Feng Yin Tang
Star风引汤 (Wind-Drawing Decoction)
Source: Jin Gui Yao Lue (c. 220)
Last updated October 1, 2026
Description
Feng Yin Tang (Wind-Drawing Decoction), from Essentials from the Golden Cabinet (c. 220).
Actions: Extinguishes and pacifies wind with heavy medicinals; Clears heat; Calms the spirit
Indications: Sudden collapse where the person falls to the ground, convulsions with upturned eyeballs, deviation of the mouth and eyes, gurgling sounds in the throat, irritability and restlessness, or mental confusion, a red tongue, and a forceful, wiry, and/or rapid pulse. Also for hemiplegia and hemilateral withering.
Pattern: Exuberant heat stirring internal Liver wind (seizures, wind-stroke, child fright wind)
Cautions:
- Draining formula; do not use for Liver yang rising with blood or yin deficiency.
Modifications:
- Seizures: add Bambusae Succus (zhu li), Arisaema cum Bile (dan nan xing), and Acori tatarinowii Rhizoma (shi chang pu)
- Wind-stroke: add Magnetitum (ci shi), Haematitum (dai zhe shi), and Achyranthis bidentatae Radix (niu xi)
- Child fright wind: add Saigae tataricae Cornu (ling yang jiao), Uncariae Ramulus cum Uncis (gou teng), and Scorpio (quan xie)
Commentary: Authenticity long debated but now accepted as Han-dynasty; Zhang Xi-Chun and Ran Xue-Feng read it as sinking heavy minerals that direct upward-rushing blood/qi down (wind-stroke), with Cinnamon twig and dried ginger essential to protect Heart function and the pulse.
Category: Formulas that Dredge and Disperse External Wind.
Source: Scheid V, Bensky D, Ellis A, Barolet R. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies, 2nd ed. Eastland Press, 2009, p. 639.
Composition
| Herb | Amount | % | Role | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Da Huang
batch quantity as printed (stock for a pill/powder preparation), not a single dose; as printed: Rhei Radix et Rhizoma (da huang) 120g
|
120g | 7.27% | Directs qi downward and drains heat via the bowels | |
|
Gan Jiang
batch quantity as printed (stock for a pill/powder preparation), not a single dose; as printed: Zingiberis Rhizoma (gan jiang) 120g
|
120g | 7.27% | Protects the middle burner from the cold ingredients | |
|
Long Gu
batch quantity as printed (stock for a pill/powder preparation), not a single dose; as printed: Fossilia Ossis Mastodi (long gu) 120g
|
120g | 7.27% | Heavy; pacifies wind and calms the spirit | |
|
Gui Zhi
as printed: Cinnamomi Ramulus (gui zhi) 90g
|
90g | 5.45% | Dispels heat from the muscle layer; with licorice protects Heart yang | |
|
Gan Cao
as printed: Glycyrrhizae Radix (gan cao) 60g
|
60g | 3.64% | Cools, resolves toxicity, harmonizes | |
|
Mu Li
as printed: Ostreae Concha (mu li) 60g
|
60g | 3.64% | Heavy; pacifies wind and calms the spirit | |
|
Han Shui Shi
batch quantity as printed (stock for a pill/powder preparation), not a single dose; per Bensky, Materia Medica 3rd ed. (2004), Han Shui Shi (Calcitum) in use is red gypsum or calcite; as printed: Glauberitum (han shui shi) 180g
|
180g | 10.91% | Cooling mineral; clears fire and drains heat | |
|
Hua Shi
batch quantity as printed (stock for a pill/powder preparation), not a single dose; as printed: Talcum (hua shi) 180g
|
180g | 10.91% | Cooling mineral; clears fire and drains heat | |
|
Chi Shi Zhi
batch quantity as printed (stock for a pill/powder preparation), not a single dose; as printed: Halloysitum rubrum (chi shi zhi) 180g
|
180g | 10.91% | Heavy, astringent; pacifies wind and counterbalances draining | |
|
Bai Shi Zhi
batch quantity as printed (stock for a pill/powder preparation), not a single dose; as printed: Kaolinitum (bai shi zhi) 180g
|
180g | 10.91% | Heavy, astringent; pacifies wind and counterbalances draining | |
|
Zi Shi Ying
batch quantity as printed (stock for a pill/powder preparation), not a single dose; as printed: Fluoritum (zi shi ying) 180g
|
180g | 10.91% | Heavy; pacifies wind and calms the spirit | |
|
Shi Gao
batch quantity as printed (stock for a pill/powder preparation), not a single dose; as printed: Gypsum fibrosum (shi gao) 180g
|
180g | 10.91% | Cooling mineral; clears fire and drains heat |
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 cool (-0.42)
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Grams by band: cold 40%, cool 4%, neutral 22%, warm 27%, hot 7%.
Pairs warm and cool. 35% of the weighed grams are warm or hot and 44% cool or cold — the net is their average, not the whole story.
Small but decisive: Da Huang 120g (cold, 7% of the grams), Gan Jiang 120g (hot, 7% of the grams). Dose weighting nearly cancels a herb this small, but it may be what the formula is for.
Taste
- pungent 26%
- sweet 41%
- sour 11%
- bitter 7%
- salty 9%
- bland 6%
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Channels reached
- Stomach 73%
- Lung 49%
- Heart 49%
- Kidney 33%
- Large intestine 29%
- Liver 29%
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
Coarse powder; three pinches in a soft leather pouch decocted in 3 cups of water, brought to a boil three times; one cup per dose taken warm. Today prepared as a decoction at reduced dosage.
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Formula family
Full herb lists
- This formula = Gui Zhi Gan Cao Long Gu Mu Li Tang + Liu Yi San + Da Huang Gan Cao Tang + Bai Shi Zhi, Chi Shi Zhi, Gan Jiang, Han Shui Shi, Shi Gao and Zi Shi Ying
- This formula = Da Huang Gan Cao Tang + Gui Zhi Gan Cao Long Gu Mu Li Tang + Liu Yi San + Bai Shi Zhi, Chi Shi Zhi, Gan Jiang, Han Shui Shi, Shi Gao and Zi Shi Ying
- This formula = Liu Yi San + Gui Zhi Gan Cao Long Gu Mu Li Tang + Da Huang Gan Cao Tang + Bai Shi Zhi, Chi Shi Zhi, Gan Jiang, Han Shui Shi, Shi Gao and Zi Shi Ying
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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