Shao Yao Tang
Star芍药汤 (Peony Decoction)
Source: Bao Ming Ji (1186)
Last updated October 1, 2026
Description
Shao Yao Tang (Peony Decoction), from the Bao Ming Ji, is used to regulate Qi and blood; clear heat-toxin and eliminate dampness in the intestines.
Presentation: damp-heat-toxin in the intestines with heat and dampness equal; abdominal pain; tenesmus; difficult defecation; diarrhea with mucus and blood in equal amounts; burning anus; tongue: red with a yellow, sticky coating; pulse: rapid.
Syndrome: Syndrome of damp-heat in the Spleen and Large Intestine.
Composition strategy:
- Treats Qi and blood, heat and cold, excess and deficiency together, emphasizing cold herbs for heat
- Regulate blood to stop bleeding (Bai Shao Yao, Dang Gui, Rou Gui)
- Regulate Qi to relieve tenesmus (Mu Xiang, Bing Lang, Da Huang)
- Bai Shao Yao with Gan Cao relaxes abdominal tension; Dang Gui and Rou Gui protect blood from stagnation caused by cold herbs
Source: Yang Y. Chinese Herbal Formulas: Treatment Principles and Composition Strategies. Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, 2010, p. 108.
Composition
| Herb | Amount | % | Role | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Bai Shao
dose printed as 15–20 g; as printed: Bai Shao Yao (Paeoniae radix lactiflora)
|
g | — | Jun (Chief) | large dose; tonify blood, soften the Liver |
|
Dang Gui
as printed: Dang Gui (Angelicae sinensis radix)
|
9g | 21.43% | Chen (Deputy) | tonify and move blood |
|
Gan Cao
as printed: Gan Cao (Glycyrrhizae radix)
|
5g | 11.9% | Chen (Deputy) | ease muscles, relieve abdominal pain |
|
Huang Lian
dose printed as 5–9 g; as printed: Huang Lian (Coptidis rhizoma)
|
g | — | Chen (Deputy) | clear heat, dry intestinal dampness |
|
Huang Qin
as printed: Huang Qin (Scutellariae radix)
|
9g | 21.43% | Chen (Deputy) | clear heat, dry intestinal dampness |
|
Mu Xiang
toxic mark ** in source; as printed: Mu Xiang (Aucklandiae radix)
|
5g | 11.9% | Chen (Deputy) | move intestinal Qi, relieve pain and tenesmus |
|
Bing Lang
as printed: Bing Lang (Arecae semen)
|
5g | 11.9% | Chen (Deputy) | move intestinal Qi, relieve pain and tenesmus |
|
Da Huang
as printed: Da Huang (Rhei rhizoma)
|
9g | 21.43% | Zuo (Assistant) | purge heat and damp-heat-toxin accumulation |
|
Rou Gui
corrective assistant; dose printed as 2–5 g; as printed: Rou Gui (Cinnamomi cassiae cortex)
|
g | — | Zuo (Assistant) | prevent bitter-cold herbs injuring Yang; assist Dang Gui in moving blood |
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 nature not shown: the chief herb (Bai Shao) has no dose in grams.
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Grams by band: cold 43%, neutral 12%, warm 45%.
Pairs warm and cool. 45% of the weighed grams are warm or hot and 43% cool or cold — the net is their average, not the whole story.
Taste
- pungent 23%
- sweet 23%
- bitter 55%
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Channels reached
- Spleen 88%
- Stomach 79%
- Large intestine 67%
- Heart 55%
- Liver 43%
- Lung 33%
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: Bai Shao, Huang Lian, Rou Gui.
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, 15g taken warm as a draft after meals; now usually decocted at parenthesized doses. Source specifies 'official cinnamon' (guan gui); modern texts use rou gui and bai shao.
Source: Scheid V, Bensky D, Ellis A, Barolet R. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies, 2nd ed. Eastland Press, 2009, p. 207.
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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.
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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