Yi Wei Tang
Classical TCM Formula Profile
Part of the HJMEDICAL TCM Discovery Center
益胃汤 · Yì Wèi Tāng
A Wen Bing formula for Stomach Yin deficiency after heat disease, with dry mouth, poor appetite, dry stools and a red tongue with scant coating.
Read the complete guide →Quick Facts
- Formula Category
- Yin-Tonifying Formulas
- Primary Pattern
- Yin Deficiency
- Primary Function
- Nourish Stomach Yin, generate fluids
- Primary Therapeutic Principle
- Nourish Yin, generate fluids and moisten the Stomach
- Classical Source
- Wen Bing Tiao Bian (Wu Jutong, 1798)
- Available as Granules
- Yes
Formula Overview
A Wen Bing formula for Stomach Yin deficiency after heat disease, with dry mouth, poor appetite, dry stools and a red tongue with scant coating.
Therapeutic Principle
Traditionally selected after febrile disease when Stomach Yin is damaged — dry mouth and poor appetite with a red scant-coated tongue — a pure Yin-nourishing approach without strong Qi-tonifying or purging action.
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
沙參Sha Shen15g
Glehnia / Adenophora Root- nourishes yin
- boosts the stomach and promotes fluid production
麥冬Mai Dong15g
Ophiopogon Tuber- sweet flavor and cold nature
- nourishes yin and clears heat
- promotes fluid production to moisten dryness
臣MinisterReinforces the sovereign
佐/使Assistant & EnvoyTreats accompanying patterns, harmonises the whole
Classical Composition
- Glehniae Radix (Bei Sha Shen) 3 qian (9g)
- Ophiopogonis Radix (Mai Dong) 5 qian (15g)
- Saccharon Crystallinum (Bing Tang) 1 qian (3g)
- Rehmanniae Radix (Sheng Di) 5 qian (15g)
- Polygonati Odorati Rhizoma (Yu Zhu) 1.5 qian (4.5g)
Dosages follow the classical source and are shown for study, not as a prescription.
Related Conditions
Related Health Topics
Actions
- Nourishes yin and boosts the stomach.
Indications
- Yi Wei Tang is indicated for stomach yin damage.
- The symptoms include a burning sensation and dull pain in the gastric cavity, hunger with no desire to eat, dry mouth and throat, and dry stool.
Tongue & pulseThe tongue is red with scanty coating, and the pulse is thready and rapid.
Traditional Pathogenesis
Cause & mechanism
- The stomach is yang earth.
- It likes moistness and dislikes dryness.
- It governs the intake of food and drinks and the stomach qi governs descent.
- The consumption of stomach yin and internal deficiency-heat is often caused by the following conditions: where febrile disease consumes and scorches yin fluid eating acrid food excessively overusing formulas that induce vomiting or purge enduring stomach disorders that cannot recover Stomach yin deficiency causes the collaterals to lose nourishment and produce dull pain in the stomach cavity.
- The heat that results from yin deficiency results in burning pain within the stomach cavity.
- When the stomach fails to properly govern the intake of food and drink, hunger with no desire to eat will manifest.
- Deficient stomach yin-fluids fail to nourish the mouth, throat, and large intestine.
- As a result, the clinical manifestations of this condition include symptoms such as dry mouth and throat, and dry stool.
- The stomach is the reservoir of water and grain, and the twelve channels qi are rooted in the stomach.
- Therefore, if the stomach yin can recover, the stomach qi will descend to improve poor appetite.
Clinical presentation
- A red tongue body with scanty tongue coating and a deficient, rapid pulse are typical signs of internal heat caused by yin deficiency.
Treatment strategy
- The appropriate therapeutic method is to promote fluid production with sweet-cooling, yin-nourishing, and stomach-boosting medicinals.
How does this formula compare?
Clinical Perspective
Yi Wei Tang nourishes Stomach Yin after heat. Sha Shen Mai Dong Tang focuses more on Lung-Stomach Yin. Mai Men Dong Tang descends rebellious Qi with Stomach Yin deficiency. Zeng Ye Tang enriches Yin and moistens the Intestines for constipation from fluid deficiency.
Clinical Differentiation
- Yi Wei Tang is commonly used to nourish the stomach yin.
- This clinical pattern is marked by burning sensation and dull pain within gastric cavity, poor appetite, dry mouth and throat, red tongue with scanty coating, thin and rapid pulse.
Safety notes: This formula is sweet and moistening. It is not appropriate for spleen deficiency with dampness and loose stools.
For educational reference only, based on traditional pattern differentiation — not a substitute for professional advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the actions of Yi Wei Tang?
Yi Wei Tang has the actions of nourishing Stomach Yin and generating fluids. It uses sweet, cool, moistening herbs to restore the fluids of the Stomach that have been damaged by Heat or Warm disease, thereby supporting digestion and relieving dryness.
Which modern diseases is Yi Wei Tang suited to?
Modern TCM clinical practice commonly applies it to individuals whose pattern differentiation falls within Stomach Yin deficiency, including chronic gastritis with dryness and reduced appetite, recovery after febrile illness with residual dry mouth and thirst, certain dry-mouth conditions, and supportive care in Yin-deficiency presentations such as some cases of diabetes or post-chemotherapy dryness.
Is Yi Wei Tang suitable for improving dry mouth, thirst, and hunger without desire to eat?
For presentations of dry mouth and throat, thirst (often with preference for small sips), a sensation of hunger but little desire to eat, possible dry stools, a red tongue with little or no coating, and a thin rapid pulse — in those whose pattern differentiation confirms Stomach Yin deficiency — TCM commonly applies Yi Wei Tang as an adjunct. It cannot replace standard medical treatment.
Related Products
Nong's Yi Wei Tang (Benefit the Stomach Decoction) 5:1 Concentrated Granules
Related Articles
Yi Wei Tang: Classic TCM Formula for Stomach Yin Deficiency & Dryness
Sha Shen Mai Dong Tang: Classic TCM Formula for Lung & Stomach Yin Deficiency & Dryness
Zeng Ye Tang: Increasing Body Fluids to Relieve Intestinal Dryness and Severe Constipation
Mai Men Dong Tang: Classic TCM Formula for Lung & Stomach Yin Deficiency with Dry Cough
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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.