Shi Quan Da Bu Tang (All-Inclusive Great Tonifying Decoction)

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Indications

Western Uses:

• What conditions is Shi Quan Da Bu Tang used for in modern practice?

  Shi Quan Da Bu Tang is a major qi-and-blood tonic with warming herbs (deep deficiency with cold — pallor, fatigue, cold limbs, poor recovery), so it is referenced for depletion states: cardiac failure, anaemia, uterine bleeding, and chronic non-healing abscesses/sores.

  It is chosen for the qi-and-blood-deficiency-with-cold pattern, not for a diagnosis. Heart failure and anaemia require medical diagnosis and management, and abnormal uterine bleeding must be assessed. This tonic is a traditional adjunct to that care, not a replacement. Traditional-use correlates only, not a treatment claim.

  Source: Sacred Lotus sources & references (pattern) + Bensky & Barolet, Formulas & Strategies; biomedical correlates as reference only. Not medical advice.

Originally Appeared In:

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

Notes:

• How does Shi Quan Da Bu Tang differ from Ba Zhen Tang, and where does it come from?

  Shi Quan Da Bu Tang is literally Ba Zhen Tang plus Huang Qi and Rou Gui — choose it over Ba Zhen Tang when the qi-and-blood deficiency is deeper or more chronic and cold has settled in, marked by cold limbs, spontaneous sweating, or non-healing sores, rather than the milder deficiency picture Ba Zhen Tang alone treats.

  • vs Ba Zhen Tang: the direct parent formula — add Huang Qi (stronger qi tonification, raises yang, consolidates the exterior) and Rou Gui (warms the interior, moves the tonics) when cold signs and more pronounced qi collapse accompany the qi-and-blood deficiency.
  • vs Si Jun Zi Tang / Si Wu Tang: both are foundational components one tier further back — Si Jun Zi Tang treats qi deficiency alone, Si Wu Tang treats blood deficiency alone; Ba Zhen Tang unites them, and Shi Quan Da Bu Tang deepens that union with warmth and stronger qi support.

  Classical source: Shi Quan Da Bu Tang is recorded in the Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang (Formulary of the Bureau of People’s Welfare Pharmacy), a Song-dynasty imperial formulary compiled in the late 11th century.

  Regional naming: the same twelve-herb formula is used across East Asia under different regional names — juzentaihoto in Japanese Kampo medicine and Sipjeondaebotang in Korean traditional medicine — which is relevant context for interpreting the modern research literature (see research).

  Source: classical attribution per Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang, cross-referenced against multiple online sources; Bensky & Barolet, Formulas & Strategies (Ba Zhen Tang derivation and comparative analysis, own words).

Clinical Studies & Research:

• Is there modern research on Shi Quan Da Bu Tang?

  Yes — this formula has a notably large modern research base under its Japanese Kampo name, juzentaihoto (and Korean name, Sipjeondaebotang), spanning clinical reviews, a scoping review of anemia trials, and preclinical immune/kidney studies. This is reported as research context, not a treatment claim.

  • Cancer supportive care (clinical, review of RCTs): a review of randomized controlled trials on Kampo medicines, including juzentaihoto, reported potential amelioration of refractory symptoms in cancer patients such as fatigue, anorexia, and peripheral neuropathy, alongside conventional care (PMID 35242536).
  • Anemia (clinical, scoping review): a scoping review of 16 studies (9 RCTs) on Sipjeondaebotang — the Korean name for this same formula — found improved hemoglobin levels across anemia types with a lower reported adverse-event rate versus controls (PMID 39338353).
  • Antiviral cellular immunity (preclinical): in tumor-bearing mice, juzentaihoto improved antiviral cellular immune responses through mechanisms independent of regulatory T cells and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (PMID 35996405).
  • Chronic kidney disease (preclinical): in mice with adenine-induced chronic renal failure, juzentaihoto reduced tubular damage, fibrosis, and inflammatory markers while lowering creatinine (PMID 34924123).

  Sources: PMID 35242536; PMID 39338353; PMID 35996405; PMID 34924123. Research context reported under the formula’s Japanese (juzentaihoto) and Korean (Sipjeondaebotang) names; not a therapeutic claim.