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Nei Bu Huang Qi Tang内补黄芪汤

Astragalus Decoction to Supplement the Interior

Sores and Abscesses 痈疡剂Support and Expel Pus 托里透脓

Ingredients13 herbs

黄Huang Qi黄芪12 g君 ChiefTonifies qi, lifts it to the surface and generates flesh at the wound edge人Ren Shen人参6 g臣 DeputyStrongly tonifies original qi in a patient drained by a long illness当Dang Gui当归6 g臣 DeputyNourishes and moves blood so new tissue has material to form from熟Shu Di Huang熟地黄9 g臣 DeputyEnriches blood and essence at the deepest level of the depletion白Bai Shao白芍9 g佐 AssistantNourishes blood, preserves yin and eases lingering pain茯Fu Ling茯苓9 g佐 AssistantStrengthens the Spleen, drains the damp of thin discharge and quiets the spirit麦Mai Men Dong麦门冬9 g佐 AssistantProtects the fluids that a long suppuration and the warming herbs both deplete远Yuan Zhi远志6 g佐 AssistantCalms the spirit and disperses stagnant nodules — traditionally used for sores as well as sleep川Chuan Xiong川芎6 g佐 AssistantMoves blood and qi so the rich tonics do not stagnate and reach the wound肉Rou Gui肉桂（官桂）3 g佐 AssistantWarms yang and unblocks the vessels so warmth reaches the surface where flesh must regenerate炙Zhi Gan Cao炙甘草3 g使 EnvoyAugments qi and harmonizes the whole生Sheng Jiang生姜3 slices使 EnvoyWarms the middle and helps the stomach tolerate the rich tonics大Da Zao大枣2 pieces使 EnvoySupplements qi, nourishes blood and harmonizes with Sheng Jiang

Indications

Warms and tonifies qi and bloodGenerates flesh and closes the soreRestores a patient depleted by a long-running abscess

Qi and blood both depleted after an abscess has discharged: the wound edge is pale and lax, the discharge is thin and watery rather than thick, new tissue is slow to form, and the patient is tired, pale and short of breath.

Clinical Manifestations

  • Sores that have opened and will not close, with thin clear discharge
  • Chronic ulcers with pale granulation in a depleted patient
  • Recovery after a prolonged abscess or surgical wound, alongside wound care
  • Post-operative fatigue with slow healing
TonguePale with a thin white coating
PulseThin and weak

Health Categories

Digestive HealthSkin HealthHeart & CirculationEnergy & Fatigue

Modern Applications

Non-healing woundChronic ulcerPost-operative recoveryPressure soreDelayed wound healingAnaemia

Common adjustments

  • Marked cold with a cold, pale wound — increase Rou Gui 肉桂, or move to a warming formula for yin-type sores
  • Yin and fluids badly depleted, dry mouth and tongue — increase Mai Men Dong 麦门冬 and add Sheng Di Huang 生地黄
  • Any return of redness, heat or thick pus — stop tonifying — the infection is active again and needs clearing and medical assessment
  • Fullness and loose stool from the rich tonics — add Chen Pi 陈皮 or Sha Ren 砂仁

Contraindications

The decisive contraindication is timing: this formula is for after the toxin has gone. Given while heat toxin is still active — redness, heat, thick pus, fever — the warming tonics retain the infection, the classical. Rou Gui and Huang Qi are warming and unsuitable in a heat pattern or in marked yin deficiency with heat. Ren Shen belongs to the group of the and must never be combined with Li Lu, and it needs care in hypertension. Chuan Xiong and Dang Gui move blood: caution alongside anticoagulant and antiplatelet drugs, and around surgery. Shu Di Huang and are cloying and burden a weak digestion, causing fullness or loose stool. Yuan Zhi can irritate the stomach and is used carefully in gastritis or ulcer. Clinically, a wound that will not close is a symptom to investigate, not simply a deficiency to tonify: diabetes, arterial insufficiency, venous disease, retained suture or foreign material, osteomyelitis, pressure injury, poor nutrition and malignancy all present exactly this way, and each has its own treatment. Fever, foul discharge, spreading redness or exposed bone means urgent medical assessment.

For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.

Pregnancy

Used with caution in pregnancy and generally avoided as written: Rou Gui is hot, and Chuan Xiong with Dang Gui move the blood. A non-healing wound in pregnancy should be assessed medically, and any herbal support is the treating practitioner's decision.

References

Source Liu Juan Zi Gui Yi Fang 《刘涓子鬼遗方》 · Southern Qi

  1. Classical source named in the source fields (pre-1900, public domain).
    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）— chapter placement, 功用 and 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.