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Formula补益剂· 补气

补中益气汤

Bǔ Zhōng Yì Qì Tāng

Tonify the Middle and Augment the Qi Decoction

Li Dongyuan's signature formula from the Pi Wei Lun, built upon Si Jun Zi Tang with the addition of huang qi, sheng ma, chai hu, dang gui, and chen pi. It tonifies the middle and augments qi while raising sunken yang, treating Spleen-qi vacuity with sinking of the clear yang manifesting as chronic diarrhea, rectal prolapse, uterine prolapse, or persistent low-grade fever.

Source《脾胃论》

Treatment Principle

补中益气，升阳举陷

Tonify the middle and augment qi; raise yang and lift sinking

Composition · 组成

Herb	Role	Dosage	Notes
黄芪Huáng Qí	君Sovereign	18g	补中益气，升阳固表，为君药
人参Rén Shēn	臣Minister	6g	大补元气，与黄芪相辅
白术Bái Zhú	臣Minister	9g	健脾益气
当归Dāng Guī	佐Assistant	3g	养血和营
陈皮Chén Pí	佐Assistant	6g	理气和胃，使补而不滞
升麻Shēng Má	佐Assistant	3g	升阳举陷
柴胡Chái Hú	佐Assistant	3g	升阳举陷，与升麻相伍助黄芪升举清阳
甘草Gān Cǎo	使Courier	9g	调和诸药；用炙甘草

Treats Patterns · 主治证型

脾气下陷证

Pí Qì Xià Xiàn Zhèng

Spleen Qi Sinking Pattern

Preparation · 煎服法

水煎服。

Editor-reviewed· 2026-04-08

PractitionerPatientDate

补中益气汤Bǔ Zhōng Yì Qì Tāng

Tonify the Middle and Augment the Qi Decoction

Herb	Pinyin	Role	Dose
黄芪	Huáng Qí	Jun (Sovereign)	18g
人参	Rén Shēn	Chen (Minister)	6g
白术	Bái Zhú	Chen (Minister)	9g
当归	Dāng Guī	Zuo (Assistant)	3g
陈皮	Chén Pí	Zuo (Assistant)	6g
升麻	Shēng Má	Zuo (Assistant)	3g
柴胡	Chái Hú	Zuo (Assistant)	3g
甘草	Gān Cǎo	Shi (Courier)	9g

Preparation: 水煎服。

This prescription is provided only by the dispensing TCM practitioner. Take as directed; do not modify the dose or share it. If you experience any adverse effect, stop immediately and contact your practitioner. The content of this platform is educational reference, not medical advice.
Bencao Dian · https://bencaodian.org · CC BY-SA 4.0

Permalink · CC BY-SA 4.0

Cite this entry

@misc{bencaodian-bu-zhong-yi-qi-tang,
  author       = {{Bencaodian Editorial}},
  title        = {Bǔ Zhōng Yì Qì Tāng 补中益气汤 (Tonify the Middle and Augment the Qi Decoction)},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {Bencao Dian: A Bilingual Knowledge Graph of Traditional Chinese Medicine},
  url          = {https://bencaodian.org/en/formulas/bu-zhong-yi-qi-tang},
  urldate      = {2026-04-17},
  note         = {CC BY-SA 4.0}
}

Permalink is fixed

Herb

Role

Dosage

Notes

黄芪Huáng Qí

君Sovereign

18g

补中益气，升阳固表，为君药

大补元气，与黄芪相辅

健脾益气

养血和营

理气和胃，使补而不滞

升阳举陷

升阳举陷，与升麻相伍助黄芪升举清阳

调和诸药；用炙甘草

Herb

Pinyin

Role

Dose

黄芪

Huáng Qí

Jun (Sovereign)

18g

人参

Rén Shēn

Chen (Minister)

白术

Bái Zhú

Chen (Minister)

当归

Dāng Guī

Zuo (Assistant)

陈皮

Chén Pí

Zuo (Assistant)

升麻

Shēng Má

Zuo (Assistant)

柴胡

Chái Hú

Zuo (Assistant)

甘草

Gān Cǎo

Shi (Courier)

@misc{bencaodian-bu-zhong-yi-qi-tang, author = {{Bencaodian Editorial}}, title = {Bǔ Zhōng Yì Qì Tāng 补中益气汤 (Tonify the Middle and Augment the Qi Decoction)}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {Bencao Dian: A Bilingual Knowledge Graph of Traditional Chinese Medicine}, url = {https://bencaodian.org/en/formulas/bu-zhong-yi-qi-tang}, urldate = {2026-04-17}, note = {CC BY-SA 4.0} }