REGULATING THE MIDDLE PILL
Li Zhong Wan
‘Regulating the Middle Jiao Pill’
Source: Treatise on Febrile Diseases Caused by Cold (Shang Han Lun, 200)
Keywords
gastroenteritis, peptic ulcer, gastrectasis, gastroptosis and colonitis
Ingredients
Panax ginseng (Ren Shen, ginseng)
Zingiber officinalis (Gan Jiang, dried ginger)
Glycyrrhiza uralensis
(Gan Cao, liquorice)
Atractylodes macrocephala (Bai Zhu, atractylodes)
Major therapeutic action
Warms the Centre, dispels Cold, nourishes qi, strengthens the Spleen.
Biomedical action
Gastrointestinal regulating.
Indications
* Deficient Cold in middle Jiao.
* yang deficiency complicated with blood loss
* With the appropriate key symptoms, this formula can be used to treat biomedical conditions such as
acute and chronic gastroenteritis, peptic ulcer, gastrectasis, gastroptosis and chronic colonitis, etc.
Key symptoms for use
* diarrhoea
* no thirst
* vomiting
* abdominal pain
* abdominal bloating
* no appetite
* pale tongue with white fur
* slow or deep and fine pulse
* yang deficiency complicated with blood loss
* salivation after chronic infantile convulsion
* With abdominal pain, diarrhoea, vomiting of gastric acid and bitter taste due to Damp-Heat, add Coptis chinensis (Huang Lian, coptis).
* With abdominal pain due to qi stagnation, add Qing Pi/Xiang Fu.
* For uterine bleeding, add Angelica sinensis (Dang Gui, Chinese angelica)/Huang Qi.
The typical proportion when added to a constitutional formula is 6:1 formula to addition (15 grams in 75- 90 grams of formula). If a stronger effect is desired more can be added. When used alone the dose is three grams twice daily.
Cautions and contraindications
None noted.
None noted.