Shi Pi Yin
Star实脾饮 (Bolster the Spleen Decoction)
Source: Chong Ding Yan Shi Ji Sheng Fang (1253)
Last updated October 1, 2026
Description
Shi Pi Yin (Bolster the Spleen Decoction), from the Chong Ding Yan Shi Ji Sheng Fang, is used to warm the Yang, strengthen the Spleen; move the Qi and drain water.
Presentation: severe edema, especially abdomen and legs; cold hands and feet; no thirst; fullness and distension of chest and abdomen; soft stool; tongue: thick and sticky coating; pulse: deep and slow.
Syndrome: Damp-cold syndrome.
Composition strategy:
- Four approaches to drain water in severe edema: warm Yang, strengthen Spleen, regulate Qi, drain water
- Sour, warm Mu Gua balances the pungent-hot and draining herbs
Source: Yang Y. Chinese Herbal Formulas: Treatment Principles and Composition Strategies. Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, 2010, p. 210.
Composition
| Herb | Amount | % | Role | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Zhi Fu Zi
toxic mark * in source; as printed: Fu Zi (Aconiti radix lateralis preparata)
|
6g | 10.53% | Jun (Chief) | warm Spleen and Kidney, expel cold |
|
Gan Jiang
as printed: Gan Jiang (Zingiberis rhizoma)
|
6g | 10.53% | Jun (Chief) | warm Spleen, accelerate water metabolism |
|
Cao Guo
named both as chief and assistant; as printed: Cao Guo (Tsaoko fructus)
|
6g | 10.53% | Jun (Chief) | warm the interior; also listed among Qi-moving assistants |
|
Fu Ling
as printed: Fu Ling (Poria)
|
6g | 10.53% | Chen (Deputy) | strengthen Spleen, leach out dampness |
|
Bai Zhu
as printed: Bai Zhu (Atractylodis macrocephalae rhizoma)
|
6g | 10.53% | Chen (Deputy) | strengthen Spleen, dry dampness |
|
Gan Cao
as printed: Gan Cao (Glycyrrhizae radix)
|
3g | 5.26% | Chen (Deputy) | strengthen the Spleen |
|
Mu Gua
helping and corrective assistant; as printed: Mu Gua (Chaenomelis fructus)
|
6g | 10.53% | Zuo (Assistant) | transform dampness and stabilize Yin |
|
Hou Po
as printed: Hou Po (Magnoliae cortex)
|
6g | 10.53% | Zuo (Assistant) | promote Qi movement, eliminate dampness |
|
Mu Xiang
toxic mark ** in source; as printed: Mu Xiang (Aucklandiae radix)
|
6g | 10.53% | Zuo (Assistant) | promote Qi movement |
|
Da Fu Pi
as printed: Da Fu Pi (Arecae pericarpium)
|
6g | 10.53% | Zuo (Assistant) | move Qi and water |
|
Sheng Jiang
as printed: Sheng Jiang (Zingiberis rhizoma recens)
|
5slices | 100% | Zuo (Assistant) | warm Middle-Jiao, promote digestion |
|
Da Zao
as printed: Da Zao (Jujubae fructus)
|
1piece | 100% | Zuo (Assistant) | tonify Qi and 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 warm (+1.05)
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Grams by band: neutral 16%, warm 63%, hot 21%.
Taste
- pungent 47%
- sweet 21%
- sour 11%
- bitter 16%
- bland 5%
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Channels reached
- Spleen 100%
- Stomach 68%
- Lung 37%
- Heart 37%
- Large intestine 32%
- Kidney 21%
Share of the grams entering each channel, from 100% of the weighed grams.
2 herbs without a dose in grams, so left out of every figure above: Sheng Jiang, Da Zao.
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 and take 12g as a draft with 5 slices of fresh ginger and 1 jujube; now usually decocted at one-fifth the dose plus those additions. Arecae Pericarpium replaces the original Arecae Semen (bing lang).
Source: Scheid V, Bensky D, Ellis A, Barolet R. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies, 2nd ed. Eastland Press, 2009, p. 749.
Relationships
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Formula family
Full herb lists
- This formula = Bai Zhu Fu Zi Tang + Gan Cao Gan Jiang Fu Ling Bai Zhu Tang + Cao Guo, Da Fu Pi, Hou Po, Mu Gua and Mu Xiang
- This formula = Gan Cao Gan Jiang Fu Ling Bai Zhu Tang + Bai Zhu Fu Zi Tang + Cao Guo, Da Fu Pi, Hou Po, Mu Gua and Mu Xiang
- This formula = Zhu Fu Tang + Bai Zhu Fu Zi Tang + Gan Cao Gan Jiang Fu Ling Bai Zhu Tang + Cao Guo, Da Fu Pi, Hou Po, Mu Gua and Mu Xiang
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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