Yin Chen Wu Ling San茵陈五苓散
Virgate Wormwood and Five-Ingredient Powder with Poria
Ingredients2 herbs
Indications
Damp-heat jaundice with damp far heavier than heat: water-damp is not being transformed, so it stagnates and steams the bile outward, but there is little of the fire that marks Yin Chen Hao Tang's pattern.
Clinical Manifestations
- Jaundice with damp predominating
- Jaundice with scanty urine and a swollen feeling
- Yellowing with loose stool and no thirst
- Damp jaundice that has not responded to cooling formulas
- Fluid retention with a yellowish complexion
Health Categories
Modern Applications
Common adjustments
- Heat becomes more evident — add Zhi Zi 栀子 and Huang Qin 黄芩
- Marked abdominal distension — add Hou Po 厚朴 and Chen Pi 陈皮
- Spleen yang is weak with cold limbs — add Gan Jiang 干姜 — moving toward a yin jaundice strategy
- Nausea and poor appetite — add Zhi Ban Xia 制半夏 and Sha Ren 砂仁
Contraindications
Not for heat-dominant jaundice with high fever, thirst, constipation and a forceful rapid pulse, which needs the cooling and purging of Yin Chen Hao Tang instead. The formula is draining and should not be continued long in a patient with damaged fluids. Any jaundice needs a medical diagnosis first.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.
Pregnancy
Use with caution in pregnancy — the formula drains fluids, and jaundice arising in pregnancy is an urgent medical matter requiring physician assessment before any herbal treatment.
Related Formulas
References
Source Jin Gui Yao Lue 《金匮要略》 · Eastern Han
「黄疸病，茵陈五苓散主之。」
- 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）— 附方 note 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.