Classic formula · Tonify qi
Liu Jun Zi Tang
六君子汤 Six-Gentlemen Decoction
Si Jun Zi Tang plus two herbs for phlegm and nausea. For the tired person with weak digestion who also feels queasy, has a full chest, brings up thin white phlegm, and shows a greasy white coat on the tongue. The everyday formula for a weak, damp stomach.
The four gentlemen rebuild the stove. The two extra herbs, tangerine peel and pinellia, mop the floor. A weak Spleen always leaves puddles of damp, and this is the formula that cleans up after it.
Also sold as: Liu Jun Zi Wan · Six Gentlemen Teapills · Major Six Herb Combination
Who Liu Jun Zi Tang is for
This formula is chosen for 3 patterns. Match your own picture before you match the name.
Signs it is classically given for
- Tiredness with poor appetite
- Nausea, queasiness, or vomiting
- Fullness in the chest or stomach
- Cough with thin white phlegm
- Loose stools
- Bloating after meals
- Morning sickness in a weak, damp picture, when prescribed
- Tongue
- Pale with a white greasy coat.
- Pulse
- Weak and slippery.
What is in Liu Jun Zi Tang
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dang Shen Dang Shen Root | 9 g | Chief | Codonopsis, or ginseng in the classic, restores the qi. |
| Bai Zhu Rhizome of Largehead Atractylodes | 9 g | Deputy | Atractylodes strengthens the Spleen and dries damp. |
| Fu Ling Poria | 9 g | Deputy | Poria drains damp. |
| Zhi Gan Cao Honey-Fried Licorice Root Use caution | 6 g | Envoy | Honey-fried licorice harmonizes. |
| Chen Pi Dried Tangerine Peel | 9 g | Assistant | Tangerine peel moves qi, dries damp, and settles the stomach. |
| Ban Xia Raw Pinellia Tuber High caution | 9 g | Assistant | Pinellia, processed, transforms phlegm and stops nausea. |
How Liu Jun Zi Tang works
Tonifying a damp stomach without draining it just makes more damp. So this formula tonifies with four herbs and dries with two. Tangerine peel moves the qi so the tonic does not sit; pinellia turns the phlegm and stops the queasiness. The result is a tonic that a nauseous person can keep down.
Actions in classic terms
- Tonifies the qi and strengthens the Spleen
- Transforms phlegm and settles the stomach
Common changes to Liu Jun Zi Tang
A practitioner rarely gives the bare formula. These are the classic additions for a specific picture.
- Bloating, belching, stomach pain add Mu Xiang, Sha Ren This becomes Xiang Sha Liu Jun Zi Tang.
- Cold stomach, cold hands add Gan Jiang Dried ginger warms the middle.
- Acid and a sour taste add Wu Zhu Yu, Huang Lian The classic pair for acid from a cold-hot mix.
Cautions with Liu Jun Zi Tang
- Drying. Not for a dry picture: a dry mouth, dry stools, a red peeled tongue.
- Pause during a cold, flu, or fever.
- Pinellia must be the processed form; raw pinellia is toxic. Every tested brand uses processed.
- 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
- Decoction
- One bag a day in two doses, with the amounts above
- Course
- One to two months.
Follow the label of the brand you buy. Pill sizes differ between makers.
Buying Liu Jun Zi Tang
The box reads Liu Jun Zi Tang or Wan with the characters 六君子. Six ingredients: the four gentlemen plus Tangerine peel and processed Pinellia.
Brand comparisons for formulas live on Supplements Apothecary, the buying side of this library.
Formulas often confused with Liu Jun Zi Tang
- Si Jun Zi Tang 四君子汤 The four-herb base without the phlegm herbs, for tiredness and loose stools with no nausea.
- Xiang Sha Liu Jun Zi Tang 香砂六君子汤 Adds costus and amomum for bloating, belching, and pain.
- Er Chen Tang 二陈汤 Phlegm herbs without the tonic, for a phlegmy cough or nausea in someone who is not weak.
Conditions where Liu Jun Zi Tang comes up
Sources
- Bensky, Scheid, Ellis and Barolet, Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas and Strategies, 2nd edition Composition, actions, indications, and modifications.
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.