What Gui Zhi Jia Long Gu Mu Li Tang is for
This formula is for skin that cannot hold itself. It is clammy or damp to the touch, cool, and dusky in tone, on a person who is thin and depleted. The surface leaks rather than closes, the colour is flat, and the same instability that lets sweat through is what makes the skin look unsettled. The two heavy shells are the addition that turns a surface-harmonising formula into one that astringes and anchors.
The skin reads as damp and underpowered. It is moist without being hot, cool to the touch, and often dusky or dull rather than pink. Sweat appears without exertion and dries slowly, and the surface never feels properly closed. The tissue is thin and the person looks depleted, so the clamminess is not the greasy dampness of Damp-Heat but the leak of a surface that has lost its hold. There is no redness, no heat and no eruption.
Gui Zhi, Bai Shao, Sheng Jiang, Da Zao and Gan Cao restore the relationship between the Ying and Wei levels, which is the regulation the surface has lost. Long Gu and Mu Li are heavy astringent shells: they stop the leak and settle the instability that goes with it. The base formula harmonises and the shells anchor, and that combination is what separates this from plain Gui Zhi Tang. It warms, astringes and settles at once rather than clearing or releasing anything.
It is used for the chronic unstable picture. Clammy skin with poor regulation, dusky discolouration on a depleted base, and a surface that sweats without cause all fit when there is no Heat. It is not for hot skin with a rapid forceful pulse, not for acute eruptions, and not for the greasy dampness of Damp-Heat. Persistent night sweats or palpitations need medical assessment, and the heavy mineral content means the formula is separated from other medication.
Actions
- Harmonises the Ying and Wei levels
- Astringes and stops spontaneous sweating
- Settles the spirit and palpitations
- Anchors what is floating
Properties
- Taste and temperature: Predominantly sweet and slightly sour with a mineral quality. Sweet harmonises, sour and heavy astringe and settle.
- Organs: Heart, Lungs, Kidney
- Channels: Heart, Lung, Kidney
The pattern behind it
The pattern is a surface and spirit that are not held. The Ying and Wei levels are out of step, so sweat leaks, and the spirit floats, so the heart races and sleep breaks. The formula harmonises the surface and settles the spirit with heavy astringent substances.
Composition
The herbs in Gui Zhi Jia Long Gu Mu Li Tang, with their role and dose.
| Role | Herb | Dose | Properties | Why it is there |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| King | Gui Zhi | 9 to 12 g | Warm, Pungent, sweet | Warms and releases the surface, regulating the Wei Qi. |
| Long Gu | 9 to 15 g | Neutral, Sweet, astringent | A heavy shell that settles the spirit and astringes the sweat. | |
| Mu Li Ke | 9 to 15 g | Slightly cold, Salty, astringent | A shell that anchors what is floating and astringes, working with Long Gu. | |
| Bai Shao | 9 to 12 g | Slightly cold, Bitter, sour | Nourishes Ying and astringes, balancing the releasing herb. | |
| Sheng Jiang | 9 g | Slightly warm, Pungent | Warms the middle and helps harmonise the surface. | |
| Envoy | Da Zao | 4 to 6 dates | Warm, Sweet | Nourishes the middle and the Ying level. |
| Gan Cao | 6 g | Neutral, Sweet | Harmonises the formula and supports the middle. |
Patterns it treats
Ying and Wei Disharmony
Clammy, cool, dusky skin that never feels properly closed, on a thin and depleted person, with sweat that appears without exertion. The surface has lost its hold rather than being hot or inflamed. The formula harmonises the surface, and the two shells astringe and anchor it.
How the formula is built
The base harmonising formula restores the Ying and Wei relationship, and the two shells add what it cannot: they astringe the leaking surface and settle the floating spirit. That is why it is used when the disharmony has produced instability.
Skin conditions it is used for
Where this formula appears in the skin conditions of the library.
Preparation and use
Decocted in water and taken warm, in two divided doses.
Modifications
- If the sweating is marked, the astringent shells are increased.
- If the spirit is very unsettled, settling herbs are added.
- If Cold is present, warming herbs are added.
- If Heat is present, cooling herbs are added.
Timing
Taken warm in two divided doses.
Duration
Two to four weeks, reassessed.
Diet while taking it
Warm light food; avoid stimulating drinks and heavy night meals.
Safety
Contraindications
Avoid in Heat patterns with a rapid forceful pulse. Use care in Dampness. Persistent palpitations or night sweats need medical assessment.
Interactions
The mineral content can affect absorption of some medicines, so it should be separated from other medication. Gan Cao may interact with diuretics, digoxin and corticosteroids.
Pregnancy
Generally considered compatible with pregnancy when appropriately prescribed, though professional guidance is appropriate.
Breastfeeding
Considered acceptable under professional guidance.
Children
Used in children with reduced dose for sweating and restlessness.
Before you use it
Recorded from the classical record and rewritten in this project's own words. Educational only: not a prescription, and persistent palpitations or night sweats need medical assessment.
General safety references
General references for herbal hepatotoxicity and herb-drug interactions; they are not specific to this formula.
- Review article: Herbal hepatotoxicity - an update on traditional Chinese medicine preparations. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 2014. PMID: 24844799.
- Interactions between herbal medicines and prescribed drugs: an updated systematic review. Drugs, 2009. PMID: 19719333.
- Warfarin and food, herbal or dietary supplement interactions: a systematic review. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 2021. PMID: 32478963.
Origin and history
Jin Gui Yao Lue (金匮要略, Synopsis of Prescriptions of the Golden Chamber) by Zhang Zhongjing, Eastern Han dynasty, around 220 CE.
The formula appears in the Synopsis of the Golden Chamber for the patient whose surface and spirit are both unsettled. Its two heavy shells are the addition that distinguishes it from ordinary surface harmonising, and it remains a standard formula for sweating with palpitations.
Classical record
Zhang Zhongjing recorded the formula for a floating empty pulse with sweating and palpitations, harmonising the surface and settling the spirit with heavy shells.
Jin Gui Yao Lue (金匮要略, Synopsis of Prescriptions of the Golden Chamber), Zhang Zhongjing, Eastern Han dynasty.
Evidence note
No controlled trial of this treatment in skin conditions was identified for this entry. What is described here rests on the classical and later materia medica record and on traditional clinical use, not on controlled trial evidence, and it is not a prediction of benefit. Where skin-specific research does exist it is linked above.
Common questions
How is it different from Gui Zhi Tang?
It adds Long Gu and Mu Li to settle the spirit and astringe the sweat, for the unstable pattern with palpitations.
What is a floating empty pulse?
A pulse that feels superficial but has no strength beneath, indicating a surface that is not held and a depleted interior.
Can it help clammy skin?
Where the clamminess comes from a surface that is not regulating itself on a depleted base, over weeks.
Should palpitations be assessed?
Yes. Persistent palpitations, chest discomfort or breathlessness need medical assessment.