Your shopping bag is empty
Go to the shop
Recommended by holistic veterinarians, Herbsmith Rx Long Dan Xie Gan San supports a veterinarian-confirmed Liver-Gallbladder excess Fire or Damp-Heat pattern in dogs, cats, and horses. Its ten listed ingredients combine bitter-cold Heat clearing, traditional lower-burner drainage, channel guidance, and complementary Yin and Blood nourishment. Long Dan Cao, Huang Qin, and Zhi Zi form the Heat-clearing layer; Mu Tong, Che Qian Zi, and Ze Xie contribute drainage; Sheng Di Huang and Dang Gui provide nourishment; Chai Hu and Gan Cao complete the formula's traditional framework. Available as powder mixed into food; dogs and cats use the Canine Blend, while horses use the Equine/Horse Blend. Dosing varies by species and body weight; your authorizing veterinarian will provide specific guidance.
VETERINARY AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED: Submit Your Authorization Request or Request a TCVM Telemedicine Consultation
What It Supports
- Traditional excess-Heat clearing: Long Dan Cao, Huang Qin, and Zhi Zi address Liver-Gallbladder Fire within the selected TCVM pattern.
- Lower-burner Damp-Heat support: Mu Tong, Che Qian Zi, and Ze Xie contribute traditional drainage in a pattern that may include urinary frequency or discomfort. Urinary changes require a medical diagnosis, not assumption of Damp-Heat alone.
- Yin and Blood nourishment: Sheng Di Huang and Dang Gui complement the draining ingredients. Their inclusion does not guarantee protection from dehydration, digestive intolerance, or other adverse effects.
- Channel guidance and harmonization: Chai Hu and Gan Cao contribute traditional guidance and coordination within the ten-ingredient structure.
TCVM Principles
- Primary action: Drain Liver-Gallbladder excess Fire and clear lower-burner Damp-Heat, with complementary Yin and Blood nourishment.
- Formula framework: The Long Dan Xie Gan structure combines Heat-clearing, drainage, nourishing, guiding, and harmonizing functions. The nourishing ingredients do not make a strongly draining formula appropriate for every deficiency presentation.
- Pattern differentiation: Redness or heat in the eyes or ears, agitation, headshaking, or urogenital signs may contribute to pattern assessment alongside tongue and pulse. Liver and Gallbladder here are traditional functional terms, not a diagnosis of anatomical organ disease. Bitter taste cannot be confirmed from an animal's behavior.
- Contraindications: The existing listing excludes Cold patterns, Spleen Qi deficiency, and Yin deficiency without active excess Heat. Mixed patterns require specific veterinary confirmation. This is not an automatic indefinite maintenance formula.
- Mu Tong source review: The supplied Caulis Mutong designation does not verify an Akebia species or aristolochic-acid testing. Confirm botanical identity, sourcing, and appropriate testing with the manufacturer before administration. Veterinary authorization does not replace that verification, and formula balance does not neutralize a hazardous substitution.
- Urgent signs: Straining with little or no urine, inability to urinate, repeated unsuccessful litter-box visits, collapse, or severe weakness requires immediate veterinary care. Red or injured eyes, squinting, sudden vision changes, persistent headshaking, abnormal discharge, or fever also needs prompt assessment rather than waiting for an herbal response.
Available Forms
- Powder - Canine Blend (dogs and cats): Listed in 75 g, 150 g, 500 g, 900 g, and 1200 g sizes; mix into food using species- and weight-specific directions.
- Powder - Equine/Horse Blend: Listed in 150 g, 500 g, 900 g, and 1200 g sizes; mix into grain using horse-specific directions. The listed options are powders, not pills.
Suggested Use
- Canine Blend Powder - Dogs under 30 lbs: ½ tsp twice daily, or as directed by your veterinarian.
- Canine Blend Powder - Dogs 30-80 lbs: 1 tsp twice daily, or as directed by your veterinarian.
- Canine Blend Powder - Dogs 80-120 lbs: 1½ tsp twice daily, or as directed by your veterinarian.
- Canine Blend Powder - Dogs over 120 lbs: 2 tsp twice daily, or as directed by your veterinarian.
- Canine Blend Powder - Cats: ¼ tsp twice daily, or as directed by your veterinarian.
- Equine/Horse Blend - 1,000 lb horse, initial dose: Two tablespoons twice daily in grain, or as directed by your veterinarian. Continue the initial schedule for 20 days, or as directed by your veterinarian.
- Equine/Horse Blend - 1,000 lb horse, subsequent dose: After the initial period, two tablespoons once daily in grain, or as directed by your veterinarian.
Mix the Canine Blend into food. If a horse initially refuses the Equine/Horse Blend, introduce a small amount in grain and gradually increase until accustomed to the taste, or as directed by your veterinarian. Confirm the dog dose at the overlapping 80 lb boundary. Numeric doses and the horse schedule are preserved from the existing listing, not independently manufacturer-verified. The veterinarian must reconcile the listed subsequent horse schedule with the formula's excess-pattern indication; it is not an instruction for indefinite use. Continue only for the prescribed duration, or as directed by your veterinarian. Confirm Mu Tong sourcing and testing before use. Stop administration and contact your veterinarian for suspected adverse reactions, persistent digestive upset, unusual bleeding, or worsening urinary signs. Inability to urinate requires immediate care.
Ingredients
Active Ingredients: Long Dan Cao (Radix Gentianae Longdancao) - Chinese Gentian root, 14.5%; Sheng Di Huang (Radix Rehmanniae Glutinosae) - Raw Rehmannia root, 14.5%; Ze Xie (Rhizoma Alismatis Orientalis) - Alisma rhizome, 14.5%; Chai Hu (Radix Bupleuri) - Bupleurum root, 14.5%; Gan Cao (Radix Glycyrrhizae Uralensis) - Licorice root, 7%; Che Qian Zi (Semen Plantaginis) - Plantago seed, 7%; Mu Tong (Caulis Mutong) - Mu Tong stem, botanical source unverified, 7%; Zhi Zi (Fructus Gardeniae Jasminoidis) - Gardenia fruit, 7%; Huang Qin (Radix Scutellariae) - Scutellaria root, 7%; Dang Gui (Radix Angelicae Sinensis) - Dong Quai root, 7%.
Inactive Ingredient: Flaxseed.
Source and preparation details: All ten ingredient designations and percentages are retained from the current listing. Confirm complete species, plant parts, processing, and the basis of the percentages against the manufacturer label; flaxseed is listed separately. Mu Tong's exact identity and testing require specific confirmation rather than assuming Akebia from the common name. Keep Sheng Di Huang distinct from prepared Shu Di Huang, and Plantago seed distinct from psyllium products. The prior comparisons with Gentiana Longdancao Decoction to Drain the Liver, Snake and Dragon, Quell Fire, Gentiana Drain the Liver Pills, Gentiana Drain Fire, and Gentiana Combination do not establish equivalent composition, concentration, or dosing.
VETERINARY AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED: Submit Your Authorization Request or Request a TCVM Telemedicine Consultation
Active Ingredient TCVM Actions
The ten ingredients form Heat-clearing, Damp-Heat-draining, Yin- and Blood-nourishing, guiding, and harmonizing layers. These traditional groupings do not establish measured organ-targeting or guarantee protection against adverse effects.
- Long Dan Cao (Radix Gentianae Longdancao) - Chinese Gentian Root, 14.5%: Traditionally drains Liver-Gallbladder Fire and clears Damp-Heat from the lower burner, anchoring the formula's excess-Heat approach.
- Sheng Di Huang (Radix Rehmanniae Glutinosae) - Raw Rehmannia Root, 14.5%: Traditionally clears Heat, cools Blood, and nourishes Yin and fluids, complementing the draining layer without guaranteeing protection from fluid depletion.
- Ze Xie (Rhizoma Alismatis Orientalis) - Alisma Rhizome, 14.5%: Traditionally drains Dampness, promotes urination, and clears lower-burner Heat. These actions do not justify use during urinary obstruction.
- Chai Hu (Radix Bupleuri) - Bupleurum Root, 14.5%: Traditionally courses Liver Qi, resolves constraint, and guides the formula within the Liver-Gallbladder framework.
- Gan Cao (Radix Glycyrrhizae Uralensis) - Licorice Root, 7%: Traditionally harmonizes the formula and supports Middle Qi. The supplied name does not establish honey processing or elimination of Licorice-related precautions.
- Che Qian Zi (Semen Plantaginis) - Plantago Seed, 7%: Traditionally clears Heat, promotes urination, separates clear from turbid, and supports appropriate Dampness-related loose-stool patterns. Do not substitute psyllium on the basis of a shared genus.
- Mu Tong (Caulis Mutong) - Mu Tong Stem, 7%: Traditionally clears Heat and promotes urination. The botanical source is unresolved; obtain manufacturer identity and appropriate testing documentation before administration.
- Zhi Zi (Fructus Gardeniae Jasminoidis) - Gardenia Fruit, 7%: Traditionally drains Fire, clears Heat from the three burners, and cools Blood, complementing the other Heat-clearing ingredients.
- Huang Qin (Radix Scutellariae) - Scutellaria Root, 7%: Traditionally clears Heat and dries Dampness, contributing bitter-cold support within the excess pattern.
- Dang Gui (Radix Angelicae Sinensis) - Dong Quai Root, 7%: Traditionally nourishes and moves Blood. Its inclusion adds a nourishing layer but does not ensure that drainage or cooling cannot cause intolerance.
Potential Drug Interactions
Herbsmith Rx Long Dan Xie Gan San contains bitter-cold Heat-clearing herbs, Dampness-draining ingredients, Blood-moving Dang Gui, and Licorice. Pets taking prescription medications should use it under veterinary supervision because herb-drug interaction research in dogs and cats is limited. Horses receiving prescriptions also require review. Mu Tong identity and aristolochic-acid concerns are sourcing and safety questions, not merely interaction issues, and must be resolved through manufacturer documentation. Traditional Fire drainage and Blood movement do not establish a quantified anti-inflammatory, diuretic, or anticoagulant effect for this finished preparation.
Medication categories warranting extra caution include anticoagulant and antiplatelet medicines, diuretics, corticosteroids and other anti-inflammatory medicines, cardiovascular medicines including digoxin, immunosuppressants, medicines requiring close kidney or liver monitoring, and multiple concurrent prescriptions. Review hydration, blood pressure, electrolytes, and planned procedures as clinically appropriate. Stop administration and seek advice for suspected adverse reactions, persistent digestive upset, unusual bleeding, or worsening weakness or urinary signs; inability to urinate requires immediate care. Your veterinarian can determine appropriateness based on your animal's condition, medications, and laboratory results.
VETERINARY AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED: Submit Your Authorization Request or Request a TCVM Telemedicine Consultation
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Long Dan Xie Gan San used for in TCVM?
It supports veterinarian-confirmed Liver-Gallbladder excess Fire or lower-burner Damp-Heat. Depending on the full assessment, this pattern may involve eye or ear redness, agitation, headshaking, or urogenital signs alongside characteristic tongue and pulse findings. These are traditional pattern descriptions, not proof of liver disease, infection, or another medical diagnosis. Eye and urinary signs require appropriate clinical evaluation.
How is Long Dan Xie Gan San administered to dogs, cats, and horses?
Dogs and cats use the Canine Blend mixed into food. Dogs under 30 lbs receive ½ tsp twice daily, or as directed by your veterinarian. Dogs 30-80 lbs receive 1 tsp twice daily, or as directed by your veterinarian. Dogs 80-120 lbs receive 1½ tsp twice daily, or as directed by your veterinarian. Dogs over 120 lbs receive 2 tsp twice daily, or as directed by your veterinarian. Cats receive ¼ tsp twice daily, or as directed by your veterinarian. Confirm the dose at the overlapping 80 lb dog boundary.
For a 1,000 lb horse using the Equine/Horse Blend, give two tablespoons twice daily in grain, or as directed by your veterinarian. Continue the initial schedule for 20 days, or as directed by your veterinarian. Then give two tablespoons once daily in grain, or as directed by your veterinarian. If initially refused, introduce a small amount in grain and gradually increase until accustomed to the taste, or as directed by your veterinarian. The veterinarian must confirm the need for the subsequent schedule rather than treating it as indefinite maintenance. Continue only for the prescribed duration, or as directed by your veterinarian.
What safety checks and reassessment are needed?
Confirm Mu Tong's botanical identity, sourcing, and appropriate aristolochic-acid testing with the manufacturer before administration; the name Caulis Mutong and veterinary authorization alone do not establish those details. Your veterinarian also reviews digestion, hydration, kidney and liver findings, medications, tongue and pulse, and whether the excess pattern remains present. A fixed 1-to-3-week response is not established. Continue only for the prescribed duration, or as directed by your veterinarian. New or worsening urinary, eye, digestive, or systemic signs need reassessment rather than waiting for the course to end.
How does this differ from formulas for Liver Qi constraint or Yin deficiency?
This formula emphasizes bitter-cold clearing and drainage for an active excess Fire or Damp-Heat pattern. Liver Qi-regulating formulas and Yin-nourishing formulas have different traditional priorities and are not interchangeable based on one symptom. Sheng Di Huang and Dang Gui add nourishment but do not turn Long Dan Xie Gan San into a general deficiency tonic. Your veterinarian selects the actual preparation from the complete pattern and clinical diagnosis, including any mixed features.
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Have a Question?
Be the first to ask a question about this.
