Shen Ling Bai Zhu San (Ginseng, Poria, and Atractylodes Macrocephala Powder)

Actions

Indications

Western Uses:

• What is Shen Ling Bai Zhu San used for in modern practice?

  In modern practice Shen Ling Bai Zhu San is referenced for chronic digestive weakness with loose stools. Practitioners have traditionally applied its Spleen-strengthening, damp-draining pattern to conditions such as chronic diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic gastritis or colitis, functional dyspepsia, and childhood failure-to-thrive with poor digestion.

  These biomedical correlates describe the formula’s traditional scope of use; they are not a claim that it treats any diagnosed disease. Contemporary research is largely preclinical (see research). Care for a diagnosed gastrointestinal condition belongs with a qualified practitioner and appropriate medical evaluation.

  Source: traditional-use correlates summarized from Bensky & Barolet, Formulas & Strategies; reference only, not a treatment claim.

Originally Appeared In:

• Imperial Grace Formulary of the Tai Ping Era (Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang)

Notes:

• How is Shen Ling Bai Zhu San different from Si Jun Zi Tang and Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang?

  Shen Ling Bai Zhu San is Si Jun Zi Tang extended for dampness and diarrhea. It keeps the four-ingredient Spleen-qi core and adds Shan Yao, Lian Zi, Bai Bian Dou, Yi Yi Ren, Sha Ren, and Jie Geng — so it is chosen when qi deficiency has progressed to loose stools with damp, and it also treats the Lung (“cultivate earth to generate metal”).

  • vs Si Jun Zi Tang: use Shen Ling Bai Zhu San when the plain qi-deficiency picture is joined by diarrhea, damp, and phlegm; Si Jun Zi Tang alone lacks the damp-draining and astringent herbs.
  • vs Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang: Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang raises sunken qi (organ prolapse, chronic fatigue, fever from qi collapse); Shen Ling Bai Zhu San instead resolves damp and stops diarrhea and does not primarily lift yang.

  Key modifications: for more pronounced cold in the middle burner, add warming herbs such as dried ginger (Gan Jiang); for stubborn chronic diarrhea, add astringents; where qi stagnation and fullness dominate, emphasize the aromatic qi-movers (Sha Ren, and add Chen Pi / Mu Xiang).

  Source: owner’s Five Branches formula notes (Sha Ren / Jie Geng roles; damp-and-diarrhea modifications) + Bensky & Barolet, Formulas & Strategies.

Clinical Studies & Research:

• Is there modern research on Shen Ling Bai Zhu San?

  Yes — a growing but mostly preclinical body of work, concentrated on the gut. Consistent with its traditional use for Spleen-damp diarrhea, animal and cell studies focus on chronic diarrhea, ulcerative colitis, and the gut microbiota. Human clinical trial evidence remains limited, so these findings are mechanistic rather than proof of efficacy.

  • Chronic diarrhea (animal): in mice, the formula promoted gut IgA+ plasma cells and raised systemic glutamine to ease chronic diarrhea (PMID 40915370; PMC 13332076, J Ethnopharmacol 2026).
  • Ulcerative colitis (animal/cell): alleviated colitis in DSS rats by enhancing mitophagy via the Nrf2/PINK1/Parkin pathway (PMID 41460377); a separate study reported strengthened intestinal-barrier integrity (PMID 41031501).

  Sources: PubMed 40915370 / PMC 13332076; PubMed 41460377; PubMed 41031501. Research context, not a therapeutic claim; direct clinical trial evidence remains limited.