Chai Hu Si Wu Tang
Star柴胡四物汤 (Bupleurum and Four-Substance Decoction)
Source: Collection of Writings on the Mechanisms of Illness, Suitability of Qi, and the Safeguarding of Life as Discussed in Basic Questions (1186)
Last updated October 1, 2026
Description
Chai Hu Si Wu Tang (Bupleurum and Four-Substance Decoction), from Collection of Writings on the Mechanisms of Illness, Suitability of Qi, and the Safeguarding of Life as Discussed in Basic Questions (1186).
Associated formula of Xiao Chai Hu Tang.
Indications: Pain from chest to back with alternating fever and chills worse at night; may have a pale tongue with dark-purple spots and a wiry, thin pulse; also chronic consumptive disorders with slight alternating fever and chills, and colds during menstruation
Pattern: External pathogen penetrating to the terminal yin with blood deficiency and stasis
Usage: For externally-contracted pathogens reaching the terminal yin with blood deficiency and stasis, or colds contracted during menstruation.
Category: Formulas that Harmonize Lesser Yang-Warp Disorders.
Source: Scheid V, Bensky D, Ellis A, Barolet R. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies, 2nd ed. Eastland Press, 2009, p. 110.
Composition
| Herb | Amount | % | Role | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Chai Hu
as printed: Bupleuri Radix (chai hu) 24g
|
24g | 10% | — | |
|
Huang Qin
as printed: Scutellariae Radix (huang qin) 9g
|
9g | 3.75% | — | |
|
Ban Xia
as printed: Pinelliae Rhizoma preparatum (zhi ban xia) 9g
|
9g | 3.75% | — | |
|
Gan Cao
as printed: Glycyrrhizae Radix preparata (zhi gan cao) 9g
|
9g | 3.75% | — | |
|
Ren Shen
as printed: Ginseng Radix (ren shen) 9g
|
9g | 3.75% | — | |
|
Bai Shao
as printed: Paeoniae Radix alba (bai shao) 45g
|
45g | 18.75% | — | |
|
Shu Di Huang
as printed: Rehmanniae Radix preparata (shu di huang) 45g
|
45g | 18.75% | — | |
|
Dang Gui
as printed: Angelicae sinensis Radix (dang gui) 45g
|
45g | 18.75% | — | |
|
Chuan Xiong
as printed: Chuanxiong Rhizoma (chuan xiong) 45g
|
45g | 18.75% | — |
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 slightly warm (+0.28)
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Grams by band: cold 4%, cool 29%, neutral 4%, warm 64%.
Pairs warm and cool. 64% of the weighed grams are warm or hot and 33% cool or cold — the net is their average, not the whole story.
Small but decisive: Huang Qin 9g (cold, 4% of the grams). Dose weighting nearly cancels a herb this small, but it may be what the formula is for.
Taste
- pungent 37%
- sweet 34%
- sour 9%
- bitter 20%
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Channels reached
- Liver 85%
- Spleen 53%
- Gallbladder 33%
- Heart 30%
- Pericardium 29%
- Kidney 23%
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
Source text: powder, take 9-12g as a draft. Now decocted with proportionately reduced doses.
Relationships
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Formula family
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
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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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