Clearing heat and resolving phlegm

"Clearing heat and resolving phlegm" (Qing Re Hua Tan) is a foundational therapeutic principle in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) rather than a specific molecular target, receptor, or enzyme [1]. In clinical TCM practice, this strategy is employed to treat syndromes characterized by 'heat' (often correlating to inflammation, fever, or infection) and 'phlegm' (associated with mucus hypersecretion or metabolic congestion) [2][3]. Because it is a therapeutic action and not a biological entity, it does not possess a singular UniProt ID or a specific location in the human genome [4]. Herbs categorized under this action, such as Scutellaria baicalensis, typically contain bioactive compounds like baicalin that exhibit polypharmacological effects by modulating inflammatory mediators like NF-kappaB and various cytokines [5]. Consequently, while the principle guides the selection of drugs, the term itself represents a macroscopic pharmacological effect rather than a discrete protein target [1][3]. Sources: [1] PMID: 32655655 - "Traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of COVID-19." [2] NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) - "Traditional Chinese Medicine: What You Need To Know." [3] PMID: 29755489 - "Network pharmacology-based strategy for the investigation of the anti-inflammatory mechanism of Qingre Huatan formula." [4] UniProt Knowledgebase (Search for 'Clearing heat and resolving phlegm' yields no protein results). [5] PubChem - Compound Summary for Baicalin (an active constituent in heat-clearing herbs).

Other names

Qing Re Hua TanHeat-clearing and phlegm-resolvingClearing heat and transforming phlegmQingre Huatan

Traditional Chinese Medicine therapeutic principle involving the removal of pathogenic heat and the dissipation of phlegm through the synergistic action of multicomponent herbal formulations affecting multiple biological pathways.