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Formula补益剂· 气血阴阳并补

炙甘草汤

Zhì Gān Cǎo Tāng

Honey-Fried Licorice Decoction

From the Shang Han Lun passage 'For cold damage with knotted and intermittent pulse and palpitations, Zhi Gan Cao Tang governs.' Also called Fu Mai Tang (Pulse-Restoring Decoction). It treats qi-vacuity blood-insufficiency causing palpitations with bound or intermittent pulse. The formula simultaneously supplements qi and blood while harmonizing yin and yang, and serves as the ancestor of the warm-disease school's 'pulse-restoring' formula lineage.

Source《伤寒论》辨太阳病脉证并治下

Treatment Principle

益气滋阴，通阳复脉

Augment qi and enrich yin; unblock yang and restore the pulse

Formula Rhyme

炙甘草汤参桂姜，麦地胶枣麻仁襄。心悸脉结舌光绛，气虚血少保安康。

—— 方剂学 (中医药出版社)

Zhi Gan Cao Tang uses Ren Shen, Gui Zhi and Sheng Jiang; Mai Dong, Sheng Di, E Jiao, Da Zao and Huo Ma Ren assist. For palpitations with a knotted or intermittent pulse and a crimson tongue — qi vacuity and blood scarcity are restored to peace.

Composition · 组成

Herb	Role	Dosage	Notes
甘草Gān Cǎo	君Sovereign	12g	益气补中，通经脉、利血气，为君；必用炙甘草
人参Rén Shēn	臣Minister	6g	大补元气，补益心气，助甘草益气复脉
生地黄Shēng Dì Huáng	臣Minister	30g	滋阴养血，填补营血，与麦冬相须
麦冬Mài Dōng	臣Minister	10g	养阴润肺，清心除烦
阿胶Ē Jiāo	臣Minister	6g	滋阴补血止血，烊化兑服
火麻仁Huǒ Má Rén	佐Assistant	10g	润肠养血，助滋阴养血之功
桂枝Guì Zhī	佐Assistant	9g	温通心阳，与炙甘草相伍温阳复脉
生姜Shēng Jiāng	使Courier	9g	温胃和中，助桂枝通阳
大枣Dà Zǎo	使Courier	10 枚	益气补中，滋脾生津

Modifications · 加减

阴虚为主，虚火内扰
+ 白芍、五味子
− 桂枝、生姜
虚热伤阴

Treats Patterns · 主治证型

心气虚证

Xīn Qì Xū Zhèng

Heart Qi Vacuity Pattern

心阴虚证

Xīn Yīn Xū Zhèng

Heart Yin Vacuity Pattern

心阳虚证

Xīn Yáng Xū Zhèng

Heart Yang Vacuity Pattern

Preparation · 煎服法

水酒各半煎服。阿胶烊化，兑入药液服。

Editor-reviewed· 2026-04-17

PractitionerPatientDate

炙甘草汤Zhì Gān Cǎo Tāng

Honey-Fried Licorice Decoction

Herb	Pinyin	Role	Dose
甘草	Gān Cǎo	Jun (Sovereign)	12g
人参	Rén Shēn	Chen (Minister)	6g
生地黄	Shēng Dì Huáng	Chen (Minister)	30g
麦冬	Mài Dōng	Chen (Minister)	10g
阿胶	Ē Jiāo	Chen (Minister)	6g
火麻仁	Huǒ Má Rén	Zuo (Assistant)	10g
桂枝	Guì Zhī	Zuo (Assistant)	9g
生姜	Shēng Jiāng	Shi (Courier)	9g
大枣	Dà Zǎo	Shi (Courier)	10 枚

Preparation: 水酒各半煎服。阿胶烊化，兑入药液服。

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

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Cite this entry

@misc{bencaodian-zhi-gan-cao-tang,
  author       = {{Bencaodian Editorial}},
  title        = {Zhì Gān Cǎo Tāng 炙甘草汤 (Honey-Fried Licorice Decoction)},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {Bencao Dian: A Bilingual Knowledge Graph of Traditional Chinese Medicine},
  url          = {https://bencaodian.org/en/formulas/zhi-gan-cao-tang},
  urldate      = {2026-04-17},
  note         = {CC BY-SA 4.0}
}

Permalink is fixed

Composition · 组成

Herb	Role	Dosage	Notes
甘草Gān Cǎo	君Sovereign	12g	益气补中，通经脉、利血气，为君；必用炙甘草
人参Rén Shēn	臣Minister	6g	大补元气，补益心气，助甘草益气复脉
生地黄Shēng Dì Huáng	臣Minister	30g	滋阴养血，填补营血，与麦冬相须
麦冬Mài Dōng	臣Minister	10g	养阴润肺，清心除烦
阿胶Ē Jiāo	臣Minister	6g	滋阴补血止血，烊化兑服
火麻仁Huǒ Má Rén	佐Assistant	10g	润肠养血，助滋阴养血之功
桂枝Guì Zhī	佐Assistant	9g	温通心阳，与炙甘草相伍温阳复脉
生姜Shēng Jiāng	使Courier	9g	温胃和中，助桂枝通阳
大枣Dà Zǎo	使Courier	10 枚	益气补中，滋脾生津

Herb

Pinyin

Role

Dose

甘草

Gān Cǎo

Jun (Sovereign)

12g

人参

Rén Shēn

Chen (Minister)

生地黄

Shēng Dì Huáng

Chen (Minister)

30g

麦冬

Mài Dōng

Chen (Minister)

10g

阿胶

Ē Jiāo

Chen (Minister)

火麻仁

Huǒ Má Rén

Zuo (Assistant)

10g

桂枝

Guì Zhī

Zuo (Assistant)

生姜

Shēng Jiāng

Shi (Courier)

大枣

Dà Zǎo

Shi (Courier)

10 枚

@misc{bencaodian-zhi-gan-cao-tang, author = {{Bencaodian Editorial}}, title = {Zhì Gān Cǎo Tāng 炙甘草汤 (Honey-Fried Licorice Decoction)}, year = {2026}, howpublished = {Bencao Dian: A Bilingual Knowledge Graph of Traditional Chinese Medicine}, url = {https://bencaodian.org/en/formulas/zhi-gan-cao-tang}, urldate = {2026-04-17}, note = {CC BY-SA 4.0} }