Description
Bai Dou Kou San (Round Cardamom Powder), from Fine Formulas of Wonderful Efficacy (Qi Xiao Liang Fang).
Actions: Warm the stomach and promote digestion, move qi and loosen the center
Indications: Indicated for the treatment of accumulations and gatherings (abdominal masses), with distending and fullness in the epigastrium and abdomen, indigestion, pain due to qi stagnation, diarrhea, frequent belching, acid regurgitation, and reversal cold of the hands and feet
Category: Formulas That Promote Digestion and Guide Out [Food] Stagnation.
Source: Xi S, Gong Y. Essentials of Chinese Materia Medica and Medical Formulas: New Century Traditional Chinese Medicine. Academic Press/Elsevier, 2017, pp. 815–817.
Composition
| Herb | Amount | % | Role | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Bai Dou Kou
as printed: Fructus Amomi Kravanh (bai dou kou) 1.5 g
|
1.5g | 1.39% | — | |
|
Rou Dou Kou
as printed: Semen Myristicae (rou dou kou) 0.5 g
|
0.5g | 0.46% | — | |
|
Gao Liang Jiang
as printed: Rhizoma Alpiniae Officinarum (gao liang jiang) 0.5 g
|
0.5g | 0.46% | — | |
|
Mu Xiang
as printed: Radix Aucklandiae (mu xiang) 0.5 g
|
0.5g | 0.46% | — | |
|
Rou Gui
as printed: Cortex Cinnamomi (rou gui) 15 g
|
15g | 13.89% | — | |
|
Zhi Fu Zi
as printed: Radix Aconiti Lateralis Praeparata (fu zi) 15 g
|
15g | 13.89% | — | |
|
Zhi Ke
as printed: dry-fried Fructus Aurantii with bran (fu chao zhi qiao) 15 g
|
15g | 13.89% | — | |
|
Chen Pi
as printed: Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae (chen pi) 15 g
|
15g | 13.89% | — | |
|
Ren Shen
as printed: Radix et Rhizoma Ginseng (ren shen) 15 g
|
15g | 13.89% | — | |
|
Ding Xiang
as printed: Flos Caryophylli (ding xiang) 15 g
|
15g | 13.89% | — | |
|
Gan Cao
as printed: Radix et Rhizoma Glycyrrhizae (gan cao) 15 g
|
15g | 13.89% | — |
Energetics dose-weighted
The formula's overall nature, taste balance and channel reach, weighted by each herb's dose. Classical formulas often pair warm and cool herbs on purpose, so a net figure summarises the mix — it doesn't describe every herb in it.
Nature
Net warm (+0.87)
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Grams by band: cool 14%, neutral 14%, warm 44%, hot 28%.
Small but decisive: Gao Liang Jiang 0.5g (hot, 1% of the grams). Dose weighting nearly cancels a herb this small, but it may be what the formula is for.
Taste
- pungent 42%
- sweet 35%
- sour 5%
- bitter 19%
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Channels reached
- Spleen 100%
- Lung 71%
- Heart 56%
- Kidney 56%
- Stomach 44%
- Large intestine 15%
Share of the grams entering each channel, from 100% of the weighed grams.
Dose-weighted from each herb's recorded nature, taste and channels (missing values are left out, never counted as neutral). It describes the composition — it is not a recommendation.
Preparation
Grind the ingredients into fine powder, and take in 6 g doses with decoction of Fructus Chaenomelis ( mu gua ) and Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens ( sheng jiang ) before meals
Relationships
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Formula family
Full herb lists
- This formula = Ding Gui San + Shen Fu Tang + Bai Dou Kou, Chen Pi, Gan Cao, Gao Liang Jiang, Mu Xiang, Rou Dou Kou and Zhi Ke
- This formula = Shen Fu Tang + Ding Gui San + Bai Dou Kou, Chen Pi, Gan Cao, Gao Liang Jiang, Mu Xiang, Rou Dou Kou and Zhi Ke
Each entry reads as the larger formula written out: “+” adds its other catalogue cores, then the herbs none of them hold. A catalogue formula counts as a core only when at least 80% of its herbs are present, no more than 1 is absent, and the absent herb is not its chief.
Formula Network
Formulas that share herbs with this one — the closer to the centre, the stronger the match. Click a node to explore.
Similar Formulas by composition
Match score combines dosage-weighted composition (cosine, 70%) with shared-herb overlap (Jaccard, 30%).
Traditional formula information is for educational purposes only. Herbal formulas should be prescribed by a qualified practitioner — dosages and combinations are individualized and can interact with medications.
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