Gou Teng San
Star钩藤散 (Uncaria Powder)
Source: Pu Ji Ben Shi Fang — Xu Shu-Wei (1132)
Last updated October 1, 2026
Description
Gou Teng San (Uncaria Powder), from the Pu Ji Ben Shi Fang (Formulas of Universal Benefit from My Practice) by Xu Shu-Wei.
Actions: Clears heat from the Liver channel; Directs Liver yang downward and extinguishes Liver wind.
Presentation: Liver excess: marked changes in emotions and behavior, irritability, feelings of qi rushing upward, feelings of oppression and distention beneath the heart, muscle spasms in the shoulders and back, red eyes, headache, dizziness, vertigo, tinnitus, palpitations, and insomnia; most common in middle-aged adults. Diagnostic clue: headache early in the morning or after rest that eases with walking or mild exercise.
Pharmacological effects reported:
- Cardiovascular: dose-dependent reduction of blood pressure and heart rate in rats; prevented stroke and prolonged life in stroke-prone hypertensive rats (nitric oxide synthase activation, improved cerebral circulation)
- Antiplatelet: marked antiplatelet effect in rats, improved peripheral circulation, reduced embolism mortality
- Neuroprotective: delayed hippocampal CA1 neuronal death after ischemia via free-radical scavenging
- Antioxidant: marked free-radical-scavenging effects
- Anticonvulsant: dose-dependent effect against picrotoxin-, strychnine- and electroshock-induced convulsions in mice; Gou Teng essential (active alkaloids geissoschizine methylether, hirsuteine, hirsutine, isocorynoxeine)
- Antidementia: effective in vascular dementia; long-term use improved age-related memory impairment in mice
- Antiamnestic: in mice via serotonin 1A receptor stimulation
Source: Chen JK, Chen TT. Chinese Herbal Formulas and Applications: Pharmacological Effects & Clinical Research. Art of Medicine Press, 2009, p. 996.
Composition
| Herb | Amount | % | Role | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Gou Teng
as printed: Gou Teng (Ramulus Uncariae cum Uncis) 15g
|
15g | 8.93% | Jun (Chief) | regulates Liver qi, clears Liver heat, calms Liver wind, relieves spasms |
|
Ren Shen
as printed: Ren Shen (Radix et Rhizoma Ginseng) 15g
|
15g | 8.93% | tonifies qi and calms the shen | |
|
Fu Ling
as printed: Fu Ling (Poria) 15g
|
15g | 8.93% | tonifies qi and calms the shen | |
|
Fu Shen
as printed: Fu Shen (Poria Pararadicis) 15g
|
15g | 8.93% | tonifies qi and calms the shen | |
|
Mai Men Dong
as printed: Mai Dong (Radix Ophiopogonis) 15g
|
15g | 8.93% | nourishes yin | |
|
Chen Pi
as printed: Chen Pi (Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae) 15g
|
15g | 8.93% | smooths qi flow and directs qi downward | |
|
Ban Xia
jin (soaked) in and xi (washed) with liquid; as printed: Ban Xia (Rhizoma Pinelliae) 15g
|
15g | 8.93% | smooths qi flow and directs qi downward | |
|
Fang Feng
as printed: Fang Feng (Radix Saposhnikoviae) 15g
|
15g | 8.93% | clears wind and heat from eyes and head | |
|
Ju Hua
as printed: Ju Hua (Flos Chrysanthemi) 15g
|
15g | 8.93% | clears wind and heat from eyes and head | |
|
Shi Gao
as printed: Shi Gao (Gypsum Fibrosum) 30g
|
30g | 17.86% | clears excess heat | |
|
Gan Cao
as printed: Zhi Gan Cao (Radix et Rhizoma Glycyrrhizae Praeparata cum Melle) 3g
|
3g | 1.79% | harmonizes the herbs (with Sheng Jiang) |
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 (-0.36)
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Grams by band: cold 27%, cool 18%, neutral 20%, warm 36%.
Pairs warm and cool. 36% of the weighed grams are warm or hot and 45% cool or cold — the net is their average, not the whole story.
Small but decisive: Mai Men Dong 15g (cold, 9% of the grams). Dose weighting nearly cancels a herb this small, but it may be what the formula is for.
Taste
- pungent 27%
- sweet 46%
- bitter 18%
- bland 9%
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Channels reached
- Lung 73%
- Spleen 64%
- Stomach 38%
- Heart 38%
- Liver 27%
- Kidney 18%
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 to powder; cook 12g with 7 slices Sheng Jiang in water; take strained, warm.
Relationships
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Formula family
Full herb lists
- This formula = Da Ban Xia Tang + Gou Teng, Chen Pi, Fang Feng, Fu Ling, Fu Shen, Gan Cao, Ju Hua, Mai Men Dong and Shi Gao
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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