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Source: Hé Jì Jú Fāng 和剂局方

Ingredients:

• Cāng zhú (苍朮 Atractylodis Rhizoma, atractylodes [rhizome]) 12g
• Hòu pò (厚朴 Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex, officinal magnolia bark) (stir–fried with ginger juice) 9g
• Chén pí (陈皮 Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium, tangerine peel) 9g
• Gān cǎo (甘草 Glycyrrhizae Radix, licorice [root]) (stir–fried) 6g
• Shēng jiāng (生姜 Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens, fresh ginger) 6g
• Dà zǎo (大枣 Jujubae Fructus, jujube) 6g

Action: Dries dampness and fortifies the spleen.

Indication: Dampness encumbering the stomach and spleen with distension and fullness in the stomach duct and abdomen, bland taste in the mouth, reduced eating, fatigued limbs, and thin sloppy stool. Tongue fur: White and slimy or thick, slimy, and moist.

Category: Dampness-dispelling formulas / Dampness-transforming stomach-harmonizing formulas

Method: Originally prepared as a powder, but now usually prepared in decoction form.

Rationale: Cāng zhú is a warm, bitter, acrid, and dry agent that is very effective in eliminating dampness and moving the spleen. For this reason, it is chosen as the sovereign agent. Hòu pò stir-fried in ginger juice is warm bitter and acrid; it moves qì and transform dampness, thereby eliminating distension. Chén pí is warm, bitter, acrid, and aromatic; it moves qì and harmonizes the stomach, as well as drying dampness and transforming stagnation. Shēng jiāng and Dà zǎo are warm and acrid agents that stimulate the spleen.

Variations:

• Damp stagnation with exterior pattern: Add Huò xiāng (藿香 Pogostemonis Herba, patchouli) and Pèi lán (佩兰 Eupatorii Herba, eupatorium).
• Nausea and vomiting with copious phlegm: Add Bàn xià (半夏 Pinelliae Rhizoma, pinellia [rhizome]).
• Short voidings of scant urine: Add Chì fú líng (赤茯苓 Poria Rubra, red poria) and Tōng cǎo (通草 Tetrapanacis Medulla, rice-paper plant pith).
• Distension and oppression in the chest and abdomen: Add Mù xiāng (木香 Aucklandiae Radix, costusroot) and zhike.
• Pain in the stomach duct and abdomen: Add Yán hú suǒ (延胡索 Corydalis Rhizoma, corydalis [rhizome]) and Xiāng fù (香附 Cyperi Rhizoma, cyperus [rhizome]).
• Food stagnation: Add Shén qū (神曲 Massa Medicata Fermentata , medicated leaven) and Shān zhā (山楂 Crataegi Fructus, crataegus [fruit]).
• Equally pronounced dampness and heat: Add Huáng lián (黄连 Coptidis Rhizoma, coptis [root]) and Huáng qín (黄芩 Scutellariae Radix, scutellaria [root]).

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