Liu Shen San
Star六神散 (Six-Miracle Powder from Indispensable Tools for Pattern Treatment)
Source: Indispensable Tools for Pattern Treatment (1602)
Last updated October 1, 2026
Description
Liu Shen San (Six-Miracle Powder from Indispensable Tools for Pattern Treatment), from Indispensable Tools for Pattern Treatment (1602).
Associated formula of Si Jun Zi Tang.
Actions: Augments the qi; Tonifies the middle burner; Regulates the Stomach
Indications: Spleen and Stomach deficiency with reduced food and fluid intake leading to deficiency heat
Pattern: Spleen-Stomach deficiency with lack of fluids and deficiency heat
Usage: For deficiency heat from reduced intake; several unrelated formulas share this name.
Category: Formulas that Tonify the Qi.
Source: Scheid V, Bensky D, Ellis A, Barolet R. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies, 2nd ed. Eastland Press, 2009, p. 312.
Composition
| Herb | Amount | % | Role | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Ren Shen
as printed: Ginseng Radix (ren shen) 15g
|
15g | 9.09% | — | |
|
Bai Zhu
as printed: Atractylodis macrocephalae Rhizoma (bai zhu) 30g
|
30g | 18.18% | — | |
|
Fu Ling
as printed: Poria (fu ling) 30g
|
30g | 18.18% | — | |
|
Gan Cao
as printed: Glycyrrhizae Radix preparata (zhi gan cao) 30g
|
30g | 18.18% | — | |
|
Bai Bian Dou
as printed: Lablab Semen album (bian dou) 30g
|
30g | 18.18% | — | |
|
Huang Qi
as printed: honey-prepared Astragali Radix (zhi huang qi) 30g
|
30g | 18.18% | — |
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 (+0.64)
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Grams by band: neutral 36%, warm 64%.
Taste
- sweet 77%
- bitter 14%
- bland 9%
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Channels reached
- Spleen 100%
- Lung 64%
- Stomach 55%
- Heart 46%
- Kidney 27%
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; take 6g as a draft with 1 piece each of sheng jiang and da zao. Codonopsis Radix (dang shen) is now usually substituted for ren shen at 2-3 times its dose.
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.
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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