Ping Wei San
Classical TCM Formula Profile
Part of the HJMEDICAL TCM Discovery Center
平胃散 · Píng Wèi Sǎn
Classic formula for Dampness obstructing the Middle Jiao. Presents with epigastric/abdominal fullness, poor appetite, greasy tongue coat, nausea and heavy sensation in the body.
Read the complete guide →Quick Facts
- Formula Category
- Dampness-Draining Formulas
- Primary Pattern
- Dampness
- Primary Function
- Dry Damp, strengthen Spleen, move Qi
- Primary Therapeutic Principle
- Dry Dampness, strengthen the Spleen, move Qi and harmonize the Stomach
- Classical Source
- Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang (Song dynasty)
- Available as Granules
- Yes
Formula Overview
Classic formula for Dampness obstructing the Middle Jiao. Presents with epigastric/abdominal fullness, poor appetite, greasy tongue coat, nausea and heavy sensation in the body.
Therapeutic Principle
Traditionally selected for straightforward dampness obstructing the Middle Burner, with distension, heaviness and a thick greasy tongue coat — the foundational damp-drying formula, extended by Wei Ling Tang when fluid retention accompanies it, and distinct from Bao He Wan's focus on food stagnation.
Composition: Sovereign, Minister, Assistant, Envoy
Every herb in the formula, grouped by the job it does in the classical hierarchy.
君SovereignTreats the main pattern
臣MinisterReinforces the sovereign
佐AssistantTreats accompanying patterns
陳皮Chen Pi6g
Tangerine Peel- rectifies qi and harmonizes the stomach
- dries dampness and awakens the spleen
- improves the power of cang zhu and hou po
生薑Sheng Jiang3g
Fresh Ginger- warms and dissipates water and dampness
- harmonizes the stomach and direct counterflow downward
大棗Da Zao2 pieces
Jujube / Chinese Date- supplements the spleen and boosts qi
- improves the power of gan cao to bank up earth to control water
Classical Composition
- Atractylodis Rhizoma (Cang Zhu) 4 liang (120g)
- Magnoliae Officinalis Cortex (Hou Po processed with ginger juice) 3 liang (90g)
- Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (Chen Pi) 2 liang (60g)
- Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma Praeparata cum Melle (Zhi Gan Cao) 1 liang (30g)
Dosages follow the classical source and are shown for study, not as a prescription.
Related Conditions
Related Health Topics
Actions
- Dries dampness and activates the spleen
- moves qi and harmonizes the stomach.
Indications
- This is a pattern caused by dampness accumulation in the spleen and stomach.
- Spleen pertains to the earth of taiyin, is localized in middle jiao, and governs transportation and transformation.
- It is adverse to humidity and prefers dryness.
- When dampness accumulation blocks the middle jiao, the result is failure of transportation and transformation marked by abdominal distension and fullness, poor appetite and tastelessness.
- Additionally, the stomach qi might fail to descend.
- Counterflow of the stomach qi leads to nausea, vomiting, belching, and acid swallowing.
- Dampness is a yin pathogen that is heavy and lingering by its nature.
- Therefore, dampness accumulation in the body leads to heavy sensation in the limbs, lassitude, and somnolence.
- Dampness entering the intestine results in diarrhea.
- The therapeutic principles are to dry dampness and to activate the spleen as the primary function and move qi and harmonize the stomach as the secondary function.
- The ability to remove dampness is increased when qi moves smoothly.
Traditional Pathogenesis
Cause & mechanism
- This pattern is due to externally contracted wind-cold causing the lung qi to fail to diffuse.
- The invasion of the exterior by external wind-cold obstructs the wei yang, blocks and congests the striae and interstices, constrains ying yin, and obstructs the channels.
- The lung governs the qi and belongs to wei, which is connected with the skin and body hair at the body’s exterior.
- The regular diffusion and descent of lung qi is affected when the exterior of the body is restrained by wind-cold.
- The body’s exterior is linked internally with the lung.
- Therefore, the tension of the body’s exterior constrains the lung qi within.
- The constrained lung qi ascends counter-flow to induce labored breathing.
Clinical presentation
- The result is aversion to cold, fever, absence of sweating, headache, and generalized pain.
- Thin and white tongue coating and a superficial, tight pulse are indications of an exterior fettered by wind-cold.
Treatment strategy
- The treatment is to induce sweating to release the exterior and diffuse the lung to calm labored breathing.
How does this formula compare?
Clinical Perspective
Ping Wei San is the foundational Middle Damp formula. Wei Ling Tang adds Wu Ling San for concurrent fluid retention. Huo Xiang Zheng Qi San addresses exterior invasion with interior Damp. Bao He Wan focuses more on food stagnation.
Clinical Differentiation
- Ping Wei San is a basic formula applicable to the pattern of dampness stagnation in the spleen and stomach.
- This clinical pattern is marked by abdominal distension and fullness, thick and greasy tongue coating.
Safety notes: This formula is not applicable for patients with yin deficiency, qi stagnation, or deficiency of the spleen and stomach because it is acrid, bitter, warm, and dry.
For educational reference only, based on traditional pattern differentiation — not a substitute for professional advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the actions of Ping Wei San?
Ping Wei San has the actions of drying Dampness and strengthening the Spleen, moving Qi and harmonizing the Stomach. It is the foundational formula for Damp stagnation obstructing the Middle Jiao.
Which modern diseases is Ping Wei San suited to?
Modern TCM clinical practice commonly applies it to individuals whose pattern differentiation falls within Damp stagnation in the Spleen and Stomach, including chronic gastritis, functional dyspepsia, gastric or duodenal ulcers, acute and chronic gastroenteritis, and other digestive disorders with prominent Damp signs.
Is Ping Wei San suitable for improving abdominal fullness and poor appetite?
For presentations of epigastric or abdominal distension and fullness, loss of appetite, bland taste in the mouth, nausea or belching, heavy limbs, lethargy, loose stools, and a thick white greasy tongue coating — in those whose pattern differentiation confirms Damp stagnation in the Middle Jiao — TCM commonly applies Ping Wei San as an adjunct. It cannot replace standard medical treatment.
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Ping Wei San: Classic TCM Formula for Dampness, Spleen Deficiency & Digestive Stagnation
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Medical Disclaimer
For general TCM education only — not medical advice. Consult a qualified TCM practitioner or licensed healthcare provider before use, especially if pregnant, nursing, on medication, or managing a chronic condition.