Wu Ling San Wan - Five-Ingredient Powder with Poria - TCM Herbal Formula

Chinese Name: Wu Ling San Wan
English Name: Five-Ingredient Powder with Poria

Formula Category


Clinical Usage and Indications

Coming Soon...

Related TCM Diagnostic Patterns


Clinical Formula Combinations and Modifications:

Staff Clinician Notes:

There are no staff notes at this time.

Cautions and Contraindications:

None at this time.  As always consult with an acupuncturist/herbalist before use.

Related Western Medical Conditions:


Individual Chinese Herbs In This Formula:


  • Bai Hua She She Cao
  • Herb Functions
    • Clears heat, strongly relieve fire toxicity, reduces abscess - for intestinal abscess, toxic sores, ulcerations, swellings, snakebite (internal and external application).
    • Clears heat and resolves dampness by promoting urination - lin syndrome, jaundice.

  • Bai Shao
  • Herb Functions
    • Nourishes the blood and regulates menstrual problems due to blood deficiency (pale, lusterless complexion and nails) - menstrual dysfunction, vaginal discharge, uterine bleeding - very common herb for gynecological disorders (Si Wu Tang).
    • Calms liver yang, alleviates pain from constrained liver qi or disharmony between the liver and the spleen due to liver yang rising - cramping and spasms (limbs and abdomen), abdominal pain from dysentery, headache and dizziness.
    • Preserves yin, adjusts ying and wei levels - vaginal discharge and spermatorrhea, exterior wind-cold from deficiency with continuous sweating, spontaneous sweating, night sweats.

  • Contraindications
    • Incompatible with Li Lu
    • Avoid in cases of yang deficiency and cold in the middle jiao - diarrhea, cold sensation in the stomach.

  • Chai Hu
  • Herb Functions
    • Clears shao yang disorders and reduces fever - alternating chills and fever, bitter taste in the mouth, irritability, vomiting, stifling sensation in the chest.
    • Relieves liver qi stagnation (often used with Bai Shao) - vertigo, menstrual disorders, chest and flank pain, the most common herb to treat stress, irritability, depression, etc.; also for liver and spleen disharmony - bloating, nausea, indigestion, flank pain.
    • Raises yang qi in spleen and stomach deficiency patterns (often used with Sheng Ma) - prolapsed organ, diarrhea, hemorrhoids.

  • Contraindications
    • Due to its rising and dispersing nature avoid in yin deficiency or liver yang rising.
    • May cause nausea or vomiting - use a smaller dose if necessary.

  • Che Qian Zi
  • Herb Functions
    • Promotes urination, clears heat - edema, lin syndromes due to damp-heat, generally in the lower warmer.
    • Solidifies the stool - diarrhea with damp-heat or damp-summerheat.
    • Clears the eyes - liver and kidney deficiency (dry eyes or cataracts) or heat in the liver channel (red, painful, swollen eyes and sensitive to light).
    • Lung heat - expels phlegm, stops cough.

  • Contraindications
    • Avoid during Pregnancy.

  • Chi Shao
  • Herb Functions
    • Invigorates blood, dispels stasis (stronger than Mu Dan Pi) - dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, abdominal pain and masses, traumatic pain associated with swelling, early stages of abscesses and boils.
    • Clears heat, cools the blood (especially for excess heat in the blood) - for heat entering the blood level with fever, purple tongue, skin blotches, bleeding, gyn issues.
    • Clears liver fire - for red swollen, painful eyes.

  • Contraindications

  • Fu Ling
  • Herb Functions
    • Promotes urination, drains dampness, transforms phlegm - urinary difficulty, diarrhea, edema, headache, dizziness, greasy tongue coat.
    • Strengthens the spleen, harmonizes the middle jiao - diarrhea, loss of appetite.
    • Quiets the heart and calms the spirit - palpitations, insomnia, forgetfulness.

  • Contraindications
    • Avoid Vinegar While Using This Herb.

  • Gan Cao
  • Herb Functions
    • Tonifies the spleen and augments qi - spleen deficiency w/shortness of breath, fatigue, loose stools (si jun zi tong).
    • Qi and/or blood deficiency w/irregular pluse or palpitations (Zhi Gan Cao Tang).
    • Moistens the lungs and stops cough - heat/cold in the lungs (Ma Xing Shi Gan Tang).
    • Clears heat and toxic fire (raw) - carbuncles, sores, sore throat due to fire toxin (internally or topically).
    • Alleviates pain and stops spasms - abdomen or legs (Shao Yao Gan Cao Tang).
    • Often used to harmonize and/or moderate characteristics of other herbs.
    • Antidote for toxic substances (internally and topically).

  • Contraindications
    • Avoid with excess dampness, nausea, vomiting.
    • Incompatible with Gan Sui, Da Ji, Yuan Hua, Hai Zao (although used in some formulas with Hai Zao).
    • If taken for long periods of time, may cause hypertension and/or edema.

  • Jin Qian Cao
  • Herb Functions
    • Promotes urination, important herb for stone lin syndromes (also helps for other lin types).
    • Clears damp-heat in the liver and gallbladder - jaundice, red, swollen eyes.
    • Reduces toxicity and swelling - snakebit, abscess, traumatic injury.

  • Qu Mai
  • Herb Functions
    • Clears damp heat, promotes urination, unblocks lin syndrome - for any lin, especially xue lin.
    • Breaks up blood stasis - amenorrhea due to blood stasis.
    • Unblocks the bowels - constipation.

  • Contraindications
    • Avoid during Pregnancy.

  • Shi Wei
  • Herb Functions
    • Promotes urination, drains damp-heat from the bladder - hot, stone, xue lin.
    • Clears heat and stops bleeding - vomiting, uterine bleeding.
    • Clears the lungs, expels phlegm, relieves cough - lung heat, wheezing.

  • Zhi Zi
  • Herb Functions
    • Clears heat (Heart and Liver), eliminates irritability - heat patterns with fever, restlessness, insomnia, delirium, stifling sensation in the chest.
    • Drains damp heat - lin (urinary dysfunction) syndrome due to damp-heat in the lower warmer, damp-heat and constrained liver and gallbladder causing jaundice, damp-heat in the gall bladder and triple heater channels of the face - eyes, nose, sores in the mouth and face.
    • Cools the blood, stops bleeding - nosebleed, blood in vomit, stool, urine; (needs to partially charred).
    • Topically for blood stasis due to trauma, reduces swelling.

  • Contraindications
    • Avoid in patients with loose stools and/or loss of appetite due to cold from deficiency.

  • Zhu Ling
  • Herb Functions
    • Promotes urination, drains dampness - edema, scanty urination, cloudy painful urination, vaginal discharge, jaundice, diarrhea.