Liu Jun Zi Tang六君子汤
Six Gentlemen Decoction (Major Six Herb Combination)
Ingredients2 herbs
Indications
Spleen and Stomach qi deficiency with phlegm-damp: the Spleen is too weak to transform, so what it cannot move gathers as damp and then as phlegm. The middle burner ends up both empty and stuffy, which is why tonifying and transforming have to happen in the same prescription.
Clinical Manifestations
- Fatigue and poor appetite with fullness after meals
- Chronic cough with copious thin white sputum in a weak patient
- Nausea, belching and loose stools
- Slow return of appetite during a long convalescence
- Chronic gastritis presentations of Spleen qi deficiency with damp
Health Categories
Modern Applications
Common adjustments
- Epigastric distension and pain from qi stagnation — add Mu Xiang 木香, Sha Ren 砂仁 — Xiang Sha Liu Jun Zi Tang 香砂六君子汤
- Cold in the middle with a dull ache — add Gan Jiang 干姜, moving toward the Li Zhong direction
- Cough with more phlegm — increase Zhi Ban Xia 制半夏 and add Xing Ren 杏仁
- Sinking qi with prolapse or chronic diarrhea — add Huang Qi 黄芪, Sheng Ma 升麻
Contraindications
The acrid drying pair is unsuitable for a yin-deficiency dry cough, sputum streaked with blood, or heat-phlegm with thick yellow sputum. Ban Xia must be a properly processed form — raw Ban Xia is toxic and is not taken internally.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.
Pregnancy
Used with caution in pregnancy: the qi-tonifying core is gentle, but the formula contains processed Ban Xia, which is given during pregnancy only when a practitioner judges it appropriate and supervises the course.
Related Formulas
References
Source Yi Xue Zheng Chuan 《医学正传》 · Ming dynasty
- Classical source (public domain), as attributed in the source 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.