When the Spleen struggles and everything feels heavy
Fickle appetite, slow digestion, fullness after even modest meals, tiredness that weighs, a heavy body in damp weather, a sticky feeling in the mouth… In TCM, these signs may be associated with Spleen Qi deficiency accompanied by Dampness, where food tends to stagnate and a slight Heat can form. The Spleen, which according to tradition belongs to Earth and nourishes the whole body, no longer transforms what it receives as well as it should.
Zi Sheng Wan is attributed to Miao Xiyong (缪希雍), one of the most renowned physicians of the late Ming. Its name echoes the Yi Jing (《易经》), in which Earth is that through which all things “receive life” (万物资生). The formula starts from Shen Ling Bai Zhu San, the great formula for Spleen Qi and Dampness, and adds herbs that help digestion, aromatics that awaken the centre and a touch of coptis to temper.
Supporting Earth, awakening the centre
Sixteen herbs, but a simple logic. A broad, sweet base supports the Spleen and helps it transform Dampness; aromatic and digestive herbs set the centre moving again, so that this richness does not weigh heavy; finally coptis and water plantain, in very small amounts, temper the Heat that settled Dampness can generate.
Tonifies Spleen energy: Ginseng, prepared white atractylodes, Chinese yam and Job’s tears form the base of the formula; lotus seeds and hyacinth beans add a sweetness that also nourishes Spleen Yin.
Supports digestive assimilation: Hawthorn and sprouted barley, two herbs that tradition associates with meals, help the Stomach transform what it receives.
Helps transform Dampness: Patchouli and cardamom, both aromatic, awaken the Spleen made sluggish by Dampness; poria and Job’s tears gently dispel it.
Promotes a feeling of lightness and digestive comfort: Red mandarin peel moves the Qi of the centre, while a hint of coptis, bitter and cold, tempers the Heat that sometimes accompanies Dampness. Finally, platycodon lifts Spleen Qi up towards the Lung.
