Wu Ling San, Five Ingredient Powder with Poria, is Ze Xie, Fu Ling, Zhu Ling, Bai Zhu and Gui Zhi. The catalogue classes it among the formulas that promote urination and leach out Dampness, and records it as warming Yang to promote the transformation of Qi.

Herb

Amount

4 g

2.3 g

2.3 g

2.3 g

1.5 g

Actions and indications

Promotes urination and drains Damp

Tai Yang water build-up: Bladder Qi fails to transform fluids, so water pools below while the upper body goes without
Scanty or difficult urination or urinary retention, fullness and distention of the lower abdomen

Warms Yang and promotes Qi transformation

Lingering exterior signs: headache, mild fever or aversion to wind and cold
Great thirst with a wish to drink, but water is vomited straight back up
Tongue coat white and slippery, or thick, white and greasy; pulse floating and rapid

Strengthens the Spleen

Edema from Spleen deficiency with a heavy body, swelling of the limbs or trunk, and loose stools or diarrhea
Vomiting and diarrhea at the same time

Disperses retained fluids

Fluid retained below the navel: throbbing or pulsing in the lower abdomen, dizziness, vertigo and palpitations
Phlegm-fluid patterns with vomiting of frothy saliva, cough and shortness of breath
Irritability and abdominal pain

Modern uses

Acute or chronic nephritis and nephritic edema
Acute nephritis
Glomerulonephritis
Pyelonephritis and nephropyelitis
Nephrotic syndrome
Early renal insufficiency
Chronic renal failure
Uremia
Cystitis
Urinary tract and genitourinary infections
Urolithiasis
Urinary retention
Oliguria
Neurogenic bladder
Prostatitis
Benign prostatic hypertrophy
Scrotal hydrocele and scrotal edema
Congestive heart failure
Cardiac edema
Coronary heart disease
Pericardial and pleural effusions
Palpitations
Edema
Ascites from liver cirrhosis
Cirrhosis of the liver
Chronic and viral hepatitis
Cholecystitis
Acute gastroenteritis
Acute or chronic enteritis with diarrhea
Gastritis
Gastroptosis
Gastric dilation and gastric relaxation
Indigestion, including in infants
Cyclic vomiting
Vomiting and diarrhea with a common cold
Diarrhea
Abdominal pain
Anorexia
Cholera and pseudocholera
Intestinal tuberculosis
Hypersalivation
Meniere's disease
Dizziness and vertigo
Motion sickness and seasickness
Headache, including migraine, recurrent headache and headache from raised pressure in the skull
Hydrocephalus
Trigeminal neuralgia
Multiple sclerosis
Glaucoma
Central serous retinopathy
Catarrhal conjunctivitis
Viral conjunctivitis
Dacryocystitis
Night blindness
Otitis media
Allergic rhinitis
Vocal cord polyps (diffuse)
Common cold
Influenza
Fever
Cough
Bronchitis
Pneumonia
Asthma
COPD
Emphysema
Dyspnea
Eczema
Urticaria, including cold-type urticaria
Flat warts
Blisters
Herpes zoster
Varicella
Alopecia
Aphthous ulcers
Lupus erythematosus
Hypertension
Gestational hypertension and toxemia of pregnancy
Edema during pregnancy
Polyhydramnios
Vaginal discharge
Diabetes
Obesity
Impotence
Low back pain
Hernia

Modifications

Severe edema (combined with Li Zhong Tang): + sang bai pi, + chen pi, + da fu pi

Thirst and difficult urination in Cold-Damp painful obstruction: + qiang huo

Edema with signs both exterior and interior (combined with Yue Bi Tang): + huang qi, + han fang ji

Otitis media: + xi xin, + shi chang pu

Damp-Heat diarrhea: + yin chen hao, + jin yin hua, − bai zhu, − gui zhi

Abdominal distention with vomiting and diarrhea: + cang zhu, + hou po, + ju pi

Edema with Qi blocked by excess retained water (combined with Wu Pi Yin)

Severe exterior symptoms: + ma huang, + zi su ye

Jaundice: + yin chen hao, + zhi zi

Jaundice and dysuria: − gui zhi

Cold and Damp: + cang zhu

Middle Qi deficiency with incontinence of urine: + dang shen

Show all 52 modifications

Damp-Heat jaundice: + yin chen hao
Edema from Spleen deficiency (combined with Wu Pi Yin): + dang shen
Edema from Kidney Yang deficiency (combined with Wu Pi Yin): + zhi fu zi
Edema from Liver Qi stagnation (combined with Wu Pi Yin): + qing pi, + mu xiang
Diarrhea from Heat: + che qian zi, + mu tong, − gui zhi
Diarrhea from Summer-Damp: + huo xiang, + pei lan
Diarrhea from Summerheat invasion (combined with San Wu Xiang Ru Yin)
Abdominal bloating and distention: + hou po, + chen pi
Summerheat with thirst and fever over the whole body (combined with Bai Hu Tang)
General thirst: + shi gao, + zhi mu
Thirst, constipation: + gan cao, + hua shi, + zhi zi, + deng xin cao
Body aches from accumulated Cold-Damp: + qiang huo
Wind painful obstruction caught in summer: + wei ling xian, + fang feng, + han fang ji
Concurrent fever: + huang qin, − gui zhi
Summerheat diarrhea: + hua shi
Liver/Spleen disharmony and Shao Yang disorders (combined with Xiao Chai Hu Tang)
Urinary burning or bleeding: + hua shi, + e jiao
Nausea and vomiting: + zhi ban xia, + sheng jiang
Joint pain with general edema, worst in the Lower Jiao: + fang feng, + qiang huo, + dang shen
Abdominal bloating (combined with Gui Zhi Tang): + hou po, + chen pi
Palpitations, sleeplessness or stomach ulcer: + mu xiang, + huang lian, + sheng jiang
Glaucoma: + che qian zi
Acute closed-angle glaucoma: + ze xie, + che qian zi, + zhu ling, + gui zhi, + fu ling, + cang zhu, + da huang
Prostatic hypertrophy: + hu zhang
Coronary heart disease (combined with Ting Li Da Zao Xie Fei Tang): + che qian zi, + chuan niu xi, + dan shen, + zhi fu zi, + hong hua, − da zao, − bai zhu
Coronary heart disease without Yang deficiency (combined with Ting Li Da Zao Xie Fei Tang): + che qian zi, + dan shen, + hong hua, + chuan niu xi, − da zao, − bai zhu
Phlegm-Heat in coronary heart disease (combined with Ting Li Da Zao Xie Fei Tang): + che qian zi, + dan shen, + hong hua, + chuan niu xi, + huang qin, + yu xing cao, + gua lou pi, − da zao, − bai zhu
Coronary heart disease with collapse of Yang Qi (combined with Ting Li Da Zao Xie Fei Tang): + che qian zi, + chuan niu xi, + dan shen, + zhi fu zi, + hong hua, + ren shen, + gan jiang, − da zao, − bai zhu
Coronary heart disease with marked Blood stasis (combined with Ting Li Da Zao Xie Fei Tang): + che qian zi, + chuan niu xi, + dan shen, + zhi fu zi, + hong hua, + san qi, − da zao, − bai zhu
Gestational hypertension: + sang ji sheng, + da fu pi, + mu gua, + sha ren
Liver cirrhosis and ascites: + dan shen, + che qian zi, + bai mao gen, + da fu pi, + dang gui, + chi shao, + da huang
Hydrocephalus: + che qian zi, + huai niu xi
Meniere's disease: + dang shen, + huang qi
Ascites from Spleen and Kidney Yang deficiency (combined with Fu Zi Li Zhong Wan): + dang shen, + rou gui, − ren shen, − gui zhi
Hernia from Cold-Damp: + ju he, + gui zhi, + mu xiang
Hernia from severe Cold-Damp: + ju he, + mu xiang, + rou gui, + xiao hui xiang, + wu zhu yu
Acute infectious hepatitis with Heat and Damp in equal measure (combined with Zhi Zi Bai Pi Tang)
Acute infectious hepatitis, Yin-deficient with internal Heat: + sheng di huang, + shi hu
Red vaginal discharge: + rou gui, − gui zhi
Acute nephritis: + da fu pi, + fu ling pi, + dong gua pi, + che qian cao

Cautions

contraindication Fluids already depleted by heavy sweating

contraindication Severe vomiting or severe diarrhea

contraindication Accumulated Damp-Heat

contraindication When thirst or scanty, difficult urination reflects depleted Yin or fluids instead of retained water (dryness, night sweats, a red peeled tongue); protect Yin

caution With deficiency of Spleen Qi and the Kidneys, keep the amount small and consider adding tonics

caution Not for long-term use without supervision: its draining action can wear down Qi and fluids, especially when Qi is already weak

caution Too much may cause dizziness, vertigo, a bland taste in the mouth and loss of appetite

caution With SSRIs: may help ease digestive side effects such as nausea and indigestion

Pinyin

wu ling san

English Name

Five Ingredient Powder with Poria

wu ling san

About wu ling san

Ingredients

Actions and indications

Promotes urination and drains Damp

Warms Yang and promotes Qi transformation

Strengthens the Spleen

Disperses retained fluids

Modern uses

Symptoms

Modifications

Cautions

Preparation

Names

Classification