Wei Ling Tang
Classical TCM Formula Profile
Part of the HJMEDICAL TCM Discovery Center
胃苓汤 · Wèi Líng Tāng
Combination of Ping Wei San and Wu Ling San. Addresses Cold-Damp obstructing the Middle Jiao with concurrent water retention, producing diarrhea, distension, nausea and scanty urine.
Read the complete guide →Quick Facts
- Formula Category
- Dampness-Draining Formulas
- Primary Pattern
- Dampness
- Primary Function
- Dry Middle Damp, promote urination, strengthen Spleen
- Primary Therapeutic Principle
- Dry Dampness, strengthen the Spleen, promote urination and regulate Qi
- Classical Source
- Combination of Ping Wei San + Wu Ling San (traditional)
- Available as Granules
- Yes
Formula Overview
Combination of Ping Wei San and Wu Ling San. Addresses Cold-Damp obstructing the Middle Jiao with concurrent water retention, producing diarrhea, distension, nausea and scanty urine.
Therapeutic Principle
Traditionally selected when Middle-Burner dampness and lower-burner fluid retention occur together, with distension, loose stools and scanty urination — combining what Ping Wei San does for damp in the middle with what Wu Ling San does for water below, neither of which alone covers both.
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
白朮Bai Zhu10g
White Atractylodes Rhizome- fortifies the spleen
- dries dampness and boosts qi
茯苓Fu Ling10g
Poria / Hoelen- fortifies the spleen
- leaches dampness and quiets the heart
豬苓Zhu Ling10g
Polyporus- promotes urination and leaches dampness
澤瀉Ze Xie10g
Alisma Rhizome- leaches dampness and drains ministerial fire via the urine
桂枝Gui Zhi6g
Cinnamon Twig- warms and unblocks the channels
使EnvoyGuides and harmonises
Classical Composition
- Rhizoma Atractylodis (Cang Zhu) 6g
- Cortex Magnoliae Officinalis (Hou Po) 6g
- Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae (Chen Pi) 6g
- Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae (Bai Zhu) 10g
- Poria (Fu Ling) 10g
- Polyporus (Zhu Ling) 10g
- Rhizoma Alismatis (Ze Xie) 10g
- Ramulus Cinnamomi (Gui Zhi) 6g
- Radix et Rhizoma Glycyrrhizae (Gan Cao) 3g
Dosages follow the classical source and are shown for study, not as a prescription.
Related Conditions
Related Health Topics
Actions
- Dries dampness
- fortifies the spleen
- and promotes urination to relieve diarrhea and fullness.
Indications
- This formula is indicated for cold-damp encumbering the spleen.
- Signs and symptoms include diarrhea, heaviness of the body, epigastric fullness, and inhibited urination.
Tongue & pulseThe tongue coating is white and greasy, and the pulse is moderate or soggy.
Traditional Pathogenesis
Cause & mechanism
- This pattern is due to dampness obstructing the middle jiao or channels.
- Dampness is heavy and lingering; it impedes qi movement and produces fullness, heaviness, loose stools or edema.
- Cold-damp encumbering the spleen, combining Ping Wei San and Wu Ling San, produces diarrhea, heaviness and inhibited urination.
Treatment strategy
- The correct method is to leach out dampness, awaken the spleen, and move qi.
- In this formula the emphasis is to dry Dampness, strengthen the Spleen, promote urination and regulate Qi.
How does this formula compare?
Clinical Perspective
Wei Ling Tang combines middle-jiao damp-drying with lower-jiao water draining. Wu Ling San focuses more on fluid transformation. Ping Wei San alone is for pure Middle Damp without prominent urinary symptoms. Yin Chen Wu Ling San adds jaundice-resolving action.
Clinical Differentiation
- Wei Ling Tang combines Ping Wei San and Wu Ling San for cold-damp encumbering the spleen with both fullness and loose stools plus inhibited urination.
- It is distinguished from either parent formula used alone: Ping Wei San dries the middle, Wu Ling San leaches water, and this formula does both.
Safety notes: This formula is warm and drying plus water-leaching. It is not appropriate for yin-deficiency heat or for damp-heat with a yellow greasy coating and thirst.
For educational reference only, based on traditional pattern differentiation — not a substitute for professional advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the actions of Wei Ling Tang?
Wei Ling Tang has the actions of strengthening the Spleen and drying Dampness, promoting urination and resolving water retention, and regulating Qi to harmonize the Stomach. It is a combination of Ping Wei San and Wu Ling San, designed for Cold-Damp obstructing the Middle Jiao with concurrent water accumulation.
Which modern diseases is Wei Ling Tang suited to?
Modern TCM clinical practice commonly applies it to individuals whose pattern differentiation falls within Cold-Damp obstructing the Spleen with water retention, including acute or chronic gastroenteritis with watery diarrhea, edema accompanied by digestive sluggishness, certain cases of ascites, and fluid retention with abdominal distension.
Is Wei Ling Tang suitable for improving watery diarrhea and abdominal bloating?
For presentations of watery diarrhea, abdominal distension or pain, poor appetite, scanty urine, mild edema, heavy limbs, and a thick white greasy tongue coating — in those whose pattern differentiation confirms Cold-Damp in the Middle Jiao with water retention — TCM commonly applies Wei Ling Tang as an adjunct. It cannot replace standard medical treatment.
Related Products
Hoi Tin Wei Ling Tang (Stomach and Poria Combined Decoction) 5:1 Concentrated Granules
Han's Wei Ling Tang (Stomach & Poria Decoction) 5:1 Concentrated Granules
Related Articles
Wei Ling Tang: Classic TCM Formula for Dampness, Edema & Spleen Deficiency with Water Retention
Yin Chen Wu Ling San: TCM Formula for Dampness and Jaundice Support
Wu Ling San: Classic TCM Formula for Water Retention, Edema & Urinary Difficulty
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.