Tian Tai Wu Yao San天台乌药散

Top-Quality Lindera Powder

Regulating Qi 理气剂Promote the Movement of Qi 行气

Ingredients8 herbs

HerbDosageRoleWhat it does in this formula

天Wu Yao天台乌药Linderae Radix15g君 ChiefMoves qi through the lower burner and stops cold hernial pain

木Mu Xiang木香Aucklandiae Radix15g臣 DeputyMoves stagnant qi and relieves distending pain 小Xiao Hui Xiang小茴香微炒Foeniculi Fructus15g臣 DeputyWarms the Liver channel and settles pain in the genital region 青Qing Pi青皮汤浸，去白，焙Citri Reticulatae Viride Pericarpium15g臣 DeputyBreaks up constrained Liver qi and disperses accumulation 高Gao Liang Jiang高良姜炒Alpiniae Officinarum Rhizoma15g臣 DeputyScatters cold in the abdomen and stops cramping 槟Bing Lang槟榔锉Arecae Semen9g佐使 Assistant–EnvoyDrives qi downward and breaks up accumulation in the lower abdomen 川Chuan Lian Zi川楝子Toosendan Fructus12g佐使 Assistant–EnvoyReaches Liver-channel pain; the Ba Dou frying removes its cold nature so it suits a cold pattern 巴Ba Dou巴豆Crotonis Fructus12gA toxic herb used solely to dry-fry the Chuan Lian Zi and removed before the powder is made — it is not part of the finished medicine

Indications

Moves qi and soothes the LiverScatters cold and stops painFrees stagnation in the lower burner

Cold congealing with qi stagnation in the Liver channel. The Liver channel wraps the genitals; when cold settles in it and qi stops moving, the pain runs from the lower abdomen down into the testicle and answers to warmth.

Clinical Manifestations

Lower abdominal pain dragging into the testicle
Hernial pain relieved by warmth, worse in cold
Cold, cramping lower abdominal pain in women
Painful periods with cold in the lower burner
Palpable masses in the lower abdomen that shift

TonguePale with a white coating

PulseDeep, slow or wiry

Health Categories

Women's HealthMen's Health

Modern Applications

Inguinal hernia pain Orchialgia Epididymitis Dysmenorrhoea Chronic pelvic pain

Common adjustments

Cold severe — add Rou Gui 肉桂 and Wu Zhu Yu 吴茱萸
Pain severe — add Yan Hu Suo 延胡索 and Li Zhi He 荔枝核
Swelling of the scrotum — add Ju He 橘核 and Hai Zao 海藻
Used for dysmenorrhoea — add Dang Gui 当归 and Xiang Fu 香附

Contraindications

Sudden severe testicular pain, with swelling, redness, nausea or fever, may be torsion or infection and is a surgical emergency — it must be assessed urgently, not treated with a warming powder. A hernia that cannot be reduced, or that becomes tender and hard, is likewise an emergency. The formula is warm and acrid and is wrong for damp-heat pouring into the lower burner. Ba Dou is toxic: it is used only to dry-fry the Chuan Lian Zi and is discarded before the powder is made — it is never an ingredient of the finished medicine, and this preparation belongs to a qualified pharmacy.

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

Pregnancy

Contraindicated in pregnancy. The formula is strongly warming and qi-breaking — Bing Lang and Qing Pi in particular — and its preparation involves Ba Dou, a toxic herb, at the processing stage. It has no place in pregnancy.

Related Formulas

References

Source 《圣济总录》 · Jin

Classical source text (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）— pattern analysis and preparation method 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.