Ingredient Animal — part (动物部分 dòng wù bù fèn)

She Dan

Snake Gall · 蛇胆

Bungarus fasciatus, Naja naja, Zaocys dhumnades, et al. · Serpentis Fel

Snake gall bladder is a traditional animal-derived medicine used to clear heat, resolve phlegm, and stop coughing. It is commonly taken for stubborn coughs with yellow phlegm, sore throat, and certain skin infections. It also helps calm convulsions and brighten the eyes when heat is the underlying cause.

Category Herbs that clear Heat and resolve Toxicity (清热解毒药) Phlegm-transforming herbs (化痰药)
Therapeutic focus Respiratory health Skin conditions Eye health Seizure support

TCM Properties

Temperature

Cold

Taste

Bitter (苦 kǔ), Sweet (甘 gān)

Channels entered

Lungs, Heart, Liver

Parts used

Animal — part (动物部分 dòng wù bù fèn)

Educational content • Consult qualified TCM practitioners for diagnosis and treatment

What This Ingredient Does

Every ingredient has a specific set of actions — here's what She Dan does in the body, explained in both everyday and TCM terms

Therapeutic focus

In practical terms, She Dan is primarily used to support these areas of health:

Respiratory health Skin conditions Eye health Seizure support

TCM Actions

In TCM terminology, these are the specific therapeutic actions that She Dan performs to restore balance in the body:

Clears Heat and Resolves Toxicity Transforms Phlegm and Stops Cough Extinguishes Wind and Stops Convulsions Cools the Liver and Brightens the Eyes Clears the Heart and Calms the Spirit

How these actions work

Clears Heat and Resolves Toxicity means She Dan neutralizes pathogenic Heat and eliminates toxic accumulations in the body. This is why it is used for infections with fever, sore throat, skin boils, and abscesses — it reduces inflammation and helps the body clear pus and swelling.

Transforms Phlegm and Stops Cough refers to its ability to break down thick, sticky phlegm obstructing the airways and to calm coughing spasms. It is especially suited for coughs with yellow or difficult-to-expectorate sputum, such as in bronchitis or whooping cough.

Extinguishes Wind and Stops Convulsions describes its action on internal Wind caused by extreme Heat, which can lead to seizures, tremors, or spasms. She Dan cools the Liver and Heart, subduing this pathogenic Wind and calming the nervous system.

Cools the Liver and Brightens the Eyes means it drains excess Fire from the Liver channel that rises to the head, causing red, painful, and swollen eyes or blurred vision. By cooling the Liver, it restores clear vision.

Clears the Heart and Calms the Spirit addresses Heat disturbing the Heart, which can cause mental restlessness, insomnia, and even manic behavior. She Dan clears that Heat and helps settle the Shen (spirit).

Patterns Addressed

In TCM, symptoms cluster into recognizable patterns of disharmony. She Dan is used to help correct these specific patterns.

Why She Dan addresses this pattern

She Dan's bitter-cold nature enters the Lung channel, directly clearing Heat and transforming Phlegm lodged in the Lungs. This addresses the core pathomechanism of Phlegm-Heat obstructing the airways, which causes coughing, wheezing, and thick yellow sputum. Its sweet component also helps moderate the harshness, making it suitable for acute respiratory infections.

A practitioner would look for one or more of these signs

Cough

Cough with thick yellow sputum

Whooping Cough

Paroxysmal cough ending in a whoop

Chest Tightness

Chest oppression and difficulty breathing

Commonly Used For

These are conditions where She Dan is frequently used — but only when they arise from the specific patterns it addresses, not in all cases

Arises from: Phlegm-Heat in the Lungs

TCM Interpretation

In TCM, whooping cough (顿咳) is understood as an invasion of Wind-Heat or Phlegm-Heat into the Lungs. The pathogenic Heat congeals fluids into sticky Phlegm that obstructs the airways, causing the characteristic paroxysmal cough ending in a whoop. The condition often involves both exterior and interior factors, with the Lung's descending function severely disrupted.

Why She Dan Helps

She Dan's bitter-cold nature directly clears the Heat lodged in the Lungs, while its Phlegm-transforming action breaks down the sticky obstruction. By cooling and detoxifying, it reduces the inflammatory spasm of the airways. Its sweet component also helps soothe the irritated Lung tissues, making it a key ingredient in many patent remedies for whooping cough.

Also commonly used for

Bronchitis

Reduces inflammation and expels thick phlegm from the airways.

Pneumonia

Addresses the Phlegm-Heat component in lung infections.

Conjunctivitis

Cools Liver Fire to relieve red, painful, and swollen eyes.

Hemorrhoids

Applied topically to reduce swelling and pain via its detoxifying action.

Abscess

Resolves toxic swellings and promotes healing of pus-filled sores.

Ingredient Properties

Every ingredient has an inherent temperature, taste, and affinity for specific channels — these properties determine how it interacts with the body

Temperature

Cold

Taste

Bitter (苦 kǔ), Sweet (甘 gān)

Channels Entered

Lungs Heart Liver

Parts Used

Animal — part (动物部分 dòng wù bù fèn)

Dosage & Preparation

These are general dosage guidelines for She Dan — always follow your practitioner's recommendation, as dosages vary based on the formula and your individual condition

Standard dosage

0.5–1g (of processed bile mixed with an equal weight of preservative wine), typically used as part of prepared formulas rather than decoction.

Maximum dosage

Do not exceed 1g per dose. Higher amounts sharply increase the risk of hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, and cardiac adverse effects. There is no established safe upper limit beyond the standard range.

Dosage notes

She Dan is almost always used in its processed form (bile preserved in alcohol). Internal dose: dissolve 0.5–1g of the bile-wine mixture in warm water or a small amount of wine. For external use, the bile is applied directly to the affected area or mixed with sesame oil. The dosage should never be exceeded, and prolonged use is discouraged. In traditional practice, the gallbladder was often taken as one whole organ (approximately equivalent to 0.5–1g of dried bile), but modern preparation standardizes the amount.

Preparation

She Dan is not suitable for decoction. The prepared bile (preserved with equal weight of ≥50% alcohol) is the standard starting material. For internal use, the bile-wine mixture is dissolved in a small amount of warm water or wine and then taken orally. It may also be incorporated into pills, powders, or syrups. For external application, the bile is used directly or mixed with sesame oil.

Processing Methods

In TCM, the same ingredient can be prepared in different ways to change its effects — here's how processing alters what She Dan does

Processing method

After removal, the gallbladder is tied at the duct and stored in alcohol (≥50% ethanol) at a 1:1 weight ratio to prevent spoilage and reduce toxicity. Before use, the outer covering (gallbladder wall) is discarded and the bile is mixed with the same preservative alcohol to form the standard processed bile.

How it changes properties

Alcohol preservation and removal of the gallbladder membrane reduce the risk of parasitic infection and partly detoxify the bile. The processing yields a liquid preparation that is slightly cooler in nature, ready for measured dosing, and less prone to acute gastrointestinal irritation compared to raw gallbladder.

When to use this form

This is the standard form for all internal medical uses — for phlegm-heat cough, convulsions, red eyes, and heat toxin skin lesions. It is also the only form used in manufacturing patent herbal formulas such as She Dan Chuan Bei San and She Dan Chen Pi San.

Common Ingredient Pairs

These ingredients are traditionally combined with She Dan for enhanced therapeutic effect

Chuan Bei Mu
Chuan Bei Mu She Dan 0.5-1g : Chuan Bei Mu 3-6g

She Dan clears Heat and transforms Phlegm, while Chuan Bei Mu moistens the Lungs and stops cough. Together they powerfully address Phlegm-Heat cough with thick yellow sputum, combining acute pathogen clearance with soothing Lung protection.

When to use: For Phlegm-Heat cough, bronchitis, or whooping cough with thick yellow sputum, chest tightness, and fever.

Chen Pi
Chen Pi She Dan 0.5-1g : Chen Pi 3-6g

She Dan clears Heat and transforms Phlegm, while Chen Pi regulates Qi and dries Dampness to resolve Phlegm. They work synergistically to treat Phlegm-Damp cough with copious sputum and chest congestion.

When to use: For cough with profuse white or sticky sputum, chest oppression, and nausea, especially when Phlegm-Damp obstructs the Lungs and Spleen.

Tian Ma
Tian Ma She Dan 0.5-1g : Tian Ma 3-9g

She Dan extinguishes Wind and stops convulsions, Tian Ma calms the Liver and extinguishes Wind. The pair treats internal stirring of Wind-Phlegm, addressing both the convulsive manifestations and the underlying Phlegm obstruction.

When to use: For febrile convulsions, epilepsy, or wind-induced headaches and dizziness with Phlegm signs.

Comparable Ingredients

These ingredients have overlapping uses — here's how to tell them apart

Xi
She Dan vs Xiong dan

Both are animal gall bladders that clear Heat and resolve Toxicity. Xiong Dan (bear gallbladder) is stronger for clearing Heart Heat and extinguishing Wind in severe convulsions, while She Dan is more commonly used for Lung Heat cough and Phlegm disorders. Xiong Dan is also more strictly regulated due to conservation concerns.

Zhu Dan
She Dan vs Zhu Dan

Zhu Dan (pig gallbladder) is also bitter-cold and clears Heat, but it is milder and primarily used to clear Lung Heat and moisten Dryness. She Dan has a stronger Wind-extinguishing and detoxifying action, making it preferable for convulsions and toxic skin lesions.

Identity & Adulterants

Related species and common adulterations to be aware of when sourcing She Dan

She Dan is sometimes adulterated with cheaper animal bile (pig, cow, chicken) or synthetic bile acids, often mixed with artificial coloring and fragrance to mimic the genuine product. Authentic She Dan can be distinguished by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) or HPLC, which identifies the unique bile acid profile dominated by taurocholic acid derivatives, and by the absence of characteristic peaks of non-snake bile. Molecular methods (PCR of COI gene) can also verify the snake species origin.

Educational content — always consult a qualified healthcare provider or TCM practitioner before using any ingredient.

Toxicity Classification

Classical Chinese pharmacopoeia toxicity rating for She Dan

Toxic

She Dan contains bile salts, histamine-like substances, cyanide compounds, and may harbor parasites such as Spirometra larvae (sparganosis). Ingestion of raw or improperly prepared gallbladder can cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness, abdominal pain, and in severe cases, acute liver and kidney failure, cardiac arrhythmias, or even death. Traditional processing by soaking in alcohol (≥50% ethanol) and strict dosage control substantially reduces the risk, but the herb is still classified as toxic. Never use raw gallbladder internally. If symptoms such as jaundice, oliguria, or persistent vomiting occur, discontinue immediately and seek medical care.

Contraindications

Situations where She Dan should not be used or requires extra caution

Avoid

Pregnancy: She Dan is toxic and may stimulate uterine contractions, causing miscarriage or fetal harm.

Avoid

Severe liver or kidney impairment: the herb may cause hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity, worsening existing damage.

Avoid

Known allergy to snake bile or snake-derived products.

Caution

Cardiovascular disease or hypertension: use with caution as the herb may affect blood pressure and heart rhythm.

Caution

Children: must be used only under strict professional supervision with appropriately reduced dosage.

Caution

Concurrent use with nephrotoxic or hepatotoxic medications (e.g., NSAIDs, certain antibiotics) may increase the risk of organ damage.

Special Populations

Important considerations for pregnancy, breastfeeding, and pediatric use

Pregnancy

Contraindicated. She Dan is a toxic substance that may stimulate uterine contractions, cross the placental barrier, and cause fetal malformation or miscarriage. Its potential hepatotoxic and nephrotoxic effects pose additional risks to both the mother and developing fetus. Absolutely avoid during any stage of pregnancy.

Breastfeeding

Not recommended. There is insufficient safety data for use during lactation. The toxic components and bile acids may be transferred through breast milk, potentially causing gastrointestinal disturbances or organ stress in the nursing infant. Avoid use while breastfeeding.

Children

She Dan must be used in children only under the direct supervision of a qualified practitioner, with the dosage strictly adjusted by weight and age. Raw or unprocessed gallbladder must never be given to children due to the high risk of parasitic infection and severe hepatotoxicity. Processed bile in standard pediatric patent medicines (e.g., She Dan Chuan Bei San) may be used for cough and phlegm-heat symptoms, but only as labeled or as directed. Not recommended for children under 2 years of age.

Drug Interactions

If you are taking pharmaceutical medications, be aware of these potential interactions with She Dan

No specific pharmacokinetic interaction studies are available for She Dan. However, because bile acids can alter the absorption of lipophilic drugs and may compete for hepatic metabolic pathways (e.g., cytochrome P450 enzymes), concurrent use with medications that have narrow therapeutic indices or are themselves hepatotoxic should be approached with caution. Combining She Dan with nephrotoxic drugs (e.g., aminoglycosides, NSAIDs) may increase the risk of kidney injury. Additionally, Chinese patent medicine labels advise against concomitant use with tonic or nourishing herbal preparations (滋补性中药), as this may counteract the cooling, heat-clearing nature of She Dan. Always consult a healthcare professional before combining with prescription medications.

Dietary Advice

Foods and dietary considerations when taking She Dan

During treatment with She Dan, avoid smoking, alcohol, and spicy, raw, cold, or greasy foods, as these may exacerbate internal heat or impede the herb’s cooling action. Do not take simultaneously with nourishing or tonifying herbs (滋补类中药), which can oppose the heat-clearing effect.

Botanical Description

Physical characteristics and morphology of the She Dan source animal

She Dan (蛇胆) is not of plant origin but an animal product — the gallbladder of various snake species. The most commonly used sources include the Chinese cobra (Naja naja), banded krait (Bungarus fasciatus), Chinese black snake (Zaocys dhumnades), Chinese ratsnake (Ptyas korros), and Chinese moccasin (Agkistrodon haly). These are carnivorous reptiles found in warm, humid regions of southern China. The gallbladder is a small, thin-walled sac near the liver, containing a viscous, greenish-yellow to orange-brown bile. After capture, the gallbladder is carefully removed, tied at the bile duct, and usually preserved in alcohol or dried for medicinal use.

Sourcing & Harvesting

Where She Dan is sourced, when it's harvested or collected, and how to assess quality

Harvesting season

Spring and autumn, when the snakes are captured alive and the gallbladder is removed immediately.

Primary growing regions

Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Jiangxi, Hubei, Sichuan (道地药材 predominantly from southern China)

Quality indicators

High-quality She Dan has an intact, smooth, and flexible gallbladder wall. The bile inside should be yellow-green to orange-yellow, thick and viscous, with a bitter taste followed by a mildly sweet and cooling sensation. Avoid gallbladders with a foul odor, blackened or brown discoloration of the bile, or any sign of mineral oil contamination (e.g., diesel smell). The source species should be confirmed, and the product must not contain foreign bile (such as pig, cow, or chicken bile) or synthetic additives.

Classical Texts

Key passages from the classical Chinese medical texts that describe She Dan and its therapeutic uses

  • 《药性论》(Yào Xìng Lùn, Treatise on the Nature of Medicinals): “蝮蛇胆，杀下部虫。” (“The gallbladder of the pit viper kills intestinal parasites.”)
  • 《本草纲目》(Běn Cǎo Gāng Mù, Compendium of Materia Medica): “蝮蛇胆，疗诸漏，研敷之；若作痛，杵杏仁摩之。” (“Pit viper gallbladder treats various fistulas. Grind and apply topically. If pain occurs, grind with apricot kernel and rub.”); and “乌蛇胆主治大风疠疾，木舌胀塞。” (“Black snake gallbladder mainly treats severe leprosy-like disorders and wooden tongue with swelling and obstruction.”)
  • 《四川中药志》1960年版 (Sìchuān Zhōngyào Zhì, Sichuan Chinese Materia Medica, 1960 ed.): “治痰迷心窍，风热发狂，眼雾不明，痔疮红肿及皮肤热毒等症。” (“Treats phlegm obscuring the heart orifices, wind-heat-induced mania, blurred vision, red and swollen hemorrhoids, and heat toxins on the skin.”)

Historical Context

The history and evolution of She Dan's use in Chinese medicine over the centuries

The use of snake gallbladder as medicine dates back at least to the Han dynasty, with early mentions in Míng Yī Bié Lù (名医别录). By the Song dynasty, it was officially included in imperial pharmacopoeias such as Kāi Bǎo Běn Cǎo (开宝本草). Li Shizhen’s Běn Cǎo Gāng Mù (本草纲目) consolidated its traditional indications for wind disorders, eye diseases, and phlegm-heat coughs. In folk medicine, raw snake gallbladder was traditionally swallowed directly with wine, but modern safety awareness has highlighted the dangers of parasites (especially sparganosis from Spirometra larvae) and bile-acid toxicity. Today, She Dan is used almost exclusively in processed forms — typically preserved in alcohol and then incorporated into standardized patent formulas such as She Dan Chuan Bei San (蛇胆川贝散). The name She Dan simply means “snake gallbladder,” reflecting the straightforward medicinal use of the organ.