Jian Pi Wan
Star健脾丸 (Strengthen the Spleen Pill)
Source: Zheng Zhi Zuen Sheng (1602)
Last updated October 1, 2026
Description
Jian Pi Wan (Strengthen the Spleen Pill), from the Zheng Zhi Zuen Sheng, is used to strengthen the Spleen; reduce food stagnation and promote digestion.
Presentation: food stagnation from Spleen weakness; reduced appetite; bloating and focal distension of epigastrium and abdomen; belching; soft stool or diarrhea; tongue: slightly pale with teeth marks; slightly yellow, sticky coating; pulse: weak.
Syndrome: Syndrome of food accumulation.
Composition strategy:
- Spleen-strengthening and food-reducing herbs combined
- Processing suits a weak Stomach: dry-frying Bai Zhu, Mai Ya, Shen Qu directs them to the Spleen; wine-frying Huang Lian reduces its cold and disperses heat; Rou Dou Kou is paste-wrapped and baked to remove oil that causes diarrhea
Source: Yang Y. Chinese Herbal Formulas: Treatment Principles and Composition Strategies. Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, 2010, p. 230.
Composition
| Herb | Amount | % | Role | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Bai Zhu
as printed: Chao Bai Zhu (dry-fried Atractylodis macrocephalae rhizoma)
|
75g | 16.39% | Jun (Chief) | tonify Spleen-Qi, dry dampness (large dose) |
|
Fu Ling
as printed: Fu Ling (Poria)
|
60g | 13.11% | Chen (Deputy) | tonify the Spleen |
|
Ren Shen
as printed: Ren Shen (Ginseng radix)
|
45g | 9.84% | Chen (Deputy) | tonify the Spleen |
|
Shan Yao
as printed: Shan Yao (Dioscoreae rhizoma)
|
30g | 6.56% | Chen (Deputy) | tonify the Spleen; with Rou Dou Kou stop diarrhea |
|
Shan Zha
as printed: Shan Zha (Crataegi fructus)
|
30g | 6.56% | Chen (Deputy) | resolve food accumulation |
|
Shen Qu
as printed: Chao Shen Qu (dry-fried Massa medicata fermentata)
|
30g | 6.56% | Chen (Deputy) | resolve food accumulation |
|
Mai Ya
as printed: Chao Mai Ya (dry-fried Hordei fructus germinatus)
|
30g | 6.56% | Chen (Deputy) | resolve food accumulation |
|
Rou Dou Kou
as printed: Rou Dou Kou (Myristicae semen)
|
30g | 6.56% | Zuo (Assistant) | warm Middle-Jiao, dry dampness, stop diarrhea |
|
Mu Xiang
toxic mark ** in source; as printed: Mu Xiang (Aucklandiae radix)
|
22.5g | 4.92% | Zuo (Assistant) | activate Qi, offset cloying tonics |
|
Chen Pi
as printed: Chen Pi (Citri reticulatae pericarpium)
|
30g | 6.56% | Zuo (Assistant) | activate Qi |
|
Sha Ren
as printed: Sha Ren (Amomi xanthioidis fructus)
|
30g | 6.56% | Zuo (Assistant) | activate Qi |
|
Huang Lian
as printed: Jiu Zhi Huang Lian (wine-fried Coptidis rhizoma)
|
22.5g | 4.92% | Zuo (Assistant) | reduce constrained heat from accumulation |
|
Gan Cao
as printed: Gan Cao (Glycyrrhizae radix)
|
22.5g | 4.92% | Shi (Envoy) | harmonize the formula |
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 (+0.54)
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Grams by band: cold 5%, neutral 31%, warm 64%.
Small but decisive: Huang Lian 22.5g (cold, 5% of the grams). Dose weighting nearly cancels a herb this small, but it may be what the formula is for.
Taste
- pungent 22%
- sweet 44%
- sour 3%
- bitter 24%
- bland 7%
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Channels reached
- Spleen 100%
- Stomach 64%
- Lung 41%
- Kidney 36%
- Heart 33%
- Liver 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
Powder formed into water pills; 6-9g twice daily with warm water. Codonopsis is usually substituted for ginseng at 2-3 times the dose. May be decocted at proportionally reduced doses.
Source: Scheid V, Bensky D, Ellis A, Barolet R. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies, 2nd ed. Eastland Press, 2009, p. 835.
Relationships
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Formula family
Full herb lists
- This formula = Yi Gong San + Xiang Lian Wan + Mai Ya, Shan Yao, Shan Zha, Shen Qu, Rou Dou Kou and Sha Ren
- This formula = Si Jun Zi Tang + Yi Gong San + Xiang Lian Wan + Mai Ya, Shan Yao, Shan Zha, Shen Qu, Rou Dou Kou and Sha Ren
- This formula = Xiang Lian Wan + Yi Gong San + Mai Ya, Shan Yao, Shan Zha, Shen Qu, Rou Dou Kou and Sha Ren
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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