POWDER OF FIVE KINDS OF PEEL
Wu Pi San
‘Powder of Five Kinds of Peel’
Source: Middle Classics (Zhong Zang Jing, uncertain date)
Keywords
nephritis and heart failure
Ingredients
Zingiber officinalis (Sheng Jiang pi, ginger peel)
Morus alba (Sang Bai Pi, mulberry bark)
Citrus reticulata
(Chen Pi, citrus peel)
Areca catechu (Da Fu Pi, betel husk)
Poria cocos (Fu Ling pi, hoelen peel)
Major therapeutic action
Induces diuresis, treats oedema, moves qi, strengthens the Spleen.
Diuretic.
Indications
* Oedema due to Spleen deficiency and Damp stagnation.
* With the appropriate key symptoms, this formula can be used to treat biomedical conditions such as oedema in chronic nephritis, heart failure and pregnancy.
Key symptoms for use
* general oedema
* heavy limbs
* distending and fullness in the chest and abdomen
* asthma and shortness of breath
* difficult urination
* red and greasy tongue fur
* deep and slow pulse
* oedema of pregnancy
* With nausea and vomiting, add Citrus reticulata (Chen Pi, citrus peel)/Pinellia ternata (Ban Xia, pinellia).
* With Spleen deficiency, add Si Jun Zi Tang.
The typical dose is three grams twice daily, before meals. In severe cases or the early stages of treatment (the first two weeks), a 50-100% increase in dose may be used, then reduced as the treatment takes effect.
Cautions and contraindications
None noted.
None noted.