Natural Herb Library

Green Jade Powder

Chinese
碧玉散
Pinyin
Bi Yu San
Latin
Pulvis Biyu
Scientific specimen plate of Green Jade Powder, Pulvis Biyu, showing blended formula powder, Hua Shi, Gan Cao, Qing Dai, and diagnostic material details.
Botanical plate by Kodi .

Known in TCM as Bi Yu San (碧玉散), this sweet and bland, cold herb enters the Liver, Gallbladder, Stomach, and Bladder. Traditionally, it clears summer-heat and drains dampness through urination - Bi Yu San is a classical three-ingredient powder used when heat and dampness combine to cause fever, irritability, thirst, and scant dark urine, most often applied for fever, urinary tract infection, and sore throat. Modern research has identified Hydrated among its active constituents.

Part used: Powder

Also Known As

Jasper Powder

Latin: Pulvis Biyu | Pinyin: Bi Yu San | Chinese: 碧玉散

TCM Properties

Taste
sweet, bland
Temperature
cold
Channels
Liver, Gallbladder, Stomach, Bladder

Traditional Use

Primary Actions

  • Clears summer-heat and drains dampness through urination - Bi Yu San is a classical three-ingredient powder used when heat and dampness combine to cause fever, irritability, thirst, and scant dark urine.
  • Cools the Blood and relieves toxicity - the addition of Qing Dai extends the base Liu Yi San strategy toward red eyes, sore mouth, sore throat, and Liver-Gallbladder heat signs.
  • Helps settle heat agitation and convulsive tendency - traditional commentary includes heat stirring internally strongly enough to produce spasms or agitation.

Secondary Actions

  • Bi Yu San is essentially Liu Yi San plus Qing Dai, so it sits halfway between a simple summer-heat urinary formula and a more strongly cooling toxin-relieving powder.
  • This is a formula-level record rather than a single crude herb, which is why its properties and modern evidence are necessarily more synthetic than most herb monographs.

Classic Formulas

  • Bi Yu San - the source formula itself, classically dated to 1172 and built around Hua Shi, Gan Cao, and Qing Dai.
  • Hao Qin Qing Dan Tang - incorporates Bi Yu San as the summer-heat and dampness-draining component in Shaoyang-Gallbladder damp-heat patterns.
  • Liu Yi San - the parent formula whose Hua Shi-plus-Gan Cao core is modified by adding Qing Dai to create Bi Yu San.

Classical References

  • Me & Qi describes Bi Yu San as a three-ingredient formula made from Hua Shi, Gan Cao, and Qing Dai whose main actions are clearing heat, cooling Blood, promoting urination, and eliminating summer-heat.
  • The same formula tradition specifically links it to summer-heat with heat stagnation in the Liver and Gallbladder, especially when red eyes, sore mouth, or sore throat appear.
  • Qing Dai materia medica notes Bi Yu San as a formula context for summer-heat complicated by Liver-Gallbladder fire and toxic irritation.

Modern Research

Active Compounds

  • Hydrated magnesium silicate from Hua Shi - the mineral core that supports the formula's damp-heat draining identity
  • Indigoids such as indigo and indirubin from Qing Dai - the main cooling and toxin-relieving pigment constituents
  • Glycyrrhizin and flavonoids from Gan Cao - harmonizing constituents that moderate harshness and support fluid preservation

Studied Effects

  • Direct modern clinical research on Bi Yu San as a named three-ingredient classical powder is sparse.
  • Current rationale depends mostly on the well-known constituent actions of Hua Shi, Qing Dai, and Gan Cao rather than on formula-specific PubMed trial literature.
  • Because this is a classical combination record, ingredient-level evidence is much richer than direct monograph-level pharmacology.

Safety & Interactions

Contraindications

  • Cold deficiency without summer-heat, dampness, or toxic heat
  • Use as a substitute for evaluation of severe heatstroke, dehydration, or acute infection

Cautions

  • Bi Yu San is appropriate for excess summer-heat and damp-heat patterns, not for depleted cold patients with loose stools or weak digestion.
  • As a formula containing a mineral draining component, it should be used with more caution in patients who are already fluid-depleted unless the excess heat picture is clear.
  • Most modern data are indirect because the formula itself has very limited indexed research.

Conditions

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Green Jade Powder used for?

Green Jade Powder is traditionally used to Clears summer-heat and drains dampness through urination - Bi Yu San is a classical three-ingredient powder used when heat and dampness combine to cause fever, irritability, thirst, and scant dark urine., Cools the Blood and relieves toxicity - the addition of Qing Dai extends the base Liu Yi San strategy toward red eyes, sore mouth, sore throat, and Liver-Gallbladder heat signs., Helps settle heat agitation and convulsive tendency - traditional commentary includes heat stirring internally strongly enough to produce spasms or agitation.. Research has investigated its effects on: Direct modern clinical research on Bi Yu San as a named three-ingredient classical powder is sparse.; Current rationale depends mostly on the well-known constituent actions of Hua Shi, Qing Dai, and Gan Cao rather than on formula-specific PubMed trial literature..

What are other names for Green Jade Powder?

Green Jade Powder is also known as Jasper Powder. In TCM: 碧玉散 (Bi Yu San); Pulvis Biyu.

Is Green Jade Powder safe during pregnancy?

The safety of Green Jade Powder during pregnancy has not been established. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before use.

What are the contraindications for Green Jade Powder?

Green Jade Powder should not be used in: Cold deficiency without summer-heat, dampness, or toxic heat; Use as a substitute for evaluation of severe heatstroke, dehydration, or acute infection. Consult a qualified practitioner before use.