Herbsmith Rx Qing Ying San is a classical Chinese herbal formula recommended by holistic veterinarians to clear the nutritive level, relieve fire toxin, drain heat, and nourish the yin in dogs, cats, and horses. Comparable to Clear the Nutritive Level Powder and Cool the Blood Formula, it clears the nutritive level, relieves fire toxin, drains heat, and nourishes the yin, addressing heat that has penetrated to the nutritive (ying) level of the warm disease progression, where it disturbs the heart spirit and begins consuming the yin. A Wenbing school formula from Wu Jutong's classical Wen Bing Tiao Bian, Qing Ying San treats the third level of the four-level warm disease progression (wei, qi, ying, xue) using the classical "vent the ying, lead to the qi" strategy: Dan Shen, Jin Yin Hua, and Lian Qiao vent the nutritive-level heat back toward the qi level and outward to be discharged, while Xuan Shen, Sheng Di Huang, and Mai Men Dong nourish the yin being consumed by the heat, and Huang Lian and Dan Zhu Ye clear the heart fire and drain heat from the heart and small intestine through the urine. Well suited for pets and horses presenting with the ying-level heat pattern, characterized by fever that worsens at night, restlessness, disturbed spirit, possible skin flushing or redness, a deep red or crimson tongue, and a rapid pulse reflecting the nutritive-level heat consuming the yin and disturbing the heart spirit. Available as a concentrated powder mixed into food; cats and dogs use the Canine Blend, while horses use the Equine/Horse Blend. Dosing varies by species and body weight, and your authorizing veterinarian will provide specific guidance.
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What It Supports
- Nutritive level heat clearing and fire toxin relief: Clears heat from the nutritive (ying) level and relieves fire toxin using Huang Lian's powerful heat-clearing and toxin-relieving action alongside Jin Yin Hua's and Lian Qiao's fire toxin-relieving and heat-venting action, addressing the deep nutritive-level heat that has penetrated beyond the qi level and is disturbing the heart spirit, consuming the yin, and producing the worsening nighttime fever, restlessness, and deep red tongue characteristic of the ying-level pattern.
- Yin nourishment and heat-consumed yin restoration: Nourishes the yin and replenishes the fluids being consumed by the nutritive-level heat using Xuan Shen, Sheng Di Huang, and Mai Men Dong, addressing the yin deficiency that develops as the heat penetrates deeper and consumes the nutritive-level yin, preventing the progression of the heat from the ying level to the xue (blood) level and protecting the blood and yin from the injurious effects of the sustained nutritive-level heat.
- Heat venting from ying to qi level through the classical vent-and-lead strategy: Vents the nutritive-level heat back toward the qi level and outward using Dan Shen, Jin Yin Hua, and Lian Qiao's combined heat-venting action, implementing Wu Jutong's classical "vent the ying, lead to the qi" strategy that gives the deeply lodged nutritive-level heat an outward exit pathway through the qi level, preventing the heat from penetrating further to the blood level and initiating the outward resolution of the ying-level heat pattern.
- Heart spirit settling and heart fire clearing: Clears heart fire and settles the disturbed heart spirit using Huang Lian's and Dan Zhu Ye's direct heart-fire-clearing actions, addressing the spirit disturbance that arises as nutritive-level heat disturbs the heart and the heart spirit is unsettled by the heat consuming the nutritive qi and yin that house and nourish the spirit, producing the restlessness, agitation, and behavioral changes characteristic of the ying-level heat pattern in animals.
TCVM Principles
- Primary action - nutritive level heat clearing with the vent-and-lead strategy: Clears heat from the ying (nutritive) level using the classical Wenbing school strategy of simultaneously clearing the heat from within the ying level and venting it outward toward the qi level, rather than purging it downward or simply nourishing the yin. The principal herbs implementing this strategy are Dan Shen (which enters the nutritive and blood levels to activate blood and vent heat from within), Jin Yin Hua and Lian Qiao (which clear fire toxin and vent heat from the ying level back toward the qi level), and Huang Lian and Dan Zhu Ye (which clear the heart fire driving the ying-level heat pattern and drain it through the urinary pathway). This vent-and-lead strategy is the defining clinical approach of Qing Ying San and distinguishes it from blood-level formulas that address deeper xue-level heat.
- Secondary action - yin nourishment and blood-level heat prevention: Nourishes the yin and replenishes the nutritive-level fluids consumed by the heat using Xuan Shen, Sheng Di Huang, and Mai Men Dong, providing the essential yin-nourishing counterbalance to the formula's heat-clearing and fire-toxin-relieving action and protecting the blood from the heat that could penetrate to the xue level if the yin is inadequately replenished during the ying-level heat treatment, alongside Xi Jiao's (substituted with water buffalo horn in modern use) cooling of the blood and clearing of nutritive-level heat toxin.
Available Forms
- Powder - Canine Blend (for dogs and cats): Available in 75 g, 150 g, 500 g, 900 g, and 1200 g sizes; mix into food at the recommended dose for your pet's weight. Cats and dogs both use this blend.
- Powder - Equine/Horse Blend (for horses only): Available in 150 g, 500 g, 900 g, and 1200 g sizes; mix into grain at the recommended dose for your horse.
Suggested Use
For Dogs (Canine Blend Powder):
- Under 30 lbs: ½ tsp twice daily, or as prescribed
- 30-80 lbs: 1 tsp twice daily, or as prescribed
- 80-120 lbs: 1½ tsp twice daily, or as prescribed
- Over 120 lbs: 2 tsp twice daily, or as prescribed
For Cats (Canine Blend Powder): ¼ tsp twice daily, or as prescribed
For Horses (Equine/Horse Blend, 1,000 lb horse): Two tablespoons twice daily for 20 days, then two tablespoons once daily in grain. If the horse initially refuses, start with a small amount mixed into grain and gradually increase until the horse is accustomed to the taste. Most horses will readily accept the herbs in their grain.
Ingredients
Active Ingredients: Xi Jiao (Cornu Rhinoceri; substituted with Shui Niu Jiao - water buffalo horn - in modern formulations per CITES conservation requirements), Xuan Shen (Radix Scrophulariae Ningpoensis), Sheng Di Huang (Radix Rehmanniae Glutinosae), Mai Men Dong (Tuber Ophiopogonis Japonici), Jin Yin Hua (Flos Lonicerae Japonicae), Lian Qiao (Fructus Forsythiae Suspensae), Huang Lian (Rhizoma Coptidis), Dan Zhu Ye (Herba Lophatheri Gracilis), Dan Shen (Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae)
Inactive Ingredient: Flaxseed
VETERINARY AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED: Submit Your Authorization Request or Request a TCVM Telemedicine Consultation
Active Ingredient TCVM Actions
Qing Ying San is a nine-herb formula addressing nutritive (ying) level heat through the classical "vent the ying, lead to the qi" strategy, organized into three coordinated herb groups: a heat-venting and fire-toxin-relieving group, a yin-nourishing and blood-cooling group, and a heart-fire-clearing and urinary-draining group:
- Xi Jiao (Cornu Rhinoceri; Shui Niu Jiao - Water Buffalo Horn - in modern use) - Rhinoceros Horn / Water Buffalo Horn: Principal herb; clears heat and fire toxin from the nutritive and blood levels, cools the blood, and calms the spirit; the primary nutritive-level and blood-level heat-clearing herb of the formula, addressing the deepest level of heat penetration and providing the most direct cooling of the nutritive-level heat and fire toxin disturbing the heart spirit. Rhinoceros horn (Xi Jiao) is a CITES-protected substance and is universally substituted in modern practice with Shui Niu Jiao (water buffalo horn), which shares the same heat-clearing and blood-cooling properties at a higher dose. This substitution is standard in all modern Chinese herbal formulas worldwide.
- Dan Shen (Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae) - Red Sage Root / Danshen: Activates blood and removes stasis, clears heat from the nutritive and blood levels, and calms the spirit; the key heat-venting herb that enters the nutritive and blood levels to activate the blood and vent the nutritive-level heat back toward the qi level, implementing Wu Jutong's classical "vent the ying, lead to the qi" strategy by providing the blood-moving action that prevents the nutritive-level heat from causing blood stasis as it is cleared outward, and directly calming the disturbed heart spirit through its blood-activating and heat-clearing action at the nutritive level.
- Jin Yin Hua (Flos Lonicerae Japonicae) - Honeysuckle Flower: Clears heat and relieves fire toxin, and vents heat from the ying level toward the qi level; the first of the two fire-toxin-relieving herbs that simultaneously clear the fire toxin from the ying level and provide the outward heat-venting pathway back toward the qi level called for by the classical vent-and-lead strategy, working with Lian Qiao to give the nutritive-level heat an outward exit through the qi level rather than allowing it to penetrate deeper to the blood level.
- Lian Qiao (Fructus Forsythiae Suspensae) - Forsythia Fruit: Clears heat and relieves fire toxin, dissipates nodules, and vents heat outward; the second of the two fire-toxin-relieving herbs that vent the nutritive-level heat back toward the qi level, working with Jin Yin Hua to provide the dual fire-toxin-relieving and heat-venting action at the qi-ying interface that is central to the formula's classical vent-and-lead strategy, ensuring the heat has an outward discharge pathway as the yin-nourishing herbs protect the blood from deeper heat penetration.
- Xuan Shen (Radix Scrophulariae Ningpoensis) - Figwort Root / Scrophularia: Clears heat and fire toxin, nourishes the yin, and softens hardness; the primary yin-nourishing herb that addresses the yin deficiency developing as the nutritive-level heat consumes the yin, providing the deep yin nourishment needed to protect the blood and prevent the heat from penetrating to the xue level, and simultaneously contributing additional fire-toxin-relieving action to the formula's primary heat-clearing strategy.
- Sheng Di Huang (Radix Rehmanniae Glutinosae) - Raw Rehmannia Root: Clears heat, cools the blood, nourishes the yin, and generates fluids; the second principal yin-nourishing herb, cooling the blood and nourishing the yin at the deepest level of the ying-xue boundary to protect the blood from the nutritive-level heat and replenish the fluids being consumed by the heat, working with Xuan Shen and Mai Men Dong to provide comprehensive yin and fluid nourishment throughout the nutritive-level heat treatment course.
- Mai Men Dong (Tuber Ophiopogonis Japonici) - Ophiopogon Tuber / Lilyturf Root: Nourishes the yin and stomach, generates fluids, clears heat, and calms the spirit; the third yin-nourishing herb that moistens the yin and replenishes the fluids at the lung and stomach level, supporting the formula's comprehensive yin-nourishing strategy and contributing additional spirit-calming action through its yin-nourishing effect on the heart, ensuring the heart has adequate yin to house and anchor the spirit being disturbed by the nutritive-level heat.
- Huang Lian (Rhizoma Coptidis) - Coptis Rhizome / Goldthread: Clears heat and fire toxin from the heart and stomach, and drains fire; the primary heart-fire-clearing herb of the formula, directly clearing the heart fire that drives the spirit disturbance, restlessness, and agitation of the ying-level heat pattern, working with Dan Zhu Ye to drain the heart fire through the urinary pathway and with Xi Jiao's blood-cooling action to comprehensively address the heat disturbing the heart spirit at the nutritive level.
- Dan Zhu Ye (Herba Lophatheri Gracilis) - Lophatherum Herb / Bland Bamboo Leaf: Clears heat from the heart and small intestine, promotes urination, and drains heart fire through the urinary pathway; the heart-fire-draining herb that works with Huang Lian to clear the heart fire driving the ying-level spirit disturbance, providing the urinary drainage pathway that discharges the heart fire from the heart and small intestine through the urine, ensuring the heart fire component of the nutritive-level heat pattern is cleared through the downward and outward urinary route while the other herbs address the ying-level heat through the classical vent-and-lead and yin-nourishing strategies.
Potential Drug Interactions
Qing Ying San contains Dan Shen (red sage root), which has well-documented interactions with anticoagulant medications, including warfarin; Dan Shen significantly potentiates anticoagulant effects and can cause bleeding complications. Dan Shen also interacts with digoxin and other cardiac glycosides. Huang Lian (Coptis) has documented blood glucose-lowering effects and may interact with antidiabetic medications and insulin; it also affects certain hepatic enzyme pathways that may affect the metabolism of hepatically processed pharmaceuticals. The formula's multiple cold-natured herbs may suppress digestive function in animals with underlying spleen qi deficiency if used long term without appropriate monitoring. Pets on anticoagulant, cardiac, or antidiabetic medications, or on hepatically metabolized pharmaceuticals, should use this formula under veterinary supervision, and herb-drug interaction research in dogs, cats, and horses remains limited.
Medication categories warranting extra caution include anticoagulant and antiplatelet medications (Dan Shen's potent anticoagulant-potentiating interaction is the most clinically significant drug interaction concern in the formula), cardiac medications including digoxin and cardiac glycosides (Dan Shen interaction), antidiabetic medications and insulin (Huang Lian's blood glucose-lowering effects), and hepatically metabolized pharmaceuticals. Your authorizing veterinarian will determine appropriateness based on your animal's condition, current medications, and laboratory results.
VETERINARY AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED: Submit Your Authorization Request or Request a TCVM Telemedicine Consultation
Frequently Asked Questions
What conditions is Qing Ying San used for in TCVM?
In Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, Qing Ying San is indicated for heat at the nutritive (ying) level of the Wenbing four-level warm disease progression, presenting with fever that worsens at night, restlessness, disturbed or agitated spirit, possible skin flushing or redness, a deep red or crimson tongue, and a rapid pulse reflecting the nutritive-level heat consuming the yin and disturbing the heart spirit. Comparable to Clear the Nutritive Level Powder and Cool the Blood Formula, it is indicated when the heat has penetrated beyond the qi level but has not yet entered the blood (xue) level to cause bleeding, and the treatment priority is to vent the ying-level heat back toward the qi level and outward while nourishing the yin being consumed by the heat to prevent deeper progression.
How is Qing Ying San administered to dogs, cats, and horses?
Mix the powder directly into food or grain at the dose recommended for your animal's species and body weight. Dogs and cats use the Canine Blend; horses use the Equine/Horse Blend. Dogs and cats receive the formula twice daily; horses receive two tablespoons twice daily for the first 20 days, then once daily for maintenance. If the horse initially refuses, start with a small amount mixed into grain and gradually increase until the horse is accustomed to the taste. Most horses will readily accept the herbs in their grain. Your authorizing veterinarian will confirm the appropriate dose and schedule for your individual animal and will review the full medication list, paying particular attention to anticoagulant medications given Dan Shen's potent anticoagulant-potentiating interaction.
How long does it take to see results with Qing Ying San?
Because Qing Ying San addresses an active warm disease presentation at the nutritive level, response to treatment is typically assessed over days to weeks rather than months, and monitoring by the authorizing veterinarian is important throughout the treatment course. Improvement in fever pattern, spirit calmness, and tongue color (gradual lightening of the deep red or crimson tongue toward a less intensely red color) are the primary indicators of the nutritive-level heat's progressive resolution. The formula's treatment duration will be determined by the veterinarian based on the individual animal's heat pattern, response to treatment, and whether the heat is fully vented to the qi level or continues to require nutritive-level clearing with yin nourishment.
How does Qing Ying San differ from other TCVM heat-clearing formulas?
Qing Ying San is specifically indicated for the ying (nutritive) level of the four-level warm disease progression, distinguishing it from qi-level heat formulas such as Bai Hu Tang (which treats vigorous heat at the qi level with high fever, sweating, and thirst but without the spirit disturbance and nighttime fever worsening of the ying level), and from xue-level formulas such as Xi Jiao Di Huang Tang (which treats blood-level heat with actual bleeding, purple tongue, and deeper blood-level disruption). Qing Ying San occupies the ying-xue boundary position in the Wenbing progression, using the vent-and-lead strategy to push the heat back outward toward the qi level rather than treating it only at the deep nutritive level. Your authorizing veterinarian will determine which heat-clearing formula best matches your animal's specific warm disease level based on tongue color, fever pattern, spirit signs, and the presence or absence of bleeding signs indicating blood-level penetration.