{ "slug": "wen-dan-tang", "names": { "pinyin": "Wen Dan Tang", "chinese": "温胆汤", "english": "Warm the Gallbladder Decoction", "alternate": [ "Wen Dan Wan", "Bamboo and Hoelen Combination" ] }, "category": "expel-phlegm", "source": { "text": "San Yin Ji Yi Bing Zheng Fang Lun (Discussion of Illnesses, Patterns, and Formulas Related to the Unification of the Three Etiologies)", "author": "Chen Yan", "dynasty": "Song", "year": "1174" }, "summary": "Er Chen Tang with bamboo shavings and bitter orange added. For phlegm heat unsettling the Gallbladder and Stomach: nausea, a bitter taste, dizziness, palpitations, anxiety, timidity, and insomnia with a greasy yellow coat. The formula for the queasy, jumpy, sleepless person with too much phlegm.", "picture": "The Gallbladder governs decisions and courage. When phlegm heat clouds it, the person is nauseous, jumpy, and cannot settle. Despite the name, the formula cools and clears; it 'warms' the Gallbladder by giving it back its calm.", "patterns": [ { "slug": "phlegm-heat", "role": "primary", "_links": { "self": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/pattern/phlegm-heat", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/pattern/phlegm-heat" } }, { "slug": "phlegm-damp", "role": "with heat and anxiety", "_links": { "self": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/pattern/phlegm-damp", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/pattern/phlegm-damp" } } ], "indications": [ "Nausea, vomiting, a bitter or sticky mouth", "Dizziness and a heavy head", "Palpitations, anxiety, being easily startled", "Insomnia with vivid dreams", "Chest fullness", "Timidity and indecision in a phlegmy person", "Morning sickness or motion sickness with a greasy coat, when prescribed" ], "signs": { "tongue": "Yellow greasy coat.", "pulse": "Slippery, wiry, and a little rapid." }, "ingredients": [ { "pinyin": "Ban Xia", "grams": "6", "role": "chief", "job": "Processed pinellia transforms phlegm and stops nausea.", "herb_slug": "tuber-of-pinellia", "english": "Raw Pinellia Tuber", "chinese": "半夏", "latin": "Rhizoma Pinelliae", "_links": { "herb": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/herb/tuber-of-pinellia", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/herb/tuber-of-pinellia" } }, { "pinyin": "Zhu Ru", "grams": "6", "role": "chief", "job": "Bamboo shavings clear phlegm heat and settle the stomach and the mind.", "herb_slug": "bamboo-shavings", "english": "Bamboo Shavings", "chinese": "竹茹", "latin": "Caulis Bambusae in Taeniam", "_links": { "herb": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/herb/bamboo-shavings", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/herb/bamboo-shavings" } }, { "pinyin": "Zhi Shi", "grams": "6", "role": "deputy", "job": "Immature bitter orange breaks up the phlegm and moves qi down.", "herb_slug": "immature-fruit-of-seville-orange", "english": "Immature Bitter Orange Fruit", "chinese": "枳实", "latin": "Fructus Aurantii Immaturus", "_links": { "herb": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/herb/immature-fruit-of-seville-orange", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/herb/immature-fruit-of-seville-orange" } }, { "pinyin": "Chen Pi", "grams": "9", "role": "deputy", "job": "Tangerine peel moves qi and dries damp.", "herb_slug": "dried-tangerine-peel", "english": "Dried Tangerine Peel", "chinese": "陈皮", "latin": "Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae", "_links": { "herb": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/herb/dried-tangerine-peel", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/herb/dried-tangerine-peel" } }, { "pinyin": "Fu Ling", "grams": "5", "role": "assistant", "job": "Poria drains damp and calms the mind.", "herb_slug": "indian-bread", "english": "Poria", "chinese": "茯苓", "latin": "Poria", "_links": { "herb": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/herb/indian-bread", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/herb/indian-bread" } }, { "pinyin": "Zhi Gan Cao", "grams": "3", "role": "envoy", "job": "Honey-fried licorice harmonizes.", "herb_slug": "prepared-liauorice-root", "english": "Honey-Fried Licorice Root", "chinese": "炙甘草", "latin": "Radix Glycyrrhizae Praeparata", "_links": { "herb": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/herb/prepared-liauorice-root", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/herb/prepared-liauorice-root" } }, { "pinyin": "Sheng Jiang", "grams": "5", "role": "envoy", "job": "Fresh ginger settles nausea.", "herb_slug": "fresh-ginger", "english": "Fresh Ginger", "chinese": "生姜", "latin": "Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens", "_links": { "herb": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/herb/fresh-ginger", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/herb/fresh-ginger" } }, { "pinyin": "Da Zao", "grams": "3", "role": "envoy", "job": "Jujube dates support the Spleen.", "herb_slug": "jujube-chinese-date", "english": "Chinese Date", "chinese": "大枣", "latin": "Fructus Jujubae", "_links": { "herb": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/herb/jujube-chinese-date", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/herb/jujube-chinese-date" } } ], "actions": [ "Regulates qi and transforms phlegm", "Clears the Gallbladder and harmonizes the Stomach" ], "how_it_works": "The Er Chen Tang base clears the phlegm. Bamboo shavings add the cooling and the calming; bitter orange adds the push downward. The result is a formula that settles the stomach and the nerves at once, which is why it is so often used for anxiety with nausea.", "modifications": [ { "for": "Strong heat and agitation", "add": [ "Huang Lian" ], "note": "This becomes Huang Lian Wen Dan Tang." }, { "for": "Insomnia that will not shift", "add": [ "Suan Zao Ren", "Yuan Zhi" ], "note": "Calming herbs." }, { "for": "Dizziness", "add": [ "Tian Ma" ], "note": "Gastrodia for phlegm dizziness." } ], "cautions": [ "Drying. Not for a dry, yin-deficient person with a red peeled tongue.", "Not for nausea from cold with a white wet coat.", "Pinellia must be processed.", "Pregnancy: use only under a qualified practitioner." ], "forms": [ "teapills", "granules", "decoction" ], "typical_dose": { "teapills": "8 pills, three times a day, the usual label dose", "course": "Two to four weeks." }, "cousins": [ { "slug": "er-chen-tang", "difference": "The base without bamboo and bitter orange, for cold phlegm with no heat or anxiety." }, { "slug": "ban-xia-hou-po-tang", "difference": "Phlegm knotted with stuck qi in the throat." } ], "commerce": { "store": "supplementsapothecary.com", "store_name": "Supplements Apothecary", "store_slug": "wen-dan-tang", "store_url": "https://www.supplementsapothecary.com/supplement/wen-dan-tang", "status": "planned", "label_check": "The box reads Wen Dan Tang or Wan with the characters 温胆. Eight ingredients: Er Chen Tang plus Bamboo shavings and immature Bitter orange, with ginger and dates." }, "conditions": [ "nausea", "anxiety", "insomnia", "dizziness", "palpitations", "phlegm-accumulation" ], "sources": [ { "title": "Bensky, Scheid, Ellis and Barolet, Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas and Strategies, 2nd edition", "note": "Composition, actions, indications, and cautions." } ], "meta": { "status": "published", "last_updated": "2026-10-12", "reviewed_by": null }, "_links": { "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/formula/wen-dan-tang", "self": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/formula/wen-dan-tang", "index": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/formulas" } }