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Warm Gallbladder Decoction

溫膽湯 · wēn dǎn tāng

For anxious, restless nights that come with nausea and a churning stomach.

What it's for

When stress leaves you queasy, wired at night, and stuck with a bitter taste in your mouth, this is the formula practitioners reach for. In TCM the pattern is called phlegm-heat, meaning thick congestion plus an overheated, agitated quality, and it is described as sitting between your stomach and gallbladder where it blocks the normal flow of qi, your body's baseline energy. Despite the name, this is a cooling formula rather than a warming one.

Signs this formula is a fit

At least 2 of the 3 main signs below should sound like you. If only one does, a more focused formula might fit better.

Main signs

  • Can't sleep, and the dreams are strange

    restless nights with vivid or unsettling dreams

  • Anxious with a churning stomach

    nausea or queasiness that rides along with the worry

  • Dizzy, or the room spins

    it comes and goes without much warning

Extra signs

  • Bitter taste in your mouth
  • Heart pounding for no clear reason
  • Tight, full feeling in your chest
  • Coughing up more phlegm than usual
  • Greasy yellow tongue coating

Signs it isn't

  • You have a fever, a dry mouth, and real thirst
  • Your tongue is dark red with almost no coating
  • You feel restless but have no nausea and no tongue coating

What's in it

Safety

  • Built for restlessness that comes with nausea and a greasy tongue coating. Not for plain anxiety on its own.
  • Contains pinellia, which is toxic raw. Only use a finished patent pill from a manufacturer you trust.
  • Do not take while pregnant. Licorice rules it out, and bitter orange moves qi strongly.
  • Skip if you have high blood pressure, heart failure, or kidney disease, because of the licorice.
  • Generally well tolerated at the label dose. Stop if you get heartburn or stomach upset.
  • Licorice affects cortisol and can change how many prescription medications work.
  • Bitter orange may inhibit CYP3A4 and affect medications processed by that pathway.
  • Tangerine peel can interact with statins and other CYP3A4 medications.

How to take it

What to get

Plum Flower Rising Courage Teapills, 200 ct

Rising Courage Teapills

Plum Flower200 ct

Not yet available through Amazon.

A practitioner may be able to source it directly. Find a practitioner

Dose

Take 8 pills, 3 times a day. Other brands and forms use different doses, so follow the label on what you buy.

How long

Follow any time limit on the product label. If it gives none, ask a qualified TCM practitioner when to reassess. Do not keep taking it unchanged if nothing improves.