate Dryness and Rescue the Lungs Decoction)

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Indications

Western Uses:

• What is Qing Zao Jiu Fei Tang used for in modern practice?

  In modern practice Qing Zao Jiu Fei Tang is referenced for dry, unproductive coughs that follow a biomedical pattern of airway/mucosal dryness rather than excess secretions — practitioners have traditionally applied its pattern to acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis, post-viral or post-infectious dry cough, and autumn dry-cough syndromes. It is also referenced alongside conventional care for radiation-induced pneumonitis, where dryness and Lung-fluid damage parallel the traditional pattern.

  Contemporary laboratory research has additionally explored this formula (and modified versions of it) in bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis and lung-cancer cell/animal models (see research). These biomedical correlates are offered as a reference to the formula’s traditional use for Lung dryness, not as a claim that it treats bronchitis, pulmonary fibrosis, radiation pneumonitis, or cancer. Any use for a diagnosed condition belongs with a qualified practitioner and appropriate medical care.

  Source: traditional-use correlates summarized from Bensky & Barolet, Formulas & Strategies; reference only, not a treatment claim.

Originally Appeared In:

• Precepts for Physicians (Yi Men Fa Lu)

Notes:

• How is Qing Zao Jiu Fei Tang different from Sang Xing Tang, Mai Men Dong Tang, and Bai He Gu Jin Tang?

  Qing Zao Jiu Fei Tang is reserved for warm-dryness that has progressed to damage both Lung qi and Lung yin — it sits deeper and more depleted than a purely exterior dryness pattern, but is not as severe as the yin-and-blood damage of a chronic dryness formula.

  • vs Sang Xing Tang: Sang Xing Tang treats mild, early-stage warm-dryness at the exterior (slight cough, minimal thirst, no qi or yin damage yet); Qing Zao Jiu Fei Tang is used once dryness has penetrated further and Lung qi and fluids are being consumed.
  • vs Mai Men Dong Tang: Mai Men Dong Tang addresses rebellious qi with Stomach and Lung yin deficiency (often chronic, with counterflow cough/belching) but does not target an active exterior dryness-heat pathogen the way Qing Zao Jiu Fei Tang does.
  • vs Bai He Gu Jin Tang: Bai He Gu Jin Tang treats more advanced Lung and Kidney yin deficiency with blood-streaked sputum, reflecting deeper chronic damage than the acute warm-dryness invasion this formula addresses.

  Key modifications: commonly add Chuan Bei Mu or Gua Lou for pronounced phlegm-heat; Dang Shen is a frequent, gentler substitute for Ren Shen; the amount of Shi Gao is adjusted with the severity of heat.

  Source: Bensky & Barolet, Formulas & Strategies (formula comparisons and modifications for dryness-clearing formulas).

Clinical Studies & Research:

• Is there modern research on Qing Zao Jiu Fei Tang?

  Yes, though it is almost entirely preclinical — network-pharmacology, cell, and animal studies exploring pulmonary fibrosis and lung cancer, rather than randomized clinical trials. Multiple groups have used network pharmacology and molecular docking to map candidate active compounds and protein targets, then tested findings in bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis or lung-tumor models.

  • Pulmonary fibrosis (preclinical, mechanism): a modified Qing-Zao-Jiu-Fei decoction reduced collagen deposition and fibrosis/oxidative-stress markers in bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats, via modulation of Nrf2/NF-κB and MAPK signaling (PMID 38229198).
  • Pulmonary fibrosis (network pharmacology): network pharmacology and molecular docking identified candidate active compounds (including quercetin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, and kaempferol) and core targets (AKT1, TNF, IL6) potentially underlying anti-fibrotic activity (PMID 37694785).
  • Lung cancer (preclinical, mechanism): serum pharmacochemistry combined with proteomics identified prototype active compounds and reported altered protein signaling (PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway) in lung-cancer tissue (PMID 39888178).
  • Lung cancer (preclinical, earlier study): the decoction inhibited tumor growth in a Lewis lung carcinoma model, reportedly via activation of tumor-suppressor genes and suppression of invasion/angiogenesis-related pathways (PMID 28617188).

  Sources: PubMed 38229198; PubMed 37694785; PubMed 39888178; PubMed 28617188. Research context, not a therapeutic claim; direct clinical trial evidence remains limited.