Fang Feng Tong Sheng San
Star防风通圣散 (Saposhnikovia Powder that Sagely Unblocks)
Source: Huang Di Su Wen Xuan Ming Lun Fang — Liu Yuan-Su (1172)
Last updated October 1, 2026
Description
Fang Feng Tong Sheng San (Saposhnikovia Powder that Sagely Unblocks), from the Huang Di Su Wen Xuan Ming Lun Fang (Formulas from the Discussion Illuminating the Yellow Emperor's Basic Questions) by Liu Yuan-Su.
Actions: Expels wind and releases the exterior; Clears interior heat and promotes defecation.
Presentation: Exterior wind-heat syndrome with accumulation of interior heat: severe aversion to cold and high fever, dizziness, vertigo, red and painful eyes, a bitter and dry mouth, throat discomfort or a sore throat, a feeling of distention and stifling sensation in the chest and diaphragm, coughing, dyspnea, thick and sticky nasal discharge and saliva, constipation, dark yellow-colored urine or dysuria. It also treats abscesses, sores, carbuncle, chang feng (intestinal wind), hemorrhoids, erysipelas, dermatitis, acne, and other conditions characterized by heat and toxins.
Cautions:
- Contraindicated in deficiency and in pregnancy.
- Use with caution in patients with sensitive GI systems because of the strong purgatives.
Toxicology: One case of pneumonitis in a 65-year-old man about a month after starting the formula (cough, fever, dyspnea); recovered on discontinuation.
Pharmacological effects reported:
- Cardiovascular: reduced heart rate, contractility and blood pressure; anti-arrhythmic against aconitine in mice
- Metabolic: 0.45 g/day for 11 weeks lowered cholesterol and triglycerides in obese rats
- Thermogenic and anti-obesity: suppressed weight gain, serum triglyceride rise and fat accumulation in fructose-fed rats via reduced hepatic TG synthesis, enhanced lipolysis and brown-fat thermogenesis, and phosphodiesterase inhibition
Source: Chen JK, Chen TT. Chinese Herbal Formulas and Applications: Pharmacological Effects & Clinical Research. Art of Medicine Press, 2009, p. 291.
Composition
| Herb | Amount | % | Role | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Fang Feng
as printed: Fang Feng (Radix Saposhnikoviae) 15g [6g]
|
6g | 5% | Jun (Chief) | clears exterior wind-heat |
|
Ma Huang
as printed: Ma Huang (Herba Ephedrae) 15g [6g]
|
6g | 5% | Jun (Chief) | clears exterior wind-heat |
|
Da Huang
as printed: Da Huang (Radix et Rhizoma Rhei, zheng (steamed) with liquor) 15g [6g]
|
6g | 5% | Jun (Chief) | purges interior heat, promotes defecation |
|
Mang Xiao
as printed: Mang Xiao (Natrii Sulfas, post-decocted) 15g [6g]
|
6g | 5% | Jun (Chief) | purges interior heat, promotes defecation |
|
Jing Jie
dose printed as 3-6g; as printed: Jing Jie (Herba Schizonepetae) 7.5-15g [3-6g]
|
g | — | Chen (Deputy) | clears exterior wind-heat |
|
Bo He
as printed: Bo He (Herba Menthae) 15g [6g]
|
6g | 5% | Chen (Deputy) | clears exterior wind-heat |
|
Shi Gao
as printed: Shi Gao (Gypsum Fibrosum) 30g [12g]
|
12g | 10% | Chen (Deputy) | clears Lung and Stomach heat |
|
Huang Qin
as printed: Huang Qin (Radix Scutellariae) 30g [12g]
|
12g | 10% | Chen (Deputy) | clears Lung and Stomach heat |
|
Lian Qiao
as printed: Lian Qiao (Fructus Forsythiae) 15g [6g]
|
6g | 5% | Chen (Deputy) | clears Lung and Stomach heat |
|
Jie Geng
as printed: Jie Geng (Radix Platycodonis) 30g [12g]
|
12g | 10% | Chen (Deputy) | clears Lung and Stomach heat |
|
Zhi Zi
dose printed as 3-6g; as printed: Zhi Zi (Fructus Gardeniae, tan (charred to ash)) 7.5-15g [3-6g]
|
g | — | Chen (Deputy) | clears Lung and Stomach heat |
|
Hua Shi
as printed: Hua Shi (Talcum) 90g [20g]
|
20g | 16.67% | Chen (Deputy) | drains heat through urination, relieves dysuria |
|
Dang Gui
as printed: Dang Gui (Radix Angelicae Sinensis) 15g [6g]
|
6g | 5% | Zuo (Assistant) | nourishes and activates blood |
|
Chuan Xiong
as printed: Chuan Xiong (Rhizoma Chuanxiong) 15g [6g]
|
6g | 5% | Zuo (Assistant) | nourishes and activates blood |
|
Bai Shao
as printed: Bai Shao (Radix Paeoniae Alba, chao (dry-fried)) 15g [6g]
|
6g | 5% | Zuo (Assistant) | nourishes and activates blood |
|
Bai Zhu
dose printed as 3-6g; as printed: Bai Zhu (Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae) 7.5-15g [3-6g]
|
g | — | Zuo (Assistant) | strengthens Spleen qi; protects against the purgatives |
|
Gan Cao
as printed: Gan Cao (Radix et Rhizoma Glycyrrhizae) 60g [10g]
|
10g | 8.33% | Shi (Envoy) | strengthens Spleen qi; protects against the purgatives |
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 cool (-0.88)
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Grams by band: cold 47%, cool 15%, neutral 18%, warm 20%.
Small but decisive: Da Huang 6g (cold, 5% of the grams), Mang Xiao 6g (cold, 5% of the grams). Dose weighting nearly cancels a herb this small, but it may be what the formula is for.
Taste
- pungent 28%
- sweet 27%
- sour 3%
- bitter 33%
- salty 3%
- bland 8%
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Channels reached
- Stomach 55%
- Lung 53%
- Spleen 38%
- Liver 30%
- Heart 28%
- Large intestine 20%
Share of the grams entering each channel, from 100% of the weighed grams.
3 herbs without a dose in grams, so left out of every figure above: Jing Jie, Zhi Zi, Bai Zhu.
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: grind to powder; cook 6g with 3 slices Sheng Jiang in 1 large bowl water down to 60%; take warm. May also be made into water pills (all but Hua Shi powdered, pills coated with Hua Shi), 6g twice daily, or decocted at bracketed doses. Cong Bai may be added to enhance exterior release. Doses of Jing Jie, Bai Zhu and Zhi Zi are uncertain in the sources: 2.5 qian (7.5g) or 5 qian (15g), both listed.
Relationships
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Formula family
Full herb lists
- Qu Feng Zhi Bao Dan = this formula + Xi Gan San + Wen Qing Yin + Du Huo, Quan Xie, Ren Shen, Tian Ma and Xi Xin
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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