Bupi Huangqi Pills: Treating Sallow, Emaciated Appearance
Bupi Huangqi Wan (Spleen-Tonifying Astragalus Pills) is recorded in the Taiping Shenghui Fang (Imperial Grace Formulas of the Taiping Era); in the Shengji Zonglu it is also called Huangqi Wan. Its composition is: Huangqi (Astragalus Root) 1 liang (filed, 30 g); Shihu (Dendrobium Stem) 1 liang (30 g); Wuweizi (Schisandra Fruit) 7 qian 5 fen (22.5 g); Rougui (Cinnamon Bark) 1.5 liang (45 g); Fuzi (Aconite, roasted to crack, skin and rootlet removed) 1 liang; Roucongrong (Cistancha) 1 liang (30 g, soaked in wine, wrinkled skin removed); Hezi (Chebula Fruit) 2 liang (60 g, simmered, with peel); Yizhiren (Alpinia Fruit) 1 liang (30 g, peel removed); Baizhu (Atractylodes) 1 liang (30 g); Danggui (Angelica Root) 7 qian 5 fen (22.5 g, filed, lightly stir-fried); Renshen (Ginseng) 1 liang (30 g); Baidoukou (Amomum Fruit) 7 qian 5 fen (22.5 g); Dingxiang (Clove) 1.5 liang (45 g, sprinkled with ginger juice, roasted until fragrant and done); Wuzhuyu (Evodia Fruit) 5 qian (15 g, soaked in boiling water seven times, stir-fried); Zhishi (Immature Bitter Orange, bran-fried) 7 qian 5 fen (22.5 g).
Preparation: grind all the above into a powder, and boil jujube meat to make pills the size of a parasol-seed. Take 30 pills each time, washed down with warm water before meals. This formula tonifies the spleen and kidneys, moves qi and dispels stagnation, and aids digestion. It is indicated for spleen deficiency, wasted muscles, sallow complexion, abdominal and epigastric fullness, failure to transform water and grain, tastelessness in eating, weakness of the limbs, or loose stools. From these indications, the formula treats emaciation and fatigue caused by chronic dyspepsia or enteritis.
The formula can be used for cancer patients who, after radiotherapy and chemotherapy, develop loose, watery stools, indigestion and muscle wasting. Since no manufacturer produces this as a patent medicine, patients prepare it themselves according to the prescription. Although the formula could be converted to a decoction, this is not recommended, because indigestion and chronic enteritis are usually hard to cure and require a long course of treatment.
In Bupi Huangqi Wan, Huangqi, Baizhu and Renshen are all spleen-fortifying, qi-boosting herbs suited to patients with spleen deficiency and qi weakness; Fuzi and Rougui are warming and tonifying herbs with the action of supplementing yang. Shihu nourishes stomach yin and is the most commonly used herb for stomach complaints. Using yin-nourishing and yang-supplementing herbs together is a simultaneous tonification of yin and yang. Wuweizi, Hezi, Yizhiren, Wuzhuyu and Baidoukou all astringe the intestines and stop diarrhea; added to these are Roucongrong, which supplements the kidneys and moistens the intestines, Dingxiang and Zhishi, which invigorate blood and move qi, and Danggui, which nourishes blood. When these herbs are combined, they tonify the spleen and move qi, dispel distension and stop diarrhea from multiple angles.
Thus the formula suits weak patients with spleen deficiency and qi stagnation, irregular stools, abdominal distension and pain, and muscle wasting. After taking it, weight gain, improved appetite and enhanced digestion indicate efficacy; once effective, the dose may be gradually reduced to a half or a third and continued for a while to consolidate the result.