What Xiang Sha Liu Jun Zi Tang is for
The skin is oily rather than inflamed. It shines across the forehead and around the nose and chin, the shine returns soon after washing, and the pores look blocked and dark rather than red. The tissue feels heavy and slightly spongy, and the complexion is dull. The explanation is that a Spleen too weak to transform fluid leaves Dampness to gather, and that Dampness reaches the surface as grease and congestion.
The oiliness has a particular quality: thick and cool rather than thin and hot, sitting on skin that looks tired. Blocked pores and blackheads collect where the shine is heaviest, but there is little true inflammation, and the small papules that appear are sluggish and slow to settle. The surface feels damp to the touch and does not stay clear for long after drying washes, because drying the surface does not touch the source of the grease.
Ren Shen, Bai Zhu, Fu Ling and Gan Cao rebuild the force of the Spleen, so fluid is transformed instead of gathering, and that is the part that changes oiliness over weeks rather than days. Ban Xia and Chen Pi transform the Phlegm that has already formed and move the Qi that let it settle. Mu Xiang and Sha Ren add warm aromatics that move Qi and dry Dampness strongly, which is what brings the change at the surface. The shine lessens and the tissue tightens.
Because the two aromatics are drying, the formula suits congested, heavy, oily skin and not skin that is thin, dry or flaky, which would only become drier. Where the picture has turned hot, with red inflamed lesions, cooling herbs have to be added and the formula becomes a different one. It is taken for weeks rather than days, so the change is gradual, and it is reassessed rather than continued indefinitely.
Actions
- Tonifies Spleen Qi
- Transforms Phlegm and dries Dampness
- Moves Qi and relieves distension
- Reduces oiliness and congestion
Properties
- Taste and temperature: Predominantly pungent and sweet with a warm, aromatic quality. Sweet tonifies, warm aromatics move Qi and dry Dampness.
- Organs: Spleen, Stomach
- Channels: Spleen, Stomach
The pattern behind it
The pattern is Spleen Qi deficiency with Qi stagnation and Dampness. The weak Spleen produces Dampness, and the stagnant Qi holds it in the middle, so the skin becomes oily and congested while the digestion feels full. The formula tonifies, moves and dries at once.
Composition
The herbs in Xiang Sha Liu Jun Zi Tang, with their role and dose.
| Role | Herb | Dose | Properties | Why it is there |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deputy | Ren Shen | 3 to 9 g | Slightly warm, Sweet | Tonifies Qi, restoring the Spleen's force. |
| Bai Zhu | 6 to 12 g | Warm, Bitter, sweet | Strengthens the Spleen and dries Dampness. | |
| Fu Ling | 6 to 12 g | Neutral, Sweet, bland | Drains Dampness and supports the Spleen. | |
| Ban Xia | 3 to 9 g | Warm, Pungent | Transforms Phlegm and lowers rebellious Stomach Qi. | |
| Chen Pi | 3 to 6 g | Warm, Pungent, bitter | Moves Qi and dries Dampness in the middle. | |
| Mu Xiang | 2 to 6 g | Warm, Pungent, bitter | A strong aromatic that moves Qi and relieves distension, the first addition over Liu Jun Zi Tang. | |
| Envoy | Sha Ren | 2 to 6 g | Warm, Pungent | Warms and dries the middle and moves Qi, the second addition. |
| Gan Cao | 2 to 3 g | Neutral, Sweet | Harmonises the formula and supports the middle. |
Patterns it treats
Spleen Qi Deficiency
Oily, dull, congested skin with a thick shine and blocked pores rather than redness. Dampness that a weak Spleen has not transformed reaches the surface as grease, so the tissue looks heavy and spongy instead of hot or dry.
How the formula is built
The six-herb base tonifies and transforms, and the two aromatics add Qi movement and drying power. That combination is why it suits the picture where the digestion is both weak and congested, which is a common cause of oily congested skin.
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 Dampness is marked, more aromatic herbs are added.
- If the deficiency dominates, the tonics are increased.
- If Cold is present, warming herbs are added.
- If the pattern is dry, the drying herbs are reduced.
Timing
Taken warm in two divided doses.
Duration
Two to eight weeks, then reassessed.
Diet while taking it
Avoid cold raw, greasy and sweet food, which increase Dampness.
Safety
Contraindications
Avoid in dry or Yin-deficient patterns, since the aromatics are drying. Avoid in Damp-Heat without cooling herbs.
Interactions
Ren Shen may affect blood sugar and anticoagulants, and Gan Cao can interact with diuretics, digoxin and corticosteroids.
Pregnancy
Use with caution in pregnancy because the aromatic Qi-moving herbs are warming and mobilising.
Breastfeeding
Use only under professional guidance.
Children
Used in children with reduced dose for poor appetite and distension.
Before you use it
Recorded from the classical record and rewritten in this project's own words. Educational only: not a prescription.
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.
Selected PubMed records
Real PubMed records for the modern, non-TCM discussion of this formula. They are references, not a claim that the formula is proven for any skin condition.
- Chemopreventive effects of Xiang Sha Liu Jun Zi Tang on paclitaxel-induced leucopenia and neuropathy in animals.. Frontiers in pharmacology, 2023. PMID: 36969850.
- The effect of Xiang-Sha-Liu-Jun-Zi tang (XSLJZT) on irritable bowel syndrome: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.. Journal of ethnopharmacology, 2019. PMID: 31009707.
Origin and history
Recorded in the later formulary tradition as a modification of Liu Jun Zi Tang for Qi stagnation with Dampness.
Xiang Sha Liu Jun Zi Tang developed from Liu Jun Zi Tang by adding two aromatics that move Qi and dry Dampness. It became the standard formula for the patient whose digestion is weak and congested at the same time, which is the typical setting for oily congested skin.
Classical record
The formula is recorded as the six-herb Spleen tonic with two warm aromatics added, for Qi deficiency with stagnation and Dampness in the middle.
As recorded in the classical record for this formula.
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 Liu Jun Zi Tang?
It adds Mu Xiang and Sha Ren, which move Qi and relieve distension. Liu Jun Zi Tang tonifies and transforms Phlegm but moves Qi less.
Can it help oily skin?
Where the oiliness comes with digestive fullness and a greasy tongue coat, over weeks.
Who should avoid it?
People with dry or Yin-deficient patterns, because the aromatics are drying.
How long is it used?
Two to eight weeks, then reassessed.