When Dampness thickens

A feeling of congestion in the pit of the stomach, a sticky mouth, a modest appetite, a heavy head, a listless body after meals, a thick coating on the tongue… In TCM, these signs may be associated with Phlegm-Dampness (Tan): when the Spleen transforms the Fluids poorly, they thicken into Dampness, then into Phlegm, which congests the centre. Tradition sums it up in one phrase: the Spleen is the source of Phlegm.

Er Chen Tang appeared under the Song dynasty, around 1148, in the Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang (《太平惠民和剂局方》), the official formulary of the Imperial Pharmacy. It is the same collection that spread Si Wu Tang and Si Jun Zi Tang: together, these three formulas are the templates of the pharmacopoeia, one for the Blood, one for the Qi, the last for Phlegm. Liu Jun Zi Tang, for example, is born of the meeting of Er Chen Tang and Si Jun Zi Tang. Our version, centred on tangerine peel, does not contain pinellia (Ban Xia).

When the Qi flows, Dampness follows

Tradition repeats an adage: when the Qi flows smoothly, Phlegm resolves of its own accord (气顺则痰消). Our version puts this adage at the forefront: red tangerine peel, more than half of the formula, moves the Spleen Qi so that the Fluids circulate instead of thickening. Poria goes back to the source by supporting the Spleen, and prepared licorice supports the centre and tempers the whole.

Helps transform Dampness: Bitter and warm, red tangerine peel dries Dampness, while poria helps the Spleen transform the Fluids better.

Supports the flow of Qi: Pungent, red tangerine peel disperses what builds up and frees the Qi of the centre; an old text calls it a master substance for freeing the Qi.

Harmonises the Stomach: Poria and licorice support the Spleen and Stomach, and the centre regains a feeling of lightness.