Da Jian Zhong Tang大建中汤
Major Construct the Middle Decoction
Ingredients3 herbs
Indications
Collapse of middle-burner yang with exuberant interior cold. Cold congeals in the Spleen and Stomach, qi rebels upward instead of descending, and the intestinal qi churns visibly beneath the abdominal wall.
Clinical Manifestations
- Violent cramping pain from the epigastrium through the abdomen
- Vomiting so persistent that food cannot be kept down
- Visible churning or peristaltic waves under a cold, distended abdomen
- Cold-type abdominal pain that refuses pressure but eases with heat
- Cold limbs accompanying severe abdominal pain
Health Categories
Modern Applications
Common adjustments
- Marked qi stagnation with distension — add Mu Xiang 木香 and Xiao Hui Xiang 小茴香 to move and warm
- Vomiting predominant — add Ban Xia 半夏 and increase Sheng Jiang 生姜
- Pronounced qi deficiency and exhaustion — increase Ren Shen 人参, or add Huang Qi 黄芪
- Cold pain reaching the lower abdomen — add Wu Yao 乌药 to warm and move qi in the lower burner
Contraindications
Not for abdominal pain arising from heat, damp-heat, food stagnation or blood stasis, and not for a yin-deficient patient — the acrid-hot herbs scorch fluids. Severe acute abdominal pain of unclear cause must be assessed medically before any warming formula is given.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.
Pregnancy
Avoid in pregnancy. Hua Jiao is strongly acrid-hot and is traditionally restricted during pregnancy, and the ginger dose here is high; use only if a practitioner judges a severe cold pattern to outweigh that risk, and never as self-medication.
Related Formulas
References
Source Jin Gui Yao Lue 《金匮要略》 · Eastern Han
「心胸中大寒痛，呕不能饮食，腹中寒，上冲皮起，出见有头足，上下痛而不可触近，大建中汤主之。」
- Classical source (public domain), cited in the source-quote section.
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.