The difference between Gui Zhi Fu Ling Wan and Gui Zhi Fu Ling tang

They would be the same thing, possibly in a different format. Generally wan = pills, pian = tablets, tang = tea. So the last part is speaking of the format - wan being the common small ball pills in prepared formulas sold in bottles, tang being the raw herbs in a tea, or possible from granules. What makes this slightly more complicated is wan and tang can also in a way just mean formula. So on our herbal formulas page for Gui Zhi Fu Ling Wan, we use wan as a general indicator, but it’s just the formula page which could be prepared in pian, tang, wan depending on the practitioner.

A classical formula such as Gui Zhi Fu Ling Wan may be prescribed in various format depending on variables such as availability, client compliance, clinic stock etc. Having had the opportunity to observe the difference between prescribing this formula as a granule and as a honey pill (created by classical methods, not the small back pearl etc versions), I would say that there is a difference in effectiveness. Formulas were originally designed in a particular way intentionally, in this case the slow release of a pill form when it is prescribed as one to three pills per day creates an ongoing effect that difference from decoction, granules etc.