About This Formula*
Traditional Chinese Medicine background and properties
Formula Description*
A classical formula used to clear excess heat from the Stomach that flares upward, causing toothache, swollen or bleeding gums, mouth sores, bad breath, and facial flushing. It works by draining Stomach Fire while cooling the Blood to address the inflammation and pain in the mouth and face.
Formula Category*
Main Actions*
- Clears Stomach Heat
- Cools the Blood
- Nourishes Yin
- Resolves Toxicity
- Disperses Depressed Heat
TCM Patterns*
In TCM, symptoms don't appear randomly — they cluster into recognizable patterns of disharmony that reveal what's out of balance in the body. Qing Wei San is traditionally associated with these specific patterns.
The following describes this formula's classification within Traditional Chinese Medicine theory and is provided for educational purposes only.
Why Qing Wei San addresses this pattern
This is the primary pattern Qing Wei San was designed to treat. Accumulated Heat in the Stomach blazes upward along the Yangming channels (the Stomach channel reaches the upper gums, the Large Intestine channel reaches the lower gums), attacking the teeth, gums, lips, cheeks, and face. The Heat scorches the Blood, causing inflammation, bleeding, and tissue damage in the oral cavity. Huang Lian directly clears the Stomach Fire, Sheng Ma vents the depressed Heat and guides the formula to the affected area, while Sheng Di Huang and Mu Dan Pi cool the Blood that has been damaged by the upward-flaring Fire. Dang Gui nourishes Blood to support recovery.
A practitioner would look for one or more of these signs
Severe, with preference for cold and aversion to hot on the affected teeth
Spontaneous gum bleeding or bleeding on slight pressure
Red, swollen, possibly ulcerated gums
Hot, foul-smelling breath from Stomach Heat
Ulceration of the lips, tongue, or inner cheeks
Heat and redness of the cheeks
Headache pulled upward by the tooth pain along the channel
Dry mouth and tongue from Heat consuming fluids
Why Qing Wei San addresses this pattern
When Stomach Fire is intense and sustained, it easily enters the Blood level, a progression facilitated by the Stomach being a 'fu organ of copious Qi and Blood.' Blood-level Heat manifests as gum bleeding (tooth-bleeding or 'ya xuan'), red and swollen oral tissues, and in some cases nosebleeds. Qing Wei San addresses this with Sheng Di Huang and Mu Dan Pi, which directly cool the Blood and stop bleeding, while Huang Lian drains the Stomach Fire at its source to prevent further damage to the Blood level. Dang Gui nourishes and harmonizes the Blood to support healing of the damaged tissues.
A practitioner would look for one or more of these signs
Gum bleeding, sometimes profuse, with bright red blood
Epistaxis from Stomach Fire forcing Blood upward
Red, inflamed, possibly ulcerated gum tissue
Painful oral ulcers with red base
How It Addresses the Root Cause*
The core disease mechanism addressed by Qing Wei San is Stomach Fire flaring upward (胃火上攻, wèi huǒ shàng gōng). In this pattern, excessive Heat accumulates in the Stomach, then follows the Yangming channel pathway upward to attack the mouth, teeth, gums, and face.
The Foot Yangming (Stomach) channel runs through the upper gums, while the Hand Yangming (Large Intestine) channel reaches the lower gums. When Heat becomes exuberant in these channels, it blazes upward along these pathways, causing intense toothache, swollen and bleeding gums, facial flushing, foul breath, and mouth sores. Because the Stomach is described classically as an organ abundant in both Qi and Blood (多气多血之腑), when Stomach Heat is severe it readily burns into the Blood level, scorching the blood vessels of the gums and oral tissues. This explains the bleeding, ulceration, and tissue breakdown that accompany the condition.
The pattern may arise from dietary excess (spicy, greasy, or rich foods), overconsumption of warming or tonifying medicines (as Li Dongyuan specifically noted), or internal factors that generate Heat in the middle burner. The Heat dries fluids, producing thirst and dry mouth, while the rising Fire produces the characteristic preference for cold drinks and cold applied to the teeth. This combination of Stomach Fire in the Qi level and Heat entering the Blood level is precisely what Qing Wei San is designed to address.
Formula Properties*
Cold
Predominantly bitter and sweet, with the bitter taste dominating to drain Fire and dry Dampness, balanced by sweet and cool herbs that nourish Yin and cool the Blood.
Formula Origin
This is just partial information on the formula's TCM properties. More detailed information is available on the formula's dedicated page
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
