A cold middle
The textbook Spleen Yang deficiency picture, when your tummy always seems cool and slow.
Traditional Chinese herbal formula
Li Zhong Wan
理中丸 · Regulate the Middle · also known as Li Zhong Tang
Four herbs, one job. Li Zhong Wan is Zhang Zhongjing's formula for warming 'the middle', which is what Chinese medicine calls the Spleen and Stomach. Herbalists reach for it when that area is said to be cold and tired. Picture someone who always wants a hot water bottle on their tummy.
Ginseng, white atractylodes, liquorice and ginger, made into 5:1 tablets. Four a day, and a bottle lasts fifteen days. Explore the formula
- Regular price
-
£24.50 - Regular price
-
- Sale price
-
£24.50
Tax included.
Shipping calculated at checkout.
Couldn't load pickup availability
- 5:1 strength
- DaoDi herbs
- Vegan & gluten-free
- GMP certified
- Free UK delivery £40+
Verified Loox reviews
What customers say about Li Zhong Wan
3.8
4 reviews of this formula
★★★★★
"I introduced millet porridge in my diet with this pills. my ibs and acid reflux have improved significantly. of course, avoiding all triggers food as ..."
★★★★☆
"I’ve only been taking these tablets for a few days now, but have already noticed a distinct improvement in my health"
★★★★★
"Highly recommend this product - seems to be working well"
A short history of Li Zhong Wan
Li Zhong Wan goes right back to the Shang Han Lun, Zhang Zhongjing's great book from around 200 AD. You'll find it in the chapter on 'sudden turmoil' (huo luan), which was Zhang's phrase for violent upsets of the stomach and bowels, and he kept it for the ones that ran cold, not hot.
He wrote it up as honey pills, then added a handy note: if the pills don't do enough, boil the same herbs into a soup. So it's been a Wan and a Tang since day one, really. Flick over to his other book, the Jin Gui Yao Lue, and the same four herbs pop up again calling themselves Ren Shen Tang.
Later doctors couldn't leave it alone. The Song dynasty's official formulary added aconite and called it Fu Zi Li Zhong Wan, and plenty of others had a go after that. Japan still sells the plain version as Ninjinto, which means ginseng soup, more or less.
In Chinese medicine
How herbalists understand it
The Spleen and Stomach get nicknamed the 'middle burner', and we've always liked that. It's the body's kitchen, more or less, where your dinner gets turned into Qi and Blood, and we've never seen a kitchen get much done without a flame under the pot.
Turn that flame down too low and herbalists start saying Spleen Yang deficiency, or Cold in the middle. You'll know the type (maybe you are the type): hands like ice, forever after a hot drink, appetite so-so at best, and a tummy that has a grumble about anything straight out of the fridge. Ice cream regret, basically.
Ginger's the one that warms things up. Ginseng tops up the Qi, white atractylodes firms up the Spleen and dries out any damp, and liquorice ties the whole lot together. 'Li zhong' just means 'regulate the middle', by the way. Nice and literal.
The Five Elements
An Earth element formula
Earth sits at the centre of the Five Elements, and it's home to the Spleen and Stomach. A formula literally called 'regulate the middle' was always going to land here, wasn't it?
Late summer
Season
Earth's season, those ripe, slightly heavy weeks as summer winds down.
Spleen
Organ
The Stomach's partner, said to turn your food into the Qi you run on.
Yellow
Colour
Earth's colour. Think golden fields, or a bowl of porridge.
Sweet
Taste
Ginseng and liquorice are both sweet, and sweet's the taste tied to feeding the Spleen.
Worry
Emotion
Overthinking's said to wear the Spleen out. Ever gone off your food because something's on your mind?
Traditional use
How it has traditionally been used
Here's where Li Zhong Wan has traditionally earned its keep. It's a record of tradition and nothing more, so please don't take it as a medical claim.
Hot drink people
Picked for folk who can't face cold food and spend all day wrapped round a mug.
Low and sluggish
Reached for when the tiredness seems to come from the middle, and appetite's flagging as well.
Winter months
An old winter companion, for when the cold feels like it's settled right in the stomach.
This section describes traditional use in Chinese herbal practice. Li Zhong Wan is a food supplement and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Inside the formula · Ingredients
Four herbs, nothing wasted
Small formulas are often the most carefully balanced. Here's who does what. Amounts are per daily serving of 4 tablets.
Chief
Ginger Root (Sheng Jiang)
Zingiber officinale135mg
Zingiber officinale135mg
Ginger's the warm heart of the thing. Zhang actually asked for dried ginger, and herbalists still think of it as the herb that gets the fire lit. Herb Glossary
Minister
Ginseng Root (Ren Shen)
Panax ginseng718mg
Panax ginseng718mg
Ginseng tops up Spleen Qi, so all that warmth has something to work with. Herb Glossary
Assistant
White Atractylodes (Bai Zhu)
Atractylodes macrocephala718mg
Atractylodes macrocephala718mg
White atractylodes is there to firm up the Spleen and dry out damp, which a cold middle tends to collect. Herb Glossary
Envoy
Liquorice Root (Gan Cao)
Glycyrrhiza glabra673mg
Glycyrrhiza glabra673mg
And liquorice, a generous helping of it, which harmonises things and adds its own sweetness to the middle. Herb Glossary
Inactive ingredients: Cassava starch, Hypromellose, Magnesium stearate, Polyethylene glycol, Talc.
These are used in very small amounts to form and coat the tablets. They don't add to the formula itself.
How to take
A simple daily ritual
2In the morning
Tablets with water.
2In the evening
Tablets with water.
WeeksSteady use
Most people take a formula for several weeks.
Always follow the label. If you take any medication, are pregnant or breastfeeding, please speak to your GP or pharmacist before use.
Choosing between them
Li Zhong Wan or Si Jun Zi Tang?
| Compare | Li Zhong Wan | Si Jun Zi Tang |
|---|---|---|
| First recorded | Han dynasty, around 200 AD | Song dynasty, around 1110 |
| The idea | Warm the middle and top up its Qi | Gently build up Spleen Qi |
| Herbs | 4, including ginger | 4, including poria |
| Character | Warming | Neutral and mild |
| Often chosen when | Tiredness comes with a cold, slow tummy | Tiredness comes without much sign of cold |
What's the difference between Li Zhong Wan and Si Jun Zi Tang?
Ginseng, white atractylodes and liquorice are in both. Li Zhong Wan adds ginger for warmth, while the Four Gentlemen swap in poria and stay neutral. So, roughly, cold and tired gets Li Zhong from herbalists, and just tired gets Si Jun Zi.
Is it Li Zhong Wan or Li Zhong Tang?
Both, honestly. Zhang Zhongjing wrote it as pills (wan) and said you could boil it as a soup (tang) if you needed to. Ours are concentrated tablets, so call it option three.
What does 'regulate the middle' mean?
The 'middle' means the Spleen and Stomach, which Chinese medicine sees as the centre of digestion and energy. The whole aim of the formula is to get warmth and order back in there.
How many do I take?
It's two in the morning and two in the evening, so a bottle sees you through fifteen days.
Who shouldn't take it?
If you're pregnant, breastfeeding or on medication, have a word with your GP first. There's a fair bit of liquorice in here, and that can push blood pressure up, so go carefully if yours runs high or you're on blood pressure tablets, diuretics or heart medicine. Ginseng can interact with some medicines as well, warfarin and blood sugar medicines among them. Oh, and it's a warming formula, so herbalists wouldn't pick it for anyone who runs hot.
Can I take it with food?
Yep. Lots of people take it with breakfast and dinner, which feels right for a formula that's all about the stomach anyway.
Related formulas
Often explored alongside
Verified Loox reviews
All Li Zhong Wan reviews
Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. Not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Keep out of reach of children.