Dong Yuan Qing Shu Yi Qi Tang东垣清暑益气汤
Li Dong-yuan's Clear Summer-Heat and Augment the Qi Decoction
Ingredients15 herbs
Indications
Pre-existing qi deficiency compounded by summer damp-heat: the original qi cannot hold up under the season, and damp-heat sits on top of a Spleen that was already failing to transform.
Clinical Manifestations
- Heavy fatigue in late summer in a constitutionally weak person
- Spontaneous sweating with shortness of breath in humid heat
- Poor appetite and loose stools during the hot season
- Aching heavy limbs with dark scanty urine
- Seasonal summer lassitude
Health Categories
Modern Applications
Common adjustments
- Heat clearly stronger than the deficiency — add Shi Gao 石膏 or Huang Lian 黄连
- Damp heavier, thick greasy coating — add Huo Xiang 藿香 and Pei Lan 佩兰
- Sweating profuse with breathlessness — increase Huang Qi 黄芪 and Wu Wei Zi 五味子
- Food stagnation with fullness after eating — increase Shen Qu 神曲, add Shan Zha 山楂
Contraindications
Not for a strong summer-heat pattern in a person whose qi is intact — the warming tonics and lifting herbs would confine the heat and make it worse. Not for yin-deficient heat with a dry peeled tongue, where the drying ingredients are wrong. The formula is complex and easily misapplied; the distinction from Wang Meng-ying's formula of the same name is the whole point and should be settled before prescribing.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.
Pregnancy
Use with caution in pregnancy — Qing Pi and Cang Zhu move and dry strongly, and Sheng Ma is a lifting herb; only under practitioner supervision.
Related Formulas
References
Source Pi Wei Lun 《脾胃论》 · Jin
「时当长夏，湿热大盛……四肢困倦，精神短少，懒于动作，胸满气促，肢节沉疼。」
- 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.