Classic formula · Tonify yin
Mai Wei Di Huang Wan
麦味地黄丸 Ophiopogon, Schisandra and Rehmannia Pill
Liu Wei Di Huang Wan with ophiopogon and schisandra for the lungs. For Lung and Kidney yin deficiency: a dry cough that drags on, a dry throat, wheezing on effort, night sweats, and the usual sore back and dry mouth underneath. Also sold as the Eight Immortals pill.
The Kidney is the root of the breath and the Lung is its leaves. When the root dries out the leaves curl. This formula waters the root and moistens the leaves at the same time.
Also sold as: Ba Xian Chang Shou Wan · Eight Immortals Pill for Longevity · Eight Immortals Teapills
Who Mai Wei Di Huang 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
- Dry cough with little or sticky phlegm, lasting weeks
- Dry throat and mouth, worse at night
- Wheezing or breathlessness on exertion
- Night sweats and afternoon warmth
- Cough with streaks of blood in a thin, dry person
- Sore low back, ringing ears, dizziness
- Chronic lung weakness after illness or smoking
- Tongue
- Red with little coat.
- Pulse
- Thin and rapid.
What is in Mai Wei Di Huang 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shu Di Huang Prepared Rehmannia Root Use caution | 24 g | Chief | Prepared rehmannia refills Kidney yin. |
| Shan Zhu Yu Asiatic Cornelian Cherry Fruit | 12 g | Deputy | Cornelian cherry holds the essence and the sweat in. |
| Shan Yao Chinese Yam Rhizome | 12 g | Deputy | Chinese yam supports Spleen, Lung, and Kidney. |
| Ze Xie Rhizome of Oriental Waterplantain | 9 g | Assistant | Water plantain drains damp so the tonic moves. |
| Mu Dan Pi Tree Peony Bark Use caution | 9 g | Assistant | Tree peony bark clears mild rising heat. |
| Fu Ling Poria | 9 g | Assistant | Poria supports digestion of the tonic. |
| Mai Dong Mai Dong Ophiopogon Root Tuber | 9 g | Deputy | Ophiopogon moistens the Lung and the throat. |
| Wu Wei Zi Chinese Magnoliavine Fruit Use caution | 6 g | Assistant | Schisandra holds the Lung qi in to stop the cough and the sweat. |
How Mai Wei Di Huang Wan works
The six base herbs fill the Kidney, the root of the breath. Ophiopogon moistens the dry Lung and throat. Schisandra is sour and holds things in: the cough, the sweat, the leaking qi. The result is a tonic for the long, dry, tired cough rather than the fresh wet one.
Actions in classic terms
- Enriches Lung and Kidney yin
- Moistens the Lung and holds in the Lung qi
Common changes to Mai Wei Di Huang Wan
A practitioner rarely gives the bare formula. These are the classic additions for a specific picture.
- Blood-streaked sputum add Bai Ji, Han Lian Cao Herbs that stop bleeding from the Lung.
- Night sweats that soak add Fu Xiao Mai, Mu Li Light wheat and oyster shell hold the sweat in.
Cautions with Mai Wei Di Huang Wan
- Not for a fresh cough with a cold, a fever, or yellow phlegm. Schisandra holds things in, and in a fresh infection that traps the problem.
- Rich. If stools loosen or appetite drops, take it with food or reduce the dose.
- Pause during an acute cold or flu.
- Pregnancy: use only under a qualified practitioner.
Forms and typical dose
Sold as teapills, concentrated tablets, granules.
- Teapills
- 8 pills, three times a day with warm water, the usual label dose
- Course
- Two to three months for a chronic dry cough.
Follow the label of the brand you buy. Pill sizes differ between makers.
Buying Mai Wei Di Huang Wan
The box reads Mai Wei Di Huang Wan with the characters 麦味地黄丸, or Ba Xian Chang Shou Wan, the Eight Immortals pill. Eight herbs: the six of Liu Wei plus Ophiopogon and Schisandra.
Brand comparisons for formulas live on Supplements Apothecary, the buying side of this library.
Formulas often confused with Mai Wei Di Huang Wan
- Liu Wei Di Huang Wan 六味地黄丸 The same base without the two Lung herbs.
- Bai He Gu Jin Tang 百合固金汤 A Lung yin formula with more cooling and more cough herbs, for a dry cough with blood and a sore throat. Less Kidney, more Lung.
- Sha Shen Mai Dong Tang 沙参麦冬汤 A light, moistening formula for a dry cough after a fever or in dry weather, with no Kidney tonic inside.
Conditions where Mai Wei Di Huang Wan comes up
Sources
- Bensky, Scheid, Ellis and Barolet, Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas and Strategies, 2nd edition Listed as a modification of Liu Wei Di Huang Wan.
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.