Jiu Wei Qiang Huo Tang: A Herbal Formula for Cold, Relieving Dampness, and Heat
Hongji Medical- Feb 1
- 7 min read
Jiu Wei Qiang Huo Tang is a time-tested Chinese herbal formula used to treat symptoms caused by cold, windy, and damp conditions, often with an underlying feeling of heat in the body.
This classic remedy, originating from the teachings of Zhang Yuansu, is highly valued in traditional Chinese medicine for its ability to promote sweating, clear dampness, and cool internal heat. In this article, we'll explore its ingredients, benefits, uses, and how it’s applied in modern times, all in an easy-to-understand way.
What’s in Jiu Wei Qiang Huo Tang?
This formula combines nine herbs, each playing a specific role to restore balance in the body. Here's a breakdown of the ingredients and how they’re prepared:
Notopterygium root (9g): The star of the formula, it fights off wind, cold, and dampness.
Siler root (9g): Boosts the formula’s ability to relieve cold and wind-related symptoms.
Atractylodes rhizome (9g): Drains dampness and supports digestion.
Asarum herb (3g): Warms the body and eases pain.
Ligusticum root (6g): Improves blood flow and reduces discomfort.
Angelica root (6g): Helps clear wind and cold, easing headaches and congestion.
Rehmannia root (6g): Cools the body and nourishes fluids.
Skullcap root (6g): Clears heat and reduces inflammation.
Licorice root (6g): Balances the formula and enhances its effects.
How to prepare it: Boil these herbs in water to make a tea. Drink it warm for gentle sweating or hot, paired with porridge, for stronger effects. For milder symptoms, sipping it warm without extra porridge works well.
How the Herbs Work Together
In Chinese medicine, herbs are grouped as "monarch, minister, assistant, and envoy" to describe their roles:
Monarch: Notopterygium root leads the charge, targeting wind, cold, and dampness to relieve headaches and body aches.
Ministers: Siler root and Atractylodes rhizome support the monarch. Siler enhances wind and cold relief, while Atractylodes clears dampness and boosts digestion for better absorption.
Assistants: Asarum, Ligusticum, and Angelica roots pitch in. Asarum warms and eases pain, Ligusticum improves circulation, and Angelica tackles symptoms like nasal congestion and soreness.
Envoys: Rehmannia, Skullcap, and Licorice roots harmonize the formula. Rehmannia and Skullcap cool internal heat, while Licorice ensures the herbs work smoothly together without being too harsh.
What Does It Treat?
Jiu Wei Qiang Huo Tang is designed for conditions where external cold, wind, and dampness invade the body, often accompanied by internal heat. Common symptoms include:
Alternating chills and fever, like the start of a cold.
No sweating, even when warm, making you feel uncomfortable.
Headaches, especially at the back of the head or neck, sometimes with stiffness.
Sore, heavy limbs, as if you’ve overexerted yourself.
A bitter taste in the mouth or slight thirst, signaling heat inside the body.
A white or slightly yellow tongue coating and a rapid, floating pulse, indicating surface-level issues with internal heat.
These symptoms arise when wind, cold, and dampness block the body’s energy flow, causing pain and discomfort, while internal heat adds thirst and bitterness.
How this Herbal Formula for Colds Works
The formula promotes sweating to release external cold and dampness while cooling internal heat. The herbs work synergistically to open pores, improve energy flow, and restore balance without being overly harsh. This balanced approach makes it both effective and safe.
Modern Uses
Today, Jiu Wei Qiang Huo Tang is used for a variety of conditions rooted in cold, wind, dampness, and heat. Some examples include:
Colds and flu: It’s great for colds with chills, fever, headaches, and body aches, especially when sweating is absent. Studies suggest it can quickly ease these symptoms.
Migraines: The formula’s ability to improve blood flow and calm the nervous system makes it helpful for certain types of headaches.
Rheumatoid arthritis: By clearing dampness and improving circulation, it can reduce joint pain and inflammation caused by cold and damp conditions.
Boosting the Formula with Diet
Pairing the formula with certain foods can enhance its effects. Try these:
Ginger tea: Ginger’s warming nature supports sweating and cold relief.
Jujube porridge: Jujube dates nourish the body and soften the formula’s intensity.
Barley porridge: Barley helps drain dampness, complementing the formula’s action.
Things to Keep in Mind
While Jiu Wei Qiang Huo Tang is generally safe, it’s not for everyone. Since it’s a warming formula, it’s not suitable for colds caused by heat (like those with sore throats or high fever) or for people with excessive internal heat.
Always consult a practitioner before use.
For best results, drink porridge after taking the tea to encourage sweating, especially for stronger symptoms. For milder cases, simply sipping the tea warm is enough.
Conclusion
Jiu Wei Qiang Huo Tang is a powerful yet gentle Chinese herbal formula that tackles cold, wind, dampness, and internal heat. Its nine herbs work together to relieve symptoms like headaches, body aches, and fever while restoring balance.
Widely used for colds, migraines, and joint pain in modern times, it remains a versatile remedy. Pair it with simple dietary additions like ginger tea or barley porridge for even better results. Always check with a professional to ensure it’s right for you.
Chinese Name | 九味羌活湯 |
Phonetic | Jiu Wei Qiang Huo Tang |
English Name | Nine Ingredients Notopterygium Decoction |
Classification | Exterior-releasing formulas |
Source | 《A formula of Zhang Yuan-su》Zhang Yuan Su Fang《張元素方》recorded in《The Bewildering Matter》Ci Shi Nan Zhi《此事難知》 |
Combination | Notopterygii Rhizoma et Radix (Qiang Huo) 1.5 liang (9g), Saposhnikoviae Radix (Fang Feng) 1.5 liang (9g), Atractylodis Rhizoma (Cang Zhu) 1.5 liang (9g), Asari Radix et Rhizoma (Xi Xin) 5 fen (3g), Chuanxiong Rhizoma (Chuan Xiong) 1 liang (6g), Angelicae Dahuricae Radix (Bai Zhi) 1 liang (3g), Rehmanniae Radix (Sheng Di Huang) 1 liang (6g), Scutellariae Radix (Huang Qin) 1 liang (6g), Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (Gan Cao) 1 liang (6g) |
Method | Prepare Jiu Wei Qiang Huo Tang as a decoction. The source book recommends coarsely grinding the ingredients before decocting the formula. If there is a therapeutic need to promote sweating urgently it should be taken warm followed by warm porridge to supplement the formula’s actions. Otherwise, if mild sweating is observed then it is taken warm without the porridge. |
Action | Induces sweating, expels dampness, and clears internal heat. |
Indication | Jiu Wei Qiang Huo Tang is indicated for an exterior pattern with externally contracted wind-cold-dampness complicated by interior heat. The symptoms are aversion to cold, fever, absence of sweating, headache, painful stiff nape, pain and soreness of the limbs and body, bitter taste, and thirst. The tongue coating is white or light yellow, and the pulse is superficial or superficial and tight. |
Pathogenesis | When wind-cold-dampness pathogens attack the skin and superficial muscles, wei yang becomes trapped and the striae becomes tightened and closed. The channels get obstructed and there is congestion of qi and blood. Therefore, there is aversion to cold, fever, absence of sweat, headache and painful stiff nape, and general body aches. Interior heat causes bitter taste and slight thirst. The tongue coating is white or light yellow with a superficial pulse. All of these are clear indications of an exterior pattern complicated by interior heat. The treatment should emphasize dispelling wind-cold-dampness pathogens and clearing interior heat. |
Clarification | 1. Treatment based on channel differentiation : Up until approximately the Song or Yuan Dynasty, exterior patterns were treated as taiyang pattern conditions based on the Taiyang Chapters of Zhang Zhong-jing’s book. Although the taiyang channel is the first to be affected when external wind-cold and dampness pathogens attack the body, all six channels can be impacted. In this formula, qiang huo enters the taiyang channel, cang zhu enters the taiyin, xi xin enters the shaoyin, chuan xiong enters the jueyin, bai zhi enters the yangming, and huang qin enters the shaoyang. This combination takes care of both the exterior and the interior with several medicinals gravitating towards specific channels. Because of this, the source book emphasizes that “although nine medicinals make up one formula, the quantity of each medicinal should not be fixed in amount”; rather, a physician “needs to investigate the facts such as the sequence of the channels affected, on which side, the number of channels, and the range and severity, in order to modify the amount of each ingredient being used in the prescription” . This is the only way to reach a “marvelous effect” . In modern applications, use a larger quantity of qiang huo if the headache affects the occipital area, bai zhi if it affects the forehead, chuan xiong if it affects the temporal regions and xi xin if it extends into the mouth causing toothache. 2. Instruction of usage : The efficacy of a formula is closely linked to how it is administered. In practice, the sweat-inducing effect can be controlled by various methods. If the cold pathogen is fierce with more obvious exterior signs and symptoms, the decoction should be given while it is very warm. It should be supplemented with rice porridge afterwards to enhance the medicinal effect to induce sweating and dispel pathogenic factors. If the cold pathogen is less severe as in the exterior pattern, it is not necessary to serve rice porridge, and the decoction can be taken lukewarm to induce slight sweating. |
Application | 1. Essential pattern differentiation This formula is commonly indicated for the pattern characterized by externally contracted wind-cold-dampness complicated by interior heat, and also a representative formula for the principle of “treatment based on channel differentiation”. Key signs and symptoms for pattern differentiation include: aversion to cold, fever, headache, absence of perspiration, aching and soreness of the limbs and body, bitter taste, and slight thirst. 2. Modern applications This formula may be used in biomedically defined disorders such as the common cold, acute myositis, rheumatic arthritis, migraine headache and lumbar muscle degeneration when the patient shows signs and symptoms of exterior wind-cold-dampness pattern complicated with interior heat. 3. Cautions and contraindications Although Jiu Wei Qiang Huo Tang contains cold natured sheng di huang and huang qin, it is overall an acrid-warm, drying therapy. Consequently, it is not applicable for patients suffering neither an externally contracted wind-heat pattern nor a yin deficiency with an internal heat pattern. |
Additonal formulae | Da Qiang Huo Tang (Major Notopterygium Decoction, 大羌活湯) [Source]《The Bewildering Matter》Volume One, Ci Shi Nan Zhi《此事難知》卷上 [Ingredients] Jiu Wei Qiang Huo Tang remove bai zhi, add du huo, huang lian, zhi mu, fang ji and bai zhu [Preparation and Administration] Prepare it as a decoction. The decoction should be taken warm. [Actions] Disperses wind-cold, removes dampness and clears heat. [Applicable Patterns] Presentation of externally contracted wind-cold-dampness pattern complicated with interior heat. Symptoms include: headache, general heaviness, aversion to cold, fever, dry mouth, irritability, chest distress, thirst, a white-greasy tongue coating, and a rapid and superficial pulse. |
