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Fu Zi Li zhong Tang (Fu Zi Li Zhong Wan): a classic prescription for warming the middle and dispelling cold, replenishing qi and strengthening the spleen

Writer's picture: Hongji MedicalHongji Medical

Fu Zi Li Zhong Tang comes from "Shang Han Za Bing Lun", a classic Chinese medicine book written by Zhang Zhongjing, a famous physician in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. Zhang Zhongjing is known as the "Medical Saint", and his works laid the foundation for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases in Chinese medicine. "Shang Han Za Bing Lun" is divided into two parts, "Shang Han Lun" and "Jin Kui Yao Lue", of which "Jin Kui Yao Lue" mainly discusses miscellaneous internal medicine diseases, and Fu Zi Li Zhong Tang comes from this book.


Fuzi Lizhong Decoction
附子理中湯

Fu Zi Li Zhong Tang (Fu Zi Li Zhong Wan) Recipe Explanation


The main ingredients of Fu Zi Li Zhong Tang include dried ginger, ginseng, white atractylodes and liquorice. These herbs work together to enhance yang energy, strengthen the spleen and stomach, and dissolve abdominal coldness, thereby improving the symptoms of deficiency-cold in the middle burner.


  • Aconite is pungent and hot in nature, and has the effects of restoring yang, rescuing adverse conditions, replenishing fire and assisting yang, and dispelling cold and relieving pain.

  • Dried ginger is pungent and hot in nature, and has the effects of warming the middle and dispelling cold, restoring yang and unblocking meridians.

  • Ginseng is sweet and warm in nature, and has the effects of tonifying the middle and replenishing qi, strengthening the spleen and benefiting the lungs.

  • Atractylodes macrocephala is bitter, sweet and warm in nature, and has the effects of strengthening the spleen and replenishing qi, drying dampness and promoting diuresis.

  • Licorice is sweet and mild in nature, and has the effects of tonifying the spleen and replenishing qi, clearing away heat and detoxifying, and harmonizing various medicines.


Efficacy and pathogenesis of Fu Zi Li Zhong Tang


Fu Zi Li Zhong Tang is mainly used to treat spleen and stomach deficiency and cold syndrome . Common symptoms include:

  • Pulse : Deep pulse, weak pulse

  • Tongue : Gray-black tongue coating, blue tongue coating, thin white tongue coating

  • Pain : chest tightness and pain, pain on the outside of the elbow, back pain, pain on the inside of the elbow, pain on the outside and front of the knee, pain in the back of the foot, pain in the elbow, abdominal pain, upper abdominal pain, lower abdominal pain, shoulder and neck pain, elbow joint pain, little finger pain, wrist back pain, ankle joint pain

  • Symptoms : Sleep disorders, sneezing, frequent fatigue and sleepiness, diarrhea, asthma, cold hands and feet, cough, white phlegm, white nasal discharge, waking up easily at night, loose stools, rumbling sounds in the stomach, irritability, dizziness, poor spirits, sweating hands and feet, shortness of breath and weak speech


Fuzi Lizhong Decoction
附子理中湯症

effect


Fu Zi Li Zhong Tang is a traditional Chinese medicine prescription that warms the middle and dispels cold, replenishes qi and strengthens the spleen. It is mainly used to treat spleen and stomach deficiency and cold syndrome. This prescription effectively relieves various symptoms caused by spleen and stomach deficiency and cold, such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, cold hands and feet , etc.


Fu Zi Li Zhong Tang is not only widely used in traditional Chinese medicine, but modern clinical studies have also confirmed its effectiveness in treating a variety of diseases. For example, this prescription can be used to treat digestive system diseases such as gastric and duodenal ulcers, chronic colitis, etc. It can also be used to treat skin diseases, endocrine system diseases, urinary system diseases and many other diseases.


The wide adaptability and remarkable efficacy of Fu Zi Li Zhong Tang make it one of the representative prescriptions for treating spleen and stomach deficiency-cold syndrome in traditional Chinese medicine.


Fuzi Lizhong Decoction
附子理中湯

Pathogenesis


The pathogenesis of Fu Zi Li Zhong Tang mainly involves spleen and stomach deficiency and coldness , which is an important concept in traditional Chinese medicine theory. Spleen and stomach deficiency and coldness refers to the deficiency of spleen and stomach yang qi, which leads to weakened digestive function and a series of cold symptoms.


The spleen and stomach govern the middle jiao and are responsible for transporting and transforming the essence of water and grain. If the spleen and stomach are deficient in yang qi, transport and transformation are not strong, and ascending and descending are abnormal, the clear yang does not rise, resulting in diarrhea, and the yin and cold gather and the turbid yin does not descend, resulting in vomiting. If the middle jiao is cold and the cold condenses and the qi is stagnant, symptoms such as abdominal pain and cold hands and feet will appear .


Deficiency and coldness of the spleen and stomach will also affect the functions of other internal organs.


The spleen is responsible for regulating blood, and its qi can absorb blood. When the middle burner is cold and weak, the spleen yang is insufficient, and the spleen qi is also weak, so it has no power to regulate and absorb blood. Blood cannot circulate through the meridians, leading to various blood diseases, such as bloody stools, hematemesis, epistaxis, metrorrhagia in women, and other blood loss diseases.




In addition, if you eat without moderation and damage the yang energy of the spleen and stomach, it will also lead to symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea. When the coldness of the abdomen lasts for a long time, it will cause coldness in the middle jiao, the yang in the body will not flow, and the coldness of yin will stagnate in the chest, causing symptoms such as chest tightness and chest pain.


Fu Zi Li Zhong Tang is designed to treat the pathogenesis of middle-jiao deficiency-cold. It follows the treatment principle of "treating cold with heat" and "tonifying deficiency with nourishment" in Huangdi Neijing, and focuses on warming the middle-jiao to dispel cold and nourish the spleen and stomach . Dried ginger is the main ingredient in the recipe, which is very spicy and hot, warming the spleen and stomach, and transforming yin condensation, so as to achieve the effects of warming the middle-jiao to dispel cold, and supporting yang and suppressing yin.


Fuzi Lizhong Decoction
附子理中湯:溫中散寒

Ginseng is used to replenish the middle qi, nourish the acquired constitution, and dried ginger is used to restore the middle yang. Spleen deficiency is prone to dampness, so it is combined with white atractylodes, which is warm, bitter and dry, to dry dampness and move the spleen. Finally, it is combined with licorice and honey to replenish qi and the middle, and harmonize the various medicines. This recipe can increase yang, strengthen the spleen and stomach, dissolve abdominal cold, and resolve various symptoms of middle-jiao deficiency and cold.


Modern Application of Fu Zi Li Zhong Tang


In modern applications, Fu Zi Li Zhong Tang is mainly used to treat a variety of diseases related to spleen and stomach deficiency and cold syndrome. Modern research shows that Fu Zi Li Zhong Tang has significant effects of warming the middle and removing cold, replenishing qi and strengthening the spleen, and is suitable for digestive system diseases such as gastric and duodenal ulcers, chronic colitis, gastroenteritis, etc.




In addition, the prescription is also used to treat skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis, endocrine system diseases such as diabetes, urinary system diseases such as kidney disease and urinary incontinence, and gynecological diseases such as metrorrhagia, blood in stool, hematemesis, and epistaxis. The wide adaptability and significant efficacy of Fu Zi Li Zhong Tang make it one of the representative prescriptions for the treatment of spleen and stomach deficiency and cold syndrome in traditional Chinese medicine.


Fu Zi Li Zhong Tang is widely used in modern clinical practice to treat a variety of diseases, including but not limited to:

  • Digestive system diseases : gastric and duodenal ulcers, superficial gastritis, gastroenteritis, gastroptosis, gastric dilatation, chronic colitis, dysentery, diarrhea

  • Skin diseases : Atopic dermatitis

  • Endocrine system diseases : diabetes

  • Urinary system diseases : kidney disease, urinary incontinence

  • Gynecological diseases : metrorrhagia, blood in stool, hematemesis, epistaxis

  • Mental illness : phobic anxiety disorder, depressive disorder

  • Respiratory diseases : chronic bronchitis

  • Others : various diseases with syndrome differentiation of deficiency-cold in the middle jiao, such as dyshidrosis, irritable bowel syndrome, loss of taste, nephroptosis, chronic nephritis, allergic purpura, chronic cholangitis in children, intestinal spasm in children, chronic oral ulcer, biliary ascariasis, chest pain, and various diseases as well as various cancer sequelae.


Fuzi Lizhong Decoction
附子理中湯

Notes


The use of Fu Zi Li Zhong Tang also requires attention to some contraindications and side effects. This prescription is warm and dry, and should not be used by people with exogenous fever or yin deficiency. People with damp heat in the middle jiao or spleen and stomach yin deficiency should also avoid using it. In addition, when using Fu Zi Li Zhong Tang, avoid eating raw and cold fruits and foods to avoid aggravating the spleen and stomach deficiency and coldness. Some things to note:

  • Contraindications : It is contraindicated for patients with exogenous fever or yin deficiency. It is contraindicated for patients with internal damp-heat in the middle jiao or spleen and stomach yin deficiency.

  • Dietary taboos : Avoid eating raw or cold fruits and foods to avoid aggravating the coldness of the spleen and stomach.

  • Side effects : Fuzi Lizhong Decoction is warm and dry, and may cause side effects such as dry mouth and constipation. Pay attention to the dosage and course of treatment when using it.


Conclusion


As a classic Chinese medicine prescription, Fu Zi Li Zhong Tang has the effects of warming the middle and removing cold, replenishing qi and strengthening the spleen, and is suitable for the treatment of various spleen and stomach deficiency and cold syndromes. In modern clinical practice, Fu Zi Li Zhong Tang is widely used in the treatment of various diseases, showing its wide adaptability and remarkable efficacy.


However, when using Fu Zi Li Zhong Tang, you need to pay attention to contraindications and dietary taboos to ensure efficacy and safety. I hope this article can help readers better understand the origin, prescription explanation, indications, efficacy, modern application and precautions of Fu Zi Li Zhong Tang, so as to better apply this classic prescription.

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