HOU PO WEN ZHONG TANG

Damp-Drying & Qi-Regulating • Spleen-Warming & Pain-Alleviating Formula

Symptoms

Abdominal pain: Usually a dull, heavy ache that improves with warmth.

Distension and Fullness: A feeling of "bloating" in the epigastrium and abdomen.

Poor Appetite: A total lack of desire to eat or a feeling of being full after just a few bites.

Cold signs: Cold limbs, aversion to cold, and a preference for warm drinks.

Digestive upset: Loose stools or diarrhea; sometimes nausea or vomiting of clear fluids.

Tongue: Pale with a thick, white, and greasy or "slippery" coating.

Pulse: Deep (Chen) and slow (Chi), or wiry (Xian) and slippery.

Ingredients

Hou Po (Magnolia officinalis)
Raw Herbs 30g Granules 23.8g

Cao Dou Kou (Alpinia katsumadai)
Raw Herbs *g Granules 11.9g

Chen Pi (Citrus reticulata)
Raw Herbs 30g Granules 23.8g

Mu Xiang (Aucklandia lappa)
Raw Herbs 15g Granules 11.9g

Gan Jiang (Zingiber officinale)
Raw Herbs 6g Granules 4.8g

Fu Ling (Poria cocos)
Raw Herbs 15g Granules 11.9g

Gan Cao (Zhi) (Glycyrrhiza uralensis)
Raw Herbs 15g Granules 11.9g

Posology

Granules: 3 to 9g daily, divided into 2 doses, taken with warm, lightly salted water (salt guides the herbs to the Kidneys).

Raw Plants: Decoct in 1000ml of water.

Description

Hou Po Wen Zhong Tang is an aggressive "Damp-breaking" formula. It doesn't just nourish the Spleen; it actively clears the path so the Spleen can function again.

Hou Po is the Chief; it is the most powerful herb for moving stagnant Qi in the abdomen and "drying" dampness.

Chen Pi and Mu Xiang are the Deputies; they regulate the Qi and break up stagnation to stop pain and bloating.

Gan Jiang and Cao Dou Kou warm the Middle Jiao, "melting" the cold-dampness like the sun melting fog.

Fu Ling leaches the dampness out through the urine.

Zhi Gan Cao harmonizes the drying effects and prevents the formula from being too harsh on the Stomach lining.

Contraindications

STRICTLY CONTRAINDICATED for Heat patterns (red tongue, yellow coating, burning abdominal pain).

Contraindicated for Yin Deficiency with dryness (constipation, dry throat).

Not for use during pregnancy without strict modification, as it is very drying and moves Qi strongly.