Sang Ju Yin (Mulberry Leaf and Chrysanthemum Decoction)

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Indications

Western Uses:

• What conditions is Sang Ju Yin used for in modern practice?

  Sang Ju Yin is a light formula for an early-stage wind-heat exterior with cough (mild fever, slight thirst, dry cough), so it is referenced for the onset of upper-respiratory and heat presentations: the common cold, influenza, acute early-stage bronchitis, acute tonsillitis, and epidemic (contagious) conjunctivitis.

  It is chosen for the early wind-heat pattern, not for a diagnosis. A sore throat with difficulty swallowing or breathing, or a cough that persists beyond three weeks or brings up blood, needs medical assessment; contagious conjunctivitis warrants hygiene care and review if severe. Traditional-use correlates only, not a treatment claim.

  Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references (pattern) + Bensky & Barolet, Formulas & Strategies; biomedical correlates as reference only. Not medical advice.

Originally Appeared In:

• Systematic Differentiation of Warm Diseases (Wen Bing Tiao Bian)

Notes:

• How does Sang Ju Yin differ from Yin Qiao San?

  Sang Ju Yin and Yin Qiao San are the two classic acrid-cool Wind-Heat formulas from Wu Ju-tong's Wen Bing Tiao Bian, but they treat different points on the same spectrum: Sang Ju Yin is the lighter, cough-focused formula for the mildest presentation, while Yin Qiao San is the stronger formula for more pronounced surface heat with prominent fever and sore throat.

  • Lead symptom: Sang Ju Yin — cough is the dominant complaint, with only slight fever and sore throat. Yin Qiao San — fever and sore throat are prominent, often with more marked heat-toxin signs, and cough is a secondary feature.
  • Strength: Wu Ju-tong himself describes Sang Ju Yin as the "light and clear" (qing qing) formula, reserved for the very outset of Wind-Heat; Yin Qiao San is dosed and composed to clear a more assertive heat toxin.
  • Composition: Yin Qiao San adds stronger heat-toxin-clearing and diaphoretic herbs (e.g., Jin Yin Hua, Jing Jie, Dan Dou Chi, Niu Bang Zi) not present in Sang Ju Yin, and does not include Sang Ju Yin's cough-directed Xing Ren/Jie Geng emphasis to the same degree.
  • Clinical use: In practice, a Wind-Heat cold that stays mild and cough-predominant is treated with Sang Ju Yin; one that spikes into a more feverish, sore-throat-dominant presentation is treated with Yin Qiao San, and the two are sometimes combined or one substituted for the other as the pattern shifts.

  Sang Ju Yin has also been studied together with Yu Ping Feng San as a combined preventive regimen, and its herb set has been examined for interactions with the antiviral drug oseltamivir — see Research.

  Source: Wu Ju-tong, Wen Bing Tiao Bian; Bensky & Barolet, Formulas & Strategies.

Clinical Studies & Research:

• Is there modern research on Sang Ju Yin?

  Modern research on Sang Ju Yin itself is limited but includes a controlled human study of immune-marker effects and pharmacokinetic studies of its interaction with the antiviral drug oseltamivir; its two chief herbs, Sang Ye and Ju Hua, have separate modern research bases in anti-inflammatory and antiviral contexts.

  • A controlled self-study in 37 healthy adults given a regimen combining Sang Ju Yin and Yu Ping Feng San for 14 days found a transient rise in the CD4/CD8 T-cell ratio versus controls, which the authors framed as a possible immunomodulatory effect relevant to preventing viral respiratory infections (PMID 16437735).
  • Pharmacokinetic studies have examined whether Sang Ju Yin's herb combination alters the metabolism or effect of oseltamivir (Tamiflu) when the two are used together, relevant to patients combining TCM and antiviral drug therapy (PMID 24527044; PMID 31325600).
  • Separately from the formula as a whole, a 2025 mechanistic study found that mulberry leaf (Morus alba, Sang Ye) ethanol extract reduced lung inflammation and inhibited a Dectin-1/Syk signaling pathway in a mouse model of H1N1 influenza pneumonia, offering a plausible modern rationale for Sang Ye's traditional role in Wind-Heat cough with Lung involvement (PMID 40054181).

  Sources: PMID 16437735; PMID 24527044; PMID 31325600; PMID 40054181.