Wei Ling Tang胃苓汤
Calm the Stomach and Poria Decoction
Ingredients2 herbs
Indications
Damp injuring the Spleen and Stomach with fluid pooling internally. The middle burner is waterlogged and the water passages are not draining, so the formula dries above and drains below in the same prescription.
Clinical Manifestations
- Watery diarrhoea with a bloated abdomen
- Scanty urination with fluid retention
- Heavy, sluggish limbs in damp weather
- Nausea with a thick greasy tongue coating
- Mild puffiness of the legs with poor appetite
Health Categories
Modern Applications
Common adjustments
- Damp-heat with a yellow greasy coating and burning stool — omit Rou Gui 肉桂 and add Huang Lian 黄连 or Huang Qin 黄芩
- Food stagnation with belching and fullness after eating — add Shan Zha 山楂 and Shen Qu 神曲
- Summer damp with nausea and a heavy head — add Huo Xiang 藿香
- Oedema predominant — increase Ze Xie 泽泻 and add Che Qian Zi 车前子
- Marked Spleen qi deficiency — add Huang Qi 黄芪 and Shan Yao 山药
Contraindications
Drying and draining by design — not for diarrhoea or swelling arising from yin deficiency, and not where the mouth is dry and the tongue has little coating. Prolonged use can deplete fluids. Oedema or diarrhoea that persists should be medically assessed rather than managed with a drying formula alone.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.
Pregnancy
Use in pregnancy only under practitioner supervision — Ze Xie and Zhu Ling drain strongly and Rou Gui is hot; swelling during pregnancy needs medical assessment before it is treated as simple damp.
Related Formulas
References
Source 《世医得效方》 · Yuan
- Classical source (public domain); no passage is quoted here because a verbatim line could not be confirmed.
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 granule sold under this name — retail composition 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.