Wu Ling San, also known as Five Substances Powder with Poria, is one of the classic Chinese medicine prescriptions, which originated from the Treatise on Febrile Diseases. This prescription is mainly used to treat various symptoms caused by internal retention of water and dampness, such as dysuria and edema. This article will introduce the composition, efficacy, main indications, modern applications and dietary therapy of Wu Ling San in detail, aiming to help readers better understand and apply this traditional Chinese medicine prescription.
Wu Ling San Prescription Composition
Composition
Wu Ling San is composed of the following five herbs:
Pork jelly: 18 ounces (about 9 grams)
Zexie: 1 liang 6 bao (about 15 grams)
Atractylodes macrocephala: 18 ounces (about 9 grams)
Poria cocos: 18 ounces (about 9 grams)
Cassia twig: 0.5 liang (about 6 grams)
usage
Wu Ling San can be taken in the form of powder or decoction. The powder is taken in 6-10g each time, while the decoction needs to be decocted in water and taken with plenty of hot water to induce slight sweating.
Explanation of the composition of Wu Ling San
King of medicine: cinnamon twig
Cinnamon twig is warm in nature, pungent and sweet in taste, and enters the heart, lung, and bladder meridians. It can induce sweating and relieve muscles, warm and dredge the meridians, and help yang transform into qi. In Wuling San, cinnamon twig, as the main drug, mainly plays the role of warming yang and transforming qi, promoting the bladder's qi transformation function, allowing water and moisture to be metabolized normally and discharged from the body. In addition, cinnamon twig can also harmonize the nutrient and defensive systems, so that the whole formula can achieve the effect of treating both the exterior and the interior.
Assistant medicine: Atractylodes macrocephala, Poria cocos
Atractylodes macrocephala is sweet and warm in nature. It has the effects of strengthening the spleen and replenishing qi, drying dampness and promoting diuresis. As a ministerial drug, Atractylodes macrocephala is mainly used to strengthen the spleen and dry dampness, promote the spleen and stomach to transport and transform water and dampness, promote diuresis and eliminate swelling, and improve symptoms such as edema, diarrhea, and difficulty urinating. In addition, Atractylodes macrocephala also has the function of strengthening the exterior and stopping sweating, and can tighten the pores to prevent excessive loss of sweat.
Poria cocos is sweet, mild and flat in nature. It enters the spleen and kidney meridians and has the effect of promoting water and removing dampness. As a ministerial drug, Poria cocos is mainly used to promote water and remove dampness, dissolve dampness, and treat various symptoms caused by dampness retention. Poria cocos can also strengthen the spleen and replenish qi, enhance the ability of the spleen and stomach to transport and transform dampness, make the metabolism of dampness smooth, and fundamentally solve the problem of dampness retention.
Adjuvant: Zexie
Zexie is cold in nature and enters the bladder meridian, which has the effect of promoting water and moisture. As an adjuvant, Zexie is mainly used to promote water metabolism in the body, discharge the accumulated water out of the body, and achieve the effect of promoting water and relieving swelling. Zexie can also strengthen the spleen and promote moisture, improve the spleen and stomach transportation function, and normalize water and moisture metabolism.
Adjuvant drug: Poria cocos
Poria cocos is mild in nature and sweet in taste. It enters the spleen and bladder meridians and has the effect of promoting water and moisture. As a guiding drug, Poria cocos is mainly used to discharge excess water in the body and relieve edema. Poria cocos can strengthen the spleen and replenish qi, promote the spleen and stomach to transport and transform, promote moisture and remove turbidity, help the spleen and stomach to better transport and transform water and moisture, and prevent water and moisture from stagnating in the body.
Wu Ling San Effects and Indications
effect
The main effect of Wu Ling San is to help the body eliminate excess water and warm and activate the Yang Qi in the body. It does this by promoting bladder function, allowing water to be metabolized and excreted normally, thereby reducing water and moisture accumulation in the body.
Indications
Wu Ling San is mainly used to treat water retention caused by poor bladder qi transformation. Specific symptoms include:
Difficulty urinating
Headache and slight fever
Thirst for a drink
Vomiting immediately after drinking water
Palpitations below the umbilicus
Spitting and dizziness
Shortness of breath and cough
Edema
Diarrhea
White tongue coating, floating or rapid pulse
Analysis of the pathogenesis of Wu Ling San
Wu Ling San is mainly used to treat various diseases related to excessive water and dampness in the body and poor bladder qi transformation. Although these diseases have different manifestations, their root cause is excessive water and dampness in the body, leading to bladder dysfunction.
In Treatise on Febrile Diseases, Wuling Powder was first used to treat water retention syndrome, a disease caused by the failure to eliminate exogenous wind evil in time, which in turn affects the bladder, resulting in damage to the bladder's qi transformation function and the formation of Taiyang meridian and viscera disease.
When the Taiyang exterior evil is not resolved, the patient may experience symptoms of headache and slight fever; due to poor bladder qi transformation, the patient will feel difficulty urinating; water and dampness accumulate in the body, blocking the circulation of Yang Qi, and the body fluid cannot be transported upward normally, resulting in thirst and a desire to drink water; if water and dampness accumulate in the lower part of the body, the water consumed cannot be distributed normally, which may cause vomiting, which is called "water reversal syndrome."
In addition, excessive water and dampness may also lead to symptoms such as edema, diarrhea, and cholera vomiting and diarrhea. The specific manifestations are that water and dampness overflow into the skin, flow into the large intestine, or stay in the intestines and stomach, affecting the normal ascending and descending functions.
Wu Ling San can also treat other symptoms related to drinking water, such as palpitations under the umbilicus, which is caused by water stagnating in the lower part of the body and causing water vapor to move internally; spitting saliva and dizziness, which are caused by water flowing upward and blocking the clear yang; and shortness of breath and coughing, which are caused by water disturbing the lungs and affecting the normal operation of the lung qi.
Although these symptoms manifest differently, their root causes are all internal accumulation of dampness and poor bladder qi transformation. Wuling San achieves its therapeutic effect by regulating these functions.
Modern Application of Wu Ling San
Modern medical research shows that Wuling Powder has a variety of pharmacological effects, including diuresis, anti-fatty liver, liver protection, blood pressure reduction, anti-stone formation, anti-ulcer, enhancing gastrointestinal motility and inhibiting the adhesion of E. coli to urethral cells. These effects make it effective in treating acute and chronic nephritis edema, ascites due to liver cirrhosis, cardiogenic edema, acute enteritis, urine retention, hydrocephalus, colds, primary hypertension, urethritis, glaucoma, cystitis, herpes zoster, enteritis, ascites, nephritis, hypothyroidism, prostatic hyperplasia, kidney and ureteral stones, chronic renal failure, pericarditis, gastrointestinal and duodenitis and other diseases.
In addition, Wu Ling San is also widely used in ophthalmic diseases. Modern studies have found that Wu Ling San has significant therapeutic effects on acute glaucoma, central serous retinitis, optic disc edema, pseudomyopia, night blindness, acute dacryocystitis and other ophthalmic diseases. These studies further confirm the wide application and good effects of Wulingsan in the treatment of various diseases.
Important progress has also been made in modern pharmacological experimental research and clinical application of Wuling Powder. Studies have shown that Wuling Powder has significant effects in treating urinary tract diseases, dizziness, headache, and hypertension. In addition, Wuling Powder has also been used to treat chronic heart failure and has shown good clinical effects. These studies have not only expanded the scope of application of Wuling Powder, but also provided scientific basis for its application in modern medicine.
Diet therapy
When using Wuling San for treatment, appropriate dietary therapy can enhance the efficacy. The following are some recommended dietary therapy methods:
Red Bean and Job's Tears Porridge
Red bean has the effects of promoting diuresis and reducing swelling, detoxifying and removing pus, while coix seed has the effects of strengthening the spleen and promoting diuresis. When used together with Wuling Powder, it can enhance the effect of promoting diuresis and reducing swelling.
practice:
50g red bean, 50g coix seed, 100g rice.
Wash coix seeds and rice separately, put them into a pot and add appropriate amount of water.
Bring to a boil, then turn to low heat and cook until the porridge becomes thick.
Winter melon soup
Winter melon has the effects of clearing heat, promoting diuresis, eliminating swelling and detoxifying. When used together with Wuling Powder, it can enhance the effects of promoting diuresis and eliminating swelling.
practice:
500 grams of winter melon, 200 grams of lean meat, and 3 slices of ginger.
Peel and seed the winter melon, then cut into cubes. Wash the lean meat and cut into slices.
Put winter melon, lean meat and ginger slices into a pot and add appropriate amount of water.
Bring to a boil then turn to low heat and cook until the winter melon is cooked through.
Precautions and side effects
Wu Ling San has a diuretic effect. The dosage and time of use must be carefully considered. Overdose may cause dizziness, vertigo, tastelessness, loss of appetite and other side effects. This prescription should not be taken for a long time. People with weak constitutions often use it together with spleen and stomach tonics. The traditional dosage form is powder. After swallowing the powder, drink plenty of water and sweat slightly. Nowadays, it is generally taken hot in soup. Be careful not to boil it for a long time.
References:
Clinical application of Wulingsan (Professor Huang Huang at the first international classical prescription class in Guangdong in 2011)
Efficacy and safety of Wuling San for treatment of breast- ...
Overview of modern pharmacological experimental research and clinical application of Wulingsan
The efficacy and safety of Wulingsan modified formulas for ...
Traditional herbal medicine Oryeongsan for heart failure
A systematic review and network pharmacological analysis
Examples of the application of Wuling Powder in liver, gastrointestinal diseases [Hong Kong Journal of Chinese Medicine]
Progress in pharmacological research and clinical application of Wulingsan
Efficacy and safety of Wuling San for treatment of breast- ...
Examples of the application of Wuling Powder in liver, gastrointestinal diseases
In the Master's thesis "Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases" by the Institute of Natural Medicine of Nanhua University...
A meta-analysis of clinical efficacy on Wuling San...
Wuling San Based on Network Pharmacology and in vivo ...