Source: Shanghan Lun (Treatise on Exogenous Febrile Diseases).

Ingredients:
No.1  Gegen (Radix Puerariae) 15 g
No.2  Zhigancao (Radix Glycyrrhizae Praeparatae) 6 g
No.3  Huangqin (Radix Scutellaria) 9 g
No.4  Huanglian (Rhizoma Coptidis) 9 g

Administration:
Decoct the above drugs in water for oral application.

Actions:
Dispelling pathogenic factors from the exterior and clearing away heat from the interior.

Clinical Application:
This recipe is used to treat diarrhea due to heat in the exterior and interior, marked by feverish body with diarrhea, dysphoria, thirst, perspiration, reddened tongue with yellowish fur, and rapid pulse. It is applicable to acute enteritis, bacillary dysentery, gastrointestinal cold and other diseases, which have the chief manifestation as diarrhea and pertain to unrelieved exterior symptoms with excessive interior heat. In case of sharp abdominal pain, add Baishaoyao (Radix Paeoniae Alba) (baked) to nourish the liver and relieve pain. In case of dysentery due to damp heat with tenesmus, add Muxiang (Radix Aucklandiae ) and Binglang (Semen Arecae) to promote the circulation of qi and relieve tenesmus.

Elucidation:
The syndrome is the result of unrelieved exterior heat invading the interior and affecting the large intestine. It should be treated by means of eliminating both exterior and interior heat. The first ingredient acts as monarch drug with the action of clearing away exterior heat and lifting yang to relieve diarrhea. The last two act as minister drug to clear away heat and toxic substances and relieve diarrhea by drying dampness. Ingredient No. 2 is meant to coordinate the properties of other drugs and plays the role of guiding drug. All ingredients in combination aim to treat both the exterior and interior symptoms but focus on expelling interior heat. Since the monarch drug bears a pungent and cool nature with the function of clearing away heat and relieving diarrhea, this recipe can also be used to treat diarrhea caused completely by interior heat without any exterior syndrome.

Cautions:
This recipe is contraindicated for patients with diarrhea that is concomitant with aversion to cold, pale tongue and thready pulse.