Tong Xie Yao Fang痛泻要方
Important Formula for Painful Diarrhea
Ingredients4 herbs
Indications
Spleen deficiency with the Liver overacting. The defining sequence is pain, then stool, then relief — the Liver's tension driving a Spleen that cannot contain. Treating either side alone tends to fail: tonify without softening and the cramp remains; soothe without building and the stool stays loose.
Clinical Manifestations
- Diarrhoea that begins with abdominal pain and eases after the stool
- Loose stools that flare with stress or anger
- Irritable bowel with alternating urgency and cramping
- Rumbling and distension of the abdomen
- Chronic loose stool with a modest appetite
Health Categories
Modern Applications
Common adjustments
- Long-standing diarrhoea with sinking qi — add Sheng Ma 升麻 to lift, and Rou Dou Kou 肉豆蔻 to bind
- Marked Liver qi stagnation with rib-side distension — add Chai Hu 柴胡 and Xiang Fu 香附
- Damp-heat with burning stool and a yellow greasy coating — add Huang Lian 黄连
- Cold in the middle with cold limbs — add Pao Jiang 炮姜 or Gan Jiang 干姜
- Food stagnation with sour belching — add Shan Zha 山楂 and Shen Qu 神曲
Contraindications
Not for diarrhoea from damp-heat, food stagnation or dysenteric disorders — those must be cleared or reduced first. Blood or pus in the stool, sudden severe diarrhoea, fever, or weight loss all call for medical assessment rather than a formula aimed at a chronic functional pattern.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.
Pregnancy
Generally compatible in pregnancy at ordinary doses — all four herbs are mild — but use it under practitioner supervision, since persistent diarrhoea during pregnancy needs assessment in its own right.
References
Source Dan Xi Xin Fa 《丹溪心法》 · Yuan
「泻责之脾，痛责之肝；肝责之实，脾责之虚，脾虚肝实，故令痛泻。」
- Classical source and the Ming commentary quoted above (both 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 cross-checked.
4. Manufacturer ingredient label for the capsule sold under this name — retail proportions 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.