胃苓汤

4. Granule conversion and dose

Calculation of the total raw herb weight of the original formula (excluding ginger and jujube):

Cang Zhu (atractylodes rhizome) 9 g + Fu Ling (poria) 9 g + Hou Po (magnolia bark) 6 g + Ze Xie (alisma rhizome) 9 g + Zhu Ling (polyporus) 6 g + Bai Zhu (white atractylodes rhizome) 9 g + Chen Pi (aged tangerine peel) 6 g + Rou Gui (cinnamon bark) 3 g + Zhi Gan Cao (honey-fried licorice root) 3 g = 60 g.

Converted to 5:1 granules:

60 g raw herbs ÷ 5 = 12.0 g of granules.

Granule dose: Dissolve in warm water and take in 2 doses, morning and evening, about 6 g per dose.

5. Cautions and clinical notes

• Contraindications:
  1. This formula is warm and drying in nature; it is contraindicated for damp-heat diarrhea and dysentery, and for those with yin deficiency and scanty fluids.
  2. Use with caution during pregnancy.
• Characteristics: This formula is an effective formula for water diarrhea and edema due to internal cold-damp with disharmony of the intestines and Stomach, and is especially suited to damp-turbidity diarrhea occurring between summer and autumn.
• Modern applications: Used mainly for acute gastroenteritis, indigestion, nephritic edema, and ascites due to cirrhosis, where the pattern is one of internal cold-damp exuberance with Spleen failing to transport and transform.
• Duration of use: This formula expels pathogens; it should be stopped once the disease resolves and should not be taken long term. After the diarrhea stops and the edema subsides, treatment should shift to a Spleen-fortifying formula for regulation and consolidation.