Zuo Jin Wan左金丸
Left Metal Pill
Ingredients2 herbs
Indications
Liver fire invading the Stomach: constrained Liver qi has turned to fire and is pressing on the Stomach, which then fails to descend. Clearing the Liver settles the Stomach — treating the organ that is causing the trouble rather than the one complaining.
Clinical Manifestations
- Acid reflux and heartburn with irritability
- Rib-side and epigastric burning pain
- Bitter taste, belching, nausea or vomiting
- Epigastric fullness that worsens with stress
- Gastritis or reflux with a red tongue and wiry pulse
Health Categories
Modern Applications
Common adjustments
- Severe acid reflux — add Hai Piao Xiao 海螵蛸 and Wa Leng Zi 瓦楞子
- Marked epigastric pain — combine with Bai Shao 白芍 and Gan Cao 甘草 to relax spasm
- Stomach yin damaged, tongue red and peeled — add Mai Men Dong 麦门冬 and Shi Hu 石斛
- Qi constraint prominent — add Chai Hu 柴胡 and Xiang Fu 香附
Contraindications
Not for vomiting or acid reflux of Stomach cold, where the person prefers warm drinks and has a pale tongue with a white coating — the Huang Lian would deepen it. Not for Spleen deficiency with loose stools.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.
Pregnancy
Use in pregnancy only under practitioner supervision — Wu Zhu Yu is warm, acrid and mildly toxic, and is usually avoided or kept to a very small dose in pregnancy.
Related Formulas
References
Source Dan Xi Xin Fa 《丹溪心法》 · Yuan
- Classical source (public domain) — composition per the standard textbook record.
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.