Bao Yuan Tang保元汤
Preserve the Origin Decoction
Ingredients4 herbs
Indications
Deficiency of the source qi with yang too weak to move outward. Qi is insufficient in quantity and lacks the warmth needed to carry it to the surface.
Clinical Manifestations
- Chronic debility with cold limbs and shortness of breath
- Weak constitution in children with slow recovery from illness
- Sores or eruptions that stay flat, pale and slow to resolve
- Spontaneous sweating with a pale complexion
Health Categories
Modern Applications
Common adjustments
- More pronounced yang collapse with profuse cold sweat — combine with the strategy of Fu Zi formulas under close supervision
- Blood deficiency alongside — add Dang Gui 当归
- Poor appetite and loose stool — add Bai Zhu 白术 and Fu Ling 茯苓
Contraindications
Not for any pattern with heat, whether excess heat or yin-deficient fire — Huang Qi with Rou Gui is warming and will aggravate it. Not appropriate where sores are red, hot and suppurating.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.
Pregnancy
Use with caution in pregnancy: Rou Gui is hot and downward-moving and is generally avoided or kept to a minimal dose in pregnancy. The decision belongs to the treating practitioner.
Related Formulas
References
Source Bo Ai Xin Jian 《博爱心鉴》 · Ming
- Classical source as recorded in 《博爱心鉴》 (public domain).
2. Scheid, Bensky, Ellis & Barolet. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies, 2nd ed. — composition & dosage cross-checked.
3. 《方剂学》（全国中医药行业高等教育规划教材）— pattern analysis cross-checked.
Professional reference notice. Entries are scholarly references for licensed TCM practitioners and students — not medical advice, and not a recommendation to self-prescribe. Chinese herbal formulas should be used under the guidance of a qualified practitioner. Content is an original editorial compilation by Cura x Cura, cross-checked against the cited references.