{ "slug": "lung-qi-deficiency", "name": "Lung Qi Deficiency", "pinyin": "Fei Qi Xu", "chinese": "肺气虚", "organ": "Lung", "nature": "deficiency", "family": "qi-deficiency", "summary": "The Lung is too weak to breathe deeply or guard the surface. A quiet voice, shortness of breath on effort, a weak lingering cough, sweating in the daytime for no reason, and catching every cold that passes. Pale, tired, and easily winded.", "picture": "The Lung is a bellows and a wall. When its qi is low the bellows is shallow and the wall has gaps, so you are both short of breath and open to every draft.", "signs": { "key": [ "Shortness of breath on effort, shallow breathing", "Weak voice, no wish to talk", "Catching every cold, slow to recover", "Daytime sweating for no reason", "A weak cough that lingers after an illness" ], "common": [ "Pale face", "Tiredness", "Dislike of wind and cold", "Thin watery phlegm" ], "tongue": "Pale with a thin white coat.", "pulse": "Weak, especially at the right wrist." }, "causes": [ "Repeated colds and chest infections", "Long illness or long bed rest", "Smoking", "Spleen qi deficiency, since the Spleen feeds the Lung", "Grief", "Overwork and a stooped sitting posture" ], "tell_apart": [ { "slug": "lung-yin-deficiency", "how": "Yin deficiency is dry and warm: a dry cough, a red tongue, night sweats. Qi deficiency is weak and pale with daytime sweats and a quiet voice." }, { "slug": "spleen-qi-deficiency", "how": "The Spleen version is about digestion: bloating, loose stools, tiredness after meals. The two often need treating together." } ], "formulas": [ { "slug": "yu-ping-feng-san", "role": "primary", "when": "Frequent colds and spontaneous sweating. Taken when well, to guard the surface.", "pinyin": "Yu Ping Feng San", "_links": { "self": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/formula/yu-ping-feng-san", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/formula/yu-ping-feng-san" } }, { "slug": "bu-zhong-yi-qi-tang", "role": "with exhaustion", "when": "Tiredness, a weak voice, and sagging on top of the colds.", "pinyin": "Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang", "_links": { "self": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/formula/bu-zhong-yi-qi-tang", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/formula/bu-zhong-yi-qi-tang" } }, { "slug": "sheng-mai-san", "role": "with dryness", "when": "Shortness of breath with a dry mouth and sweating, especially in heat.", "pinyin": "Sheng Mai San", "_links": { "self": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/formula/sheng-mai-san", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/formula/sheng-mai-san" } }, { "slug": "si-jun-zi-tang", "role": "base", "when": "To feed the Lung through the Spleen in a plain weak picture.", "pinyin": "Si Jun Zi Tang", "_links": { "self": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/formula/si-jun-zi-tang", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/formula/si-jun-zi-tang" } } ], "herbs": [ { "pinyin": "Huang Qi", "role": "Astragalus tonifies Lung qi and firms the surface.", "herb_slug": "root-of-membranous-milkvetch", "_links": { "herb": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/herb/root-of-membranous-milkvetch", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/herb/root-of-membranous-milkvetch" } }, { "pinyin": "Dang Shen", "role": "Codonopsis tonifies Lung and Spleen qi.", "herb_slug": "root-pilose-asiabell", "_links": { "herb": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/herb/root-pilose-asiabell", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/herb/root-pilose-asiabell" } }, { "pinyin": "Ren Shen", "role": "Ginseng, the strongest qi tonic, for real weakness.", "herb_slug": "ginseng", "_links": { "herb": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/herb/ginseng", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/herb/ginseng" } }, { "pinyin": "Wu Wei Zi", "role": "Schisandra holds the Lung qi in and stops the sweat.", "herb_slug": "chinese-magnoliavine-fruit", "_links": { "herb": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/herb/chinese-magnoliavine-fruit", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/herb/chinese-magnoliavine-fruit" } }, { "pinyin": "Shan Yao", "role": "Chinese yam gently tonifies Lung, Spleen, and Kidney.", "herb_slug": "common-yam-rhizome", "_links": { "herb": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/herb/common-yam-rhizome", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/herb/common-yam-rhizome" } }, { "pinyin": "Bai Zhu", "role": "Atractylodes strengthens the Spleen that feeds the Lung.", "herb_slug": "rhizome-of-largehead-atractylodes", "_links": { "herb": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/herb/rhizome-of-largehead-atractylodes", "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/herb/rhizome-of-largehead-atractylodes" } } ], "conditions": [ "immune-deficiency", "spontaneous-sweating", "common-cold", "respiratory-infections", "cough", "wheezing", "fatigue" ], "habits": [ "Breathe deeply on purpose a few times a day; the bellows strengthens with use.", "Warm cooked food to feed the Spleen that feeds the Lung.", "Keep the neck and upper back covered in wind.", "No smoking, and stay away from smoke.", "Sit up straight; a folded chest cannot fill." ], "watch": [ "Daytime sweating eases within two to three weeks.", "Colds come less often and clear faster over a season.", "The voice and breath strengthen over one to two months." ], "sources": [ { "title": "Maciocia, The Foundations of Chinese Medicine, 3rd edition", "note": "Lung qi deficiency." }, { "title": "Bensky, Scheid, Ellis and Barolet, Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas and Strategies, 2nd edition", "note": "Yu Ping Feng San, Sheng Mai San." } ], "meta": { "status": "published", "last_updated": "2026-10-12", "reviewed_by": null }, "_links": { "html": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/pattern/lung-qi-deficiency", "self": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/pattern/lung-qi-deficiency", "index": "https://www.naturalherblibrary.com/api/v1/patterns" } }