Er Chen Tang: A Simple Guide to Clearing Phlegm and Easing Coughs
Hongji Medical- Feb 1
- 6 min read
Er Chen Tang, or Two Matured Substances Decoction, is a classic Chinese herbal formula from the Taiping Huimin Hejijufang. Renowned for its ability to clear phlegm, dry dampness, and support digestion, it’s a go-to remedy for conditions like chronic coughs, nausea, or chest tightness caused by damp-phlegm buildup.
In this article, we’ll explain its ingredients, benefits, uses, and modern applications in an easy-to-understand way, plus share dietary tips to boost its effects.
What’s in Er Chen Tang?
This formula combines four herbs, plus two enhancers, to clear phlegm and balance the body:
Pinellia rhizome (15g): Dries dampness, clears phlegm, and stops nausea.
Poria mushroom (9g): Strengthens digestion and drains excess moisture.
Tangerine peel (15g): Regulates qi, dries dampness, and eases coughs.
Licorice root (5g, roasted): Harmonizes the formula and protects the stomach.
Ginger (7 slices): Warms the stomach and aids digestion.
Black plum (1 piece): Stabilizes qi and supports digestion.
How to use it: Boil the ingredients in water, strain, and drink warm. Dosage varies, so consult a practitioner for guidance.
How the Herbs Work Together
In Chinese medicine, herbs are grouped as “monarch, minister, assistant, and envoy”:
Monarchs: Pinellia rhizome and tangerine peel lead by drying dampness and clearing phlegm to relieve coughs and nausea.
Minister: Poria mushroom supports by strengthening the spleen and draining excess moisture to prevent phlegm buildup.
Assistant: Licorice root harmonizes the formula, softening the drying effects of pinellia and tangerine peel.
Envoys: Ginger and black plum warm the stomach, stabilize qi, and ensure the formula is gentle on digestion.
This balanced blend clears phlegm, supports digestion, and restores energy flow without being too harsh.
What Does It Treat?
Er Chen Tang targets “damp-phlegm syndrome,” where spleen dysfunction causes moisture to accumulate as phlegm. Common symptoms include:
Cough with white, sticky phlegm that’s easy to spit out.
Nausea, vomiting, or poor appetite.
Chest tightness or a heavy feeling in the body.
Heavy, weak limbs or fatigue.
Dizziness or palpitations.
A white, greasy tongue coating and a slippery pulse.
These signs show phlegm clogging the lungs, stomach, or chest, disrupting breathing, digestion, or energy flow, often due to a weak spleen.
How It Works
The formula dries dampness and clears phlegm to ease coughs and chest tightness, regulates qi to stop nausea, and strengthens the spleen to prevent further phlegm buildup. By addressing both symptoms and the root cause, it restores balance and comfort.
Modern Uses of Er Chen Tang
Er Chen Tang is widely used today for conditions involving phlegm and dampness. Research supports its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immune-modulating effects. Common applications include:
Respiratory issues: Chronic bronchitis or emphysema with sticky phlegm and cough.
Digestive disorders: Acute or chronic gastritis, gastric ulcers, or neurogenic vomiting.
Neurological conditions: Meniere’s syndrome with dizziness or tinnitus.
Other conditions: Thyroid enlargement, breast nodules, frozen shoulder, tonsillitis, or pancreatitis.
Its versatility makes it a staple in treating phlegm-related ailments across multiple systems.
Boosting the Formula with Diet
Pairing Er Chen Tang with damp-draining, spleen-supporting foods can enhance its effects. Try these recipes:
Ginger SoupIngredients: 5 slices fresh ginger, 1 liter water, honey to taste.Preparation: Boil ginger in water for 10 minutes, strain, and sweeten with honey. Drink warm.Benefits: Warms the stomach, eases nausea, and clears dampness.
Barley PorridgeIngredients: 50g barley, 100g rice, water.Preparation: Wash barley and rice, simmer in water until thick, and serve warm.Benefits: Strengthens the spleen and drains dampness to reduce phlegm.
Tangerine Peel TeaIngredients: 5g dried tangerine peel, 1 cup boiling water.Preparation: Steep tangerine peel in hot water for 5 minutes and drink warm.Benefits: Regulates qi and clears phlegm to ease coughs.
Poria CakeIngredients: 30g poria mushroom powder, 100g rice flour, honey to taste.Preparation: Mix poria and rice flour with water, steam into cakes, and drizzle with honey.Benefits: Supports digestion and calms the body.
Other dietary tips:
Eat warm, light foods like pumpkin, adzuki beans, or millet.
Avoid dairy, greasy, or cold foods that increase phlegm, like ice cream or fried snacks.
Stay hydrated with warm teas to aid digestion.
Things to Keep in Mind
Use Er Chen Tang carefully:
Avoid if phlegm is dry or you have yin deficiency, blood deficiency, or vomiting blood, as it’s drying.
Use with caution in cases of thirst or dehydration.
Consult a practitioner to ensure it matches your condition and to adjust dosing.
Conclusion
Er Chen Tang is a gentle, effective Chinese herbal formula that clears phlegm, eases coughs, and supports digestion. Its six ingredients work together to dry dampness and regulate qi, making it ideal for chronic bronchitis, gastritis, or dizziness caused by phlegm. Modern research confirms its wide-ranging benefits, from reducing inflammation to improving respiratory health.
Pair it with spleen-friendly foods like barley porridge or tangerine tea for better results, and always use under professional guidance for safe, effective care.
Chinese Name | 二陳湯 |
Phonetic | Er Chen Tang |
English Name | Two Matured Substances Decoction |
Classification | Phlegm-expelling formulas |
Source | 《Formulas from the Imperial Pharmacy》Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang《太平惠民和劑局方》 |
Combination | Pinelliae Rhizoma (Ban Xia) 5 liang (15g), Poria (Fu Ling) 3 liang (9g), Citri Expocarpium Rubrum (Ju Hong) 5 liang (15g), Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma Praeparata cum Melle (Zhi Gan Cao) 1.5 liang (5g) |
Method | First add 7 pieces of sheng jiang and 1 piece of wu mei into the decoction, then add in the other medicinals to decoct together. The decoction should be taken while it is warm. |
Action | Dries dampness and dissolves phlegm, rectifies qi, and harmonizes the center. |
Indication | Er Chen Tang is indicated for damp-phlegm patterns .The symptoms are cough with profuse white phlegm that is easy to be expectorated, nausea and vomiting, chest stuffiness, fatigue and heavy feelings of the body or limbs, vertigo and palpitation. The tongue coating is glossy white or white and greasy, and the pulse is slippery. |
Pathogenesis | When the spleen is attacked by pathogenic factors, it fails to transport and transform food and fluids, which leads to dampness or phlegm accumulation. When dampness or phlegm accumulates within the lung, it becomes blocked and fails to disperse and descend normally. A cough with a lot of expectoration will result. When they accumulate in the stomach, nausea and vomiting occurs; when they accumulate in the chest and diaphragm to obstruct the normal qi movement, stuffiness or bloating occurs; when they lodge in the muscles, heaviness of the body or limbs occurs. When damp and phlegm obstruct the clear yang, vertigo occurs. When they attack the heart, palpitation occurs. In damp-phlegm diseases the tongue develops a glossy white or white and greasy tongue coating and the pulse becomes slippery. The treatment principle is to dry dampness and dissolve phlegm, rectify qi, and harmonize the center. |
Application | 1. Essential pattern differentiation Er Chen Tang serves as a representative formula that is fundamental and commonly used to dry dampness and dissolve phlegm. This clinical pattern is marked by cough, profuse white phlegm that is easy to expectorate, white and greasy tongue coating, slippery pulse. 2. Modern applications This formula may be used in the following biomedically defined disorders when the patient shows signs of damp-phlegm: chronic bronchitis, acute or chronic gastritis, Meniere’s syndrome, and psychogenic vomiting. 3. Cautions and contraindications The property of this formula is dry. Use it with caution for patients with dryness-phlegm. It is prohibited to use for patients who are spitting blood, suffering from wasting-thirst, are yin deficient, and are blood deficient. |
Additonal formulae | 1. Dao Tan Tang (Phlegm-Expelling Decoction 导痰汤) [Source]《Information Transmission Applicable Formula- referenced in Huang Fu-tan’s Formula》Chuan Xin Shi Yong Fang‧Huang Fu Tan Fang《传信适用方》(引皇甫坦方) [Ingredients] Ban xia 4 liang (120g), tian nan xing 1 liang (30g), zhi shi 1 liang (30g), ju hong 1 liang (30g), chi fu ling 1 liang (30g) [Preparation and Administration] Grind the medicinals into powder. One dose is 3 qian (9g). Add 2 zhan of water and decoct it with 10 pieces of sheng jiang until 1 zhan water remain, remove the dregs and take it warm. [Actions] Dries dampness and removes phlegm, moves qi and opens constraint. [Applicable Patterns] Phlegm syncope pattern. Symptoms include: dizziness, accumulation of phlegm rheum, fullness of chest and diaphragm, distention of hypochondrium, headache and vomiting, panting and cough with expectoration, sticky snivel or saliva, a thick, greasy tongue coating, and a slippery pulse. 2. Di Tan Tang (Phlegm-Flushing Decoction 涤痰汤) [Source]《Fine Formulas of Wonderful Efficacy》Qi Xiao Liang Fang《奇效良方》 [Ingredients] Er Chen Tang minus wu mei, plus nan xing 2.5 qian (7.5g), zhi shi 2 qian (6g), shi chang pu 1 qian (3g), ren shen 1 qian (3g), and zhu ru 7 fen (2g) [Preparation and Administration] Prepare it as a decoction. [Actions] Clears up phlegm and opens the orifices. [Applicable Patterns] Pattern of phlegm confounding the heart orifices caused by wind-strike. Symptoms include: distorted speech due to stiff tongue, wheezing of the throat, a white and greasy tongue coating, and a deep and slippery or deep and moderate pulse. 3. Jin Shui Liu Jin Jian (Metal and Water Six Gentlemen Decoction 金水六君煎) [Source]《The Complete Works of [Zhang] Jing-yue 》Jing Yue Quan Shu《景岳全书》 [Ingredients] Er Chen Tang minus wu mei, plus dang gui 2 qian (6g) and shu di 3 or 5 qian (9-15g) [Preparation and Administration] Prepare it as a decoction. [Actions] Enriches and nourishes the lung and kidney, dispels dampness and dissolves phlegm. [Applicable Patterns] Lung and kidney deficiency complicated with excessive phlegm-dampness accumulation. Symptoms include: cough, nausea and vomiting, panting with profuse phlegm, salty tasting phlegm or dry mouth and throat, salty taste in the mouth, and a red tongue with a glossy white or thin greasy coating. |
