Zhi Shi Dao Zhi Wan: A Time-Honored Chinese Herbal Medicine for Digestion and Balance
Health Lab- Feb 21
- 6 min read
Updated: Apr 26
The Origins of Chinese Herbal Medicine Zhi Shi Dao Zhi Wan
Chinese Herbal Medicine, Zhi Shi Dao Zhi Wan, a classic herbal formula, was developed by Li Gao, a renowned physician of the Jin and Yuan Dynasties, also known as Li Dongyuan. A key figure in the "Bu Tu School" of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Li emphasized the vital role of the spleen and stomach in overall health, viewing them as the foundation of the body’s acquired constitution.
His formula, documented in Neiwai Shangbianhuo Lun, was designed to address digestive issues caused by food stagnation and damp-heat, promoting digestion, clearing heat, and eliminating dampness.
What is Zhi Shi Dao Zhi Wan?
Zhi Shi Dao Zhi Wan is a carefully balanced herbal remedy that tackles digestive problems, relieves bloating, and restores balance by clearing excess heat and dampness from the body.
By combining herbs that promote digestion and regulate the body’s internal environment, this formula is ideal for those struggling with indigestion, abdominal discomfort, or other symptoms of damp-heat and food accumulation.
Key Ingredients and Their Roles
Following the TCM principle of "monarch, minister, assistant, and envoy," the formula’s ingredients work synergistically to achieve optimal results:
Monarch Herb (Main Herb):
Rhubarb: The primary ingredient, rhubarb purges stagnation, clears heat, and promotes bowel movements to eliminate accumulated food and heat from the body.
Minister Herbs (Supporting Herbs):
Zhi Shi (Citrus Aurantium): Breaks up stagnant Qi, reduces bloating, and enhances rhubarb’s laxative effects.
Shen Qu: Aids digestion, harmonizes the stomach, and clears food stagnation, supporting spleen function.
Assistant Herbs:
Scutellaria Baicalensis and Coptis Chinensis: These bitter, cooling herbs clear damp-heat, especially in the stomach and intestines, reducing inflammation and detoxifying the body.
Poria: Drains dampness through urine, relieving water retention and supporting spleen health.
Ze Xie: Promotes urination to expel dampness and heat.
Atractylodes Macrocephala: Strengthens the spleen, dries dampness, and protects the body from excessive purging, ensuring no harm to vitality.
This combination ensures effective digestion, heat clearance, and dampness removal while safeguarding the body’s energy.
How Zhi Shi Dao Zhi Wan Works
Understanding the Pathogenesis
Zhi Shi Dao Zhi Wan targets issues caused by food stagnation and damp-heat in the body. Overeating or consuming greasy, heavy foods can overwhelm the stomach and intestines, leading to food accumulation.
This disrupts Qi flow, causing bloating, abdominal pain, or indigestion. Over time, stagnant food generates damp-heat, which may manifest as:
Diarrhea, dysentery, or constipation
Dark, scanty urine
Yellow, greasy tongue coating
Strong, rapid pulse
Damp-heat can impair digestion and intestinal function, worsening symptoms and creating a cycle of discomfort.
Treatment Approach
The formula addresses these issues through a three-pronged strategy:
Digest Food and Clear Stagnation: Rhubarb and Zhi Shi promote gastrointestinal motility, relieving bloating and expelling stagnant food.
Clear Heat and Dry Dampness: Scutellaria and Coptis cool the body and eliminate damp-heat, addressing symptoms like diarrhea or greasy tongue coating.
Support the Spleen: Poria, Ze Xie, and Atractylodes strengthen the spleen and drain excess dampness, preventing further accumulation.
This holistic approach restores digestive balance and alleviates discomfort.
Benefits of Zhi Shi Dao Zhi Wan
Zhi Shi Dao Zhi Wan excels at resolving digestive issues and damp-heat-related symptoms, offering the following benefits:
Relieves Bloating and Indigestion: Rhubarb and Zhi Shi promote bowel movements, clearing stagnant food and easing abdominal discomfort.
Clears Damp-Heat: Scutellaria and Coptis reduce excess heat and dampness, improving symptoms like diarrhea, constipation, or dark urine.
Supports Digestive Health: Shen Qu and Atractylodes enhance spleen function, aiding digestion and preventing future stagnation.
Restores Balance: By addressing both symptoms and root causes, the formula promotes overall wellness.
Modern Applications
In modern TCM clinics, Zhi Shi Dao Zhi Wan is widely used for its versatility and efficacy. Pharmacological studies confirm its benefits, including antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and gut-regulating properties, aligning with its traditional uses. Common applications include:
Digestive Disorders: Acute/chronic gastritis, indigestion, enteritis, and bacterial dysentery.
Neurological Conditions: Neurosis, Meniere’s syndrome, menopausal symptoms, and epilepsy.
Respiratory Issues: Acute and chronic bronchitis.
Other Conditions: Fatty liver, chronic hepatitis, gastric ulcers, acne, Crohn’s disease, cholecystitis, pancreatitis, and bacterial food poisoning.
Precautions and Considerations
While effective, Zhi Shi Dao Zhi Wan is not suitable for everyone. Key precautions include:
Avoid in Weak Constitutions: Patients with chronic diarrhea, dysentery without stagnation, or general weakness should not use this formula, as its purging nature may worsen their condition.
Not for Pregnant Women: The formula’s strong effects could harm the fetus.
Unsuitable for Non-Stagnation Diarrhea: It’s designed for stagnation-related issues, so it may be ineffective or harmful in other cases.
Always consult a qualified TCM practitioner to ensure the formula is appropriate for your condition.
Conclusion
Zhi Shi Dao Zhi Wan is a powerful testament to the wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine, offering a natural solution for digestive issues, bloating, and damp-heat imbalances. Rooted in Li Dongyuan’s spleen-focused philosophy, this formula not only relieves symptoms but also restores harmony to the body’s core systems.
Chinese Name | 枳實導滯丸 |
Phonetic | Zhi Shi Dao Zhi Wan |
English Name | Immature Bitter Orange Stagnation-Moving Pill |
Classification | Digestive formulas |
Source | 《Clarifying Doubts about Damage from Internal and External Causes》Nei Wai Shang Bian Huo Lun《內外傷辨惑論》 |
Combination | Rhei Radix et Rhizoma (Da Huang) 1 liang (30g), Aurantii Fructus Immaturus (Zhi Shi) 5 qian (15g), Medicata Massa Fermentata (Shen Qu) 5 qian (15g), Poria (Fu Ling) 3 qian (9g), Scutellariae Radix (Huang Qin) 3 qian (9g), Coptidis Rhizoma (Huang Lian) 3 qian (9g), Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma (Bai Zhu) 3 qian (9g), Alismatis Rhizoma (Ze Xie) 2 qian (6g) |
Method | Grind the medicinals into a fine power and prepare as pills. Take 6-9g with warm water twice daily after meals. It can also be prepared as a decoction by adjusting the medicinal quantities based on the original ratio. |
Action | Promotes digestion, removes stagnation, clears heat, and removes dampness. |
Indication | Food accumulation with damp-heat, marked by distending pain of the abdomen and stomach cavity, diarrhea, constipation, dark, scanty urine, a greasy yellow tongue coating, and a deep, forceful pulse. |
Pathogenesis | This pattern is caused by an accumulation of both damp-heat and food. Food accumulation may induce damp-heat or there may be a pre-existing pattern of damp-heat that combines with food accumulation. When qi movement is blocked by internal stagnation, distension and pain of the abdomen and stomach cavity is the result. Damp-heat enters the large intestine to cause diarrhea. If heat obstructs qi movement there may be constipation. Dark urine, a greasy, yellow tongue coating, and a deep and forceful pulse are all signs that indicate damp-heat. The therapeutic principle is to promote digestion, remove accumulation, clear heat and remove dampness. |
Application | 1. Essential pattern differentiation Zhi Shi Dao Zhi Wan serves as the most common formula applied for food accumulation with damp-heat blocking the stomach and intestine. This clinical pattern is marked by distention and fullness of the abdomen and stomach, abnormal defection, greasy, yellow tongue coating, deep and forceful pulse. 2. Modern applications This formula may be used in the following biomedically defined disorders when the patient shows signs of food accumulation with damp-heat: gastrointestinal dysfunction, bacillary dysentery, enteritis, and dyspepsia. 3. Cautions and contraindications This formula is prohibited for chronic dysentery and diarrhea with deficiency if there is no accumulation, and for pregnant women. |
Additonal formulae | Mu Xiang Bing Lang Wan (Costus Root and Areca Pill 木香檳榔丸) [Source]《Confucians' Duties to Their Parents》Ru Men Shi Qin《儒門事親》 [Ingredients] Mu xiang 1 liang (30g), bing lang 1 liang (30g), qing pi 1 liang (30g), chen pi 1 liang (30g), e zhu 1 liang (30g), zhi qiao 1 liang (30g), huang lian 1 liang (30g), huang bai 3 liang (90g), da huang 3 liang (90g), xiang fu (dry-fried) 4 liang (120g), qian niu zi 4 liang (120g) [Preparation and Administration] Grind the medicinals into fine powder and make pills. Take 3-6g with decoction of sheng jiang or warm water after dinner twice per day. [Actions] Moves qi and removes stagnation, eliminates accumulation, discharges heat. [Applicable Patterns] Food accumulation complicated by damp accumulation generating heat. Symptoms include: fullness, distension and pain of the abdomen and stomach cavity, red and white dysentery, tenesmus, constipation, a greasy, yellow tongue coating, and a deep and excess pulse. |
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