Zeng Ye Cheng Qi Tang
Star增液承气汤 (Increase the Fluid and Order the Qi Decoction)
Source: Wen Bing Tiao Bian (1798)
Last updated October 1, 2026
Description
Zeng Ye Cheng Qi Tang (Increase the Fluid and Order the Qi Decoction), from the Wen Bing Tiao Bian, is used to nourish Yin; increase Large Intestine fluid; clear heat; promote bowel movement.
Presentation: constipation with intestinal fluid extensively consumed by excess heat; chronic conditions; after febrile diseases.
Syndrome: Accumulation syndrome due to excess heat in the intestine.
Composition strategy:
- Two herb groups treat the two aspects: Yin deficiency and constipation.
- The purgatives' tendency to further injure Yin/fluid is offset by the Yin group, so purging does not injure fluids.
Source: Yang Y. Chinese Herbal Formulas: Treatment Principles and Composition Strategies. Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, 2010, p. 62, 358.
Composition
| Herb | Amount | % | Role | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Xuan Shen
group 1 (Yin nourishing), leading herb; chief/deputy not named; as printed: Xuan Shen (Scrophulariae radix)
|
30g | 31.91% | large dose, salty-cold: nourishes Yin, increases fluid, clears Large Intestine heat, softens feces | |
|
Mai Men Dong
group 1; as printed: Mai Men Dong (Ophiopogonis radix)
|
25g | 26.6% | nourishes Yin, clears heat, enhances Xuan Shen | |
|
Sheng Di Huang
group 1; as printed: Sheng Di Huang (Rehmanniae radix)
|
25g | 26.6% | nourishes Yin, clears heat, enhances Xuan Shen | |
|
Da Huang
group 2 (purgative); as printed: Da Huang (Rhei rhizoma)
|
9g | 9.57% | purges the intestines | |
|
Mang Xiao
group 2; as printed: Mang Xiao (Natrii sulfas)
|
5g | 5.32% | softens the stool |
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 cold (-1.68)
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Grams by band: cold 68%, cool 32%.
Small but decisive: Da Huang 9g (cold, 10% of the grams), Mang Xiao 5g (cold, 5% of the grams). Dose weighting nearly cancels a herb this small, but it may be what the formula is for.
Taste
- sweet 37%
- bitter 50%
- salty 13%
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Channels reached
- Stomach 73%
- Lung 59%
- Kidney 59%
- Heart 53%
- Spleen 36%
- Liver 36%
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
Decoction; add da huang near the end and dissolve mang xiao in the strained decoction.
Source: Scheid V, Bensky D, Ellis A, Barolet R. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies, 2nd ed. Eastland Press, 2009, p. 88.
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.
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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