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Yi Tang饴糖

Maltosum · Malt Sugar · Barley Malt Syrup

Herbs that Tonify the Qi 补气药《名医别录》

Overview

Malt sugar — a grain syrup made by fermenting cooked rice or millet with sprouted barley — used as a medicine rather than a sweetener. Sweet and warm, it supplements the middle burner and relaxes cramping urgency, and it is the single addition that turns Gui Zhi Tang into Xiao Jian Zhong Tang. It is stirred into the strained, still-hot decoction rather than boiled with the other herbs.

Nature & Flavor

Sweet · Warm

Channels

Spleen · Stomach · Lung

Typical Dosage

15–20 g
饴糖Photography for this entry is on its way.

Actions

3 core actions

  • Supplements the middle, relaxes urgencyCold-deficiency abdominal pain that eases with warmth and pressure; the defining ingredient of Xiao Jian Zhong Tang.
  • Moistens the Lung, stops coughDry cough from Lung dryness or Lung deficiency, with little or no sputum.
  • Moderates a harsh formulaSoftens acrid or draining herbs and makes a bitter decoction easier to take.

In Formulas

Formulas containing Yi Tang

No published formula lists this herb yet — the library is growing.

Indications & Clinical Uses

  • Cramping abdominal pain of Spleen-Stomach deficiency cold
    - Fatigue and poor appetite with a weak middle burner
    - Dry cough from Lung dryness or deficiency

Western Medical Keywords

Searchable condition terms

Peptic painFatigueDry coughPoor appetite

Contraindications

Cautions

Sweet and cloying, and it readily generates dampness and phlegm: avoid in damp-heat, phlegm-damp, food stagnation, vomiting and abdominal fullness, and in children with fever and a distended abdomen. It is a sugar, so anyone managing blood glucose should not use it without their physician's agreement.

Contraindicated in pregnancy: No specific restriction — practitioner judgment applies

For licensed practitioners’ reference only

References

  1. Ming Yi Bie Lu《名医别录》(classical source, public domain).
    2. Bensky, Clavey & Stöger. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed.
    3. 《中华人民共和国药典》.

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.