Li Zhong Hua Tan Wan理中化痰丸
Regulate the Middle and Transform Phlegm Pill
Ingredients6 herbs
Indications
Spleen and Stomach cold-deficiency with phlegm-fluid collecting internally. The Spleen fails to move fluids, so they pool as thin phlegm; warming the middle removes the cause rather than only clearing the phlegm.
Clinical Manifestations
- Copious thin, clear or white sputum with a cold constitution
- Nausea or vomiting of watery fluid
- Poor appetite with loose stools
- Dizziness and a heavy, muzzy head from phlegm-fluid
- Chronic cough that worsens in cold weather
Health Categories
Modern Applications
Common adjustments
- Copious phlegm with wheezing — add Chen Pi 陈皮 and Zi Su Zi 紫苏子
- Marked fluid retention with a sloshing epigastrium — increase Fu Ling 茯苓 and add Ze Xie 泽泻
- Cold pain in the stomach — increase Gan Jiang 干姜
Contraindications
Not for phlegm-heat, which shows as thick yellow sputum, thirst and a yellow greasy coating, and not for a dry cough of Lung yin deficiency — the drying, warming herbs will make both worse.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.
Pregnancy
Use with caution in pregnancy. Prepared Ban Xia is a processed form of a toxic herb and is traditionally used in pregnancy only when a practitioner judges it necessary — classically for cold-type morning sickness — and never in its raw form or as self-medication.
References
Source Ming Yi Za Zhu 《明医杂著》 · Ming
- Classical source (pre-modern, public domain) as recorded in the standard formula literature.
2. Scheid, Bensky, Ellis & Barolet. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies, 2nd ed. — composition 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.