Classic formula · Warm the interior
Li Zhong Wan
理中丸 Regulate the Middle Pill
Four herbs that relight a cold stove. For Spleen yang deficiency: a cold belly that aches and likes a hot water bottle, watery stools, nausea, no thirst, cold hands, and tiredness. Si Jun Zi Tang's tonics with dried ginger in place of poria, which turns a tonic into a warmer.
The Spleen is the kitchen stove. Si Jun Zi Tang feeds a weak stove. Li Zhong Wan relights one that has gone out: same cook, but with a match.
Also sold as: Li Zhong Tang · Ren Shen Tang · Ginseng and Ginger Combination
Who Li Zhong Wan is for
This formula is chosen for 2 patterns. Match your own picture before you match the name.
Signs it is classically given for
- Cold belly pain that likes warmth and pressure
- Watery stools, diarrhea with undigested food
- Nausea, vomiting of clear fluid
- No thirst, no appetite
- Cold hands and feet
- Chronic cold diarrhea in a child or older person
- Excess saliva and drooling in a cold person
- Tongue
- Pale, wet, with a white coat.
- Pulse
- Deep, slow, and weak.
What is in Li Zhong Wan
Amounts are the classic decoction range in grams. Patent pills use the same herbs in the same proportion, so read the box for these names.
| Herb | Amount | Role | Job in the formula |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gan Jiang Dried Ginger Use caution | 9 g | Chief | Dried ginger warms the middle and dispels cold. |
| Dang Shen Dang Shen Root | 9 g | Deputy | Codonopsis, or ginseng in the classic, restores the qi. |
| Bai Zhu Rhizome of Largehead Atractylodes | 9 g | Assistant | Atractylodes strengthens the Spleen and dries damp. |
| Zhi Gan Cao Honey-Fried Licorice Root Use caution | 9 g | Envoy | Honey-fried licorice warms, tonifies, and harmonizes. |
How Li Zhong Wan works
Dried ginger is the match. The other three are the four gentlemen minus poria, since a cold wet Spleen does not need more draining; it needs warmth and strength. Equal parts, nothing fancy, and still the standard answer to a cold gut after eighteen centuries.
Actions in classic terms
- Warms the middle and dispels cold
- Tonifies the qi and strengthens the Spleen
Common changes to Li Zhong Wan
A practitioner rarely gives the bare formula. These are the classic additions for a specific picture.
- Deep cold with cold limbs add Fu Zi This becomes Fu Zi Li Zhong Wan.
- Nausea and vomiting add Ban Xia, Sheng Jiang Pinellia and fresh ginger settle the stomach.
- Bloating add Chen Pi, Mu Xiang Qi movers.
Cautions with Li Zhong Wan
- Hot and drying. Not for a hot picture: thirst, a red tongue, a yellow coat, burning diarrhea.
- Not for yin deficiency with a dry mouth.
- Pause during a fever.
- Pregnancy: use only under a qualified practitioner.
Forms and typical dose
Sold as teapills, concentrated tablets, granules, decoction.
- Teapills
- 8 pills, three times a day with warm water, the usual label dose
- Course
- Two to six weeks.
Follow the label of the brand you buy. Pill sizes differ between makers.
Buying Li Zhong Wan
The box reads Li Zhong Wan with the characters 理中丸. Four ingredients: dried Ginger, Codonopsis or Ginseng, Atractylodes, and Licorice. Fu Zi Li Zhong Wan adds aconite.
Brand comparisons for formulas live on Supplements Apothecary, the buying side of this library.
Formulas often confused with Li Zhong Wan
- Si Jun Zi Tang 四君子汤 The same tonics with poria instead of dried ginger, for a weak Spleen that is not cold.
- Zhen Wu Tang 真武汤 Warms the Kidney as well, with aconite, for cold with swelling.
- Shen Ling Bai Zhu San 参苓白术散 For damp loose stools without cold.
Conditions where Li Zhong Wan comes up
Sources
- Bensky, Scheid, Ellis and Barolet, Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas and Strategies, 2nd edition Composition, actions, indications, and cautions.
Important Note
Formula pages describe classic use so you can read a label, ask a better question, and find the right monographs. They are education, not a prescription. A formula that fits the wrong pattern can make things worse, so match the picture first.