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Ding Xiang Shi Di Tang

Traditionally used for: Short-term use for hiccups in someone who feels cold and tired; Use guided by a trained herbalist. Hiccups that will not stop.

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What is Ding Xiang Shi Di Tang? Ding Xiang Shi Di Tang is an old Chinese herbal mix. People take it for hiccups that will not stop. It is also used for burping and for a sick, queasy feeling when the stomach feels cold. It is handled as a single drug (TCM formula). Its English name is Clove and Persimmon Calyx Decoction. It blends four herbs: clove flower buds, the leafy cap of the persimmon fruit, ginseng root and fresh ginger. Chinese doctors have used it for about 800 years . Long use is not proof that a remedy works. We found no solid human trials of this formula, so the evidence grade here is insufficient. How does Ding Xiang Shi Di Tang work? The old idea behind it is simple. Warm a cold stomach, then send its energy back down instead of up. Clove and ginger are seen as warming herbs. The persimmon cap is used to stop the upward jerk that makes you hiccup. Ginseng is added when a person is weak and worn out. Modern science does not back up this model. Lab and animal work hints that clove oil and ginger may calm gut muscle. That is a long way from proof in people, and no one has shown how the whole formula acts in the body. What forms does Ding Xiang Shi Di Tang come in? Most often it is made as a tea. The raw herbs are boiled in water for 20 to 30 minutes , strained, then drunk warm. You can also buy it as granules that melt in hot water. Pills, capsules and tea bags are sold too. Clove essential oil is not the same thing, and you must never swallow it in place of the herb. Where it comes from: The formula comes from Ji Sheng Fang, a Chinese medical book from 1253. The author was Yan Yong-he, a doctor of the Song dynasty. It is still taught in Chinese medicine schools today and appears in modern formula books.

Helps

What does Ding Xiang Shi Di Tang help with? Hiccups that keep coming back: This is the main traditional use, and the formula was built for it. Chinese texts have described it this way for centuries. We could not find a good human trial that tests it against a dummy treatment, so we cannot say it works better than nothing. Hiccups lasting more than two days need a doctor, because they can point to a nerve, stomach or brain problem. Burping and belching: Tradition uses the same formula here, on the idea that stomach energy is moving the wrong way. There is no human trial evidence for this use. Frequent belching with pain, weight loss or trouble swallowing should be checked by a doctor. Nausea with a cold, heavy stomach: Ginger on its own has some human trial support for nausea, but that is the single herb, not this formula. No trial has tested this four-herb mix for nausea. Tradition picks it only when the person feels cold and tired, not when there is fever or burning. Vomiting linked to a weak, cold stomach: Traditional texts list vomiting alongside hiccups for this formula. The evidence is tradition alone. Vomiting that lasts, or that comes with blood or severe pain, is a reason to seek care, not to self-treat. Hiccups after surgery or during cancer care: Chinese hospitals have used this formula in this setting, and small reports exist. We could not identify a published trial we are confident enough to cite by number. If you are in cancer care, ask your care team first, because herbs can clash with your drugs.

Ding Xiang Shi Di Tang

Quick Facts

  • What it is: An 800-year-old Chinese herbal mix of clove, persimmon cap, ginseng and ginger, used mainly for stubborn hiccups.
  • Main uses: Hiccups that will not stop, Burping and belching, Nausea (a sick, queasy feeling) with a cold stomach
  • Best for: Short-term use for hiccups in someone who feels cold and tired, Use guided by a trained herbalist
  • Active ingredients: Eugenol from clove buds, Tannins from persimmon cap, Gingerols from fresh ginger, Ginsenosides from ginseng root
  • Forms: Boiled tea from raw herbs, Granules, Pills and capsules, Tea bags
  • Time to effect: Tradition expects hours to a day or two; no trial data supports this.
  • Side effects: Usually mild stomach upset, dry mouth or poor sleep; bleeding risk rises with blood thinners.
  • Pregnancy & breastfeeding: Avoid unless your clinician advises otherwise.

Educational information, not medical advice — ask your doctor or midwife.

What is Ding Xiang Shi Di Tang?

Ding Xiang Shi Di Tang is an old Chinese herbal mix. People take it for hiccups that will not stop. It is also used for burping and for a sick, queasy feeling when the stomach feels cold.

It is handled as a single drug (TCM formula). Its English name is Clove and Persimmon Calyx Decoction. It blends four herbs: clove flower buds, the leafy cap of the persimmon fruit, ginseng root and fresh ginger.

Chinese doctors have used it for about 800 years. Long use is not proof that a remedy works. We found no solid human trials of this formula, so the evidence grade here is insufficient.

How does Ding Xiang Shi Di Tang work?

The old idea behind it is simple. Warm a cold stomach, then send its energy back down instead of up.

Clove and ginger are seen as warming herbs. The persimmon cap is used to stop the upward jerk that makes you hiccup. Ginseng is added when a person is weak and worn out.

Modern science does not back up this model. Lab and animal work hints that clove oil and ginger may calm gut muscle. That is a long way from proof in people, and no one has shown how the whole formula acts in the body.

What forms does Ding Xiang Shi Di Tang come in?

Most often it is made as a tea. The raw herbs are boiled in water for 20 to 30 minutes, strained, then drunk warm.

You can also buy it as granules that melt in hot water. Pills, capsules and tea bags are sold too. Clove essential oil is not the same thing, and you must never swallow it in place of the herb.

Where it comes from:

The formula comes from Ji Sheng Fang, a Chinese medical book from 1253. The author was Yan Yong-he, a doctor of the Song dynasty. It is still taught in Chinese medicine schools today and appears in modern formula books.

Who should avoid Ding Xiang Shi Di Tang?

  • Do not use if you are pregnant, unless a trained herbalist and your doctor both agree.
  • Do not use if you are breastfeeding.
  • Do not use if you take warfarin or any other blood thinner, unless your doctor is watching your clotting tests.
  • Do not use if you have a bleeding disorder such as haemophilia (a condition where blood does not clot properly).
  • Do not use if you have surgery or dental work planned in the next two weeks, as clove can make bleeding more likely.
  • Do not use if you have liver disease (long-term damage to the liver).
  • Do not use if you plan to swallow clove essential oil in place of the herb; the oil can badly damage the liver and has seriously harmed children.
  • Do not use if your hiccups or vomiting come with fever, thirst and a burning feeling, as this mix is meant only for cold, weak patterns.
  • Do not use if you are giving it to a baby or young child without advice from a doctor.
  • Do not use if you have high blood pressure that is not under control, or if you take medicine for diabetes, without checking with your doctor first.
  • Do not use if you are vomiting blood, cannot keep fluids down, or have severe stomach pain; get medical help instead.

When should you see a doctor?

See a doctor if hiccups last more than 48 hours, or keep coming back over weeks. Long hiccups can be a sign of a nerve, stomach or brain problem that needs proper testing.

Get help the same day if you vomit blood, cannot keep fluids down, lose weight without trying, or have bad stomach pain. Stop the herbs and call your doctor if your skin or eyes turn yellow, your urine turns dark, or you bruise or bleed easily.

Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.

Reviewed by the HealisticMD editorial team How we grade evidence →

The published evidence for Ding Xiang Shi Di Tang is weak or absent. That usually means no controlled trial has tested it, not that a trial found it ineffective — the two are different, and we grade only what has been published.

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