Mu Li San牡蛎散
Oyster Shell Powder
Ingredients3 herbs
Indications
Sweating from qi and yin both depleted: the defensive qi no longer closes the interstices and the yin no longer holds fluid inside, so sweat escapes day and night. The ongoing loss drains qi further and leaves the Heart unquiet.
Clinical Manifestations
- Spontaneous sweating that worsens on lying down
- Night sweats in a weakened patient
- Palpitations with a startled, jumpy quality
- Shortness of breath and irritable fatigue
- Sweating that lingers after a long febrile illness
Health Categories
Modern Applications
Common adjustments
- Sweating clearly from an unguarded exterior — add Bai Zhu 白术 and Fang Feng 防风 to build the surface as well as bind it
- Night sweats with heat in the palms and soles — add Sheng Di Huang 生地黄 and Bai Shao 白芍 to nourish yin
- Palpitations and broken sleep predominate — add Suan Zao Ren 酸枣仁 and Long Gu 龙骨
Contraindications
Not for sweating that belongs to an unresolved exterior pattern or to interior excess heat — binding the surface there shuts a pathogen in. Sudden drenching sweat with cold limbs and a faint pulse is a yang-collapse emergency requiring urgent care, not an astringent formula.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.
Pregnancy
Generally compatible in pregnancy — none of the four ingredients is pregnancy-restricted; still to be used under practitioner supervision.
References
Source Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang 《太平惠民和剂局方》 · Northern Song
「治诸虚不足，及新病暴虚，津液不固，体常自汗，夜卧即甚，久而不止，羸瘠枯瘦，心忪惊惕，短气烦倦。」
- 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.