Zhi Gan Cao Tang炙甘草汤
Honey-Fried Licorice Decoction (Licorice Combination)
Ingredients9 herbs
Indications
Qi, blood, yin and yang all depleted so the heart vessel goes unnourished: not enough substance to fill the vessel and not enough qi to move it, so the beat turns uneven. The formula supplies both at once and adds just enough warmth to keep the vessel open.
Clinical Manifestations
- Knotted or intermittent pulse with palpitations
- Palpitations with shortness of breath and wasting
- Convalescence after long illness, dry mouth and a peeled tongue
- Dry cough with scanty foamy sputum in Lung atrophy
- Dry constipation in the depleted
Health Categories
Modern Applications
Common adjustments
- Yin deficiency dominant, heat signs, no cold — reduce or drop Gui Zhi 桂枝, Sheng Jiang 生姜 and the wine — the direction Wu Ju-tong took in Jia Jian Fu Mai Tang
- Palpitations and insomnia pronounced — add Suan Zao Ren 酸枣仁 and Bai Zi Ren 柏子仁
- Qi deficiency more marked — increase Ren Shen 人参 and add Huang Qi 黄芪
- Loose stools from the richness of the formula — reduce Huo Ma Ren 火麻仁 and lower the Sheng Di Huang 生地黄 dose
Contraindications
Rich and cloying: unsuitable where the Spleen is damp and weak with a greasy coating, poor appetite and loose stools, and unsuitable for palpitations driven by phlegm-fire or another excess pattern. An irregular heartbeat also warrants medical assessment — this formula supports a deficiency pattern, it does not stand in for cardiac evaluation.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.
Pregnancy
Used during pregnancy only under practitioner supervision: the clear wine of the classical decoction is omitted and Gui Zhi is kept to a small warming dose.
Related Formulas
References
Source Shang Han Lun 《伤寒论》 · Eastern Han
「伤寒脉结代，心动悸，炙甘草汤主之。」
- 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）— 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.