10 comments on “Ginseng, Poria, and Atractylodes Powder (Shen Ling Bai Zhu San)”
i have a grey coating on my tongue that will not go away . will this product help? Dont have diarrea.
Hi Mary, this formula is great for addressing a coating that is too thick (such as you can’t see through it to the tongue body beneath).
What this formula addresses is internal dampness which usually shows up in the poop as loose or watery stools, as well as a tongue with teethmarks or a thick coating. But we use this formula for other purposes that arise from dampness too including hyperhydrosis (excessive sweating) etc.
So, it should help with the coating, but there are a few other causes for a coating and this may not be the correct formula. It is however safe either way and a decent place to begin.
One more thing, the issue of the “grey” color is of some interest. Where we draw the line between white, yellow, gray, and brown is something that each Chinese internal medicine doctor has to learn and differentiate after looking at hundreds of tongues.
If you truly have a grey coating, I’m going to assume that you are either a heavy smoker, are taking some bismuth-based antacids (such as Pepto-Bismol), or that there is some other source of extreme heat or cold in your body. Grey coatings are somewhat rare. So I’m going to assume that your coating is actually a white or off-white.
If you want to send me a picture, track me down on the “contact” page and well take a look for ya.
Would Ginseng, Poria, Atractylodes powder also help with chronic skin disorders such as seborrheic dermatitis, acne, along with the gas, loose stool and gluten allergy? I have eliminated gluten from the diet but I still have break outs and intestinal movement.
This formula is great for internal dampness.
If your skin conditions arise from excessive oil secretion, this formula is in the ball park. It will address the internal dampness common to your acne, dermatitis, and loose stools.
As for the gluten allergy, no. This formula doesn’t directly fix that, but it may not matter after all the symptoms that you’re ascribing to it are gone. :)
I have a white coated tongue especially in the morning, with some yellow on the middle towards the top. Also have gas and mucus in my stool and also when I sneeze have had chronic sneezing with transparent mucus for six months and have no allergies as just had several test done. Will this help? Do you think I have damp; I also feel thirsty all the time.
The appearance of the tongue first thing in the morning is not considered accurate information. Everybody’s tongue is funky when we wake up. Wait an hour to determine what your tongue really looks.
However, some yellow toward the “top” is also very common. By “top” I read that to mean the end of the tongue that is closest to your throat. That does suggest some dampness either in the Large Intestine or both the Stomach and Large Intestine. Yellow means “heat”, but transparent mucus in either your stools or your nose says “cold”. The appearance of mucus in your nose is interesting because the Large Intestine channel enters the Large Intestine organ at one end but ends up at the nose.
So, there’s some damp going on there. Cold damp, left untreated often becomes warm, so that is perhaps the cause of the yellow hue on your tongue’s coating. Of course drinking tea or coffee can turn the coating a little yellow too which isn’t true heat.
The chronic sneezing is usually more about your Lungs. This would be secondary to your digestive deficiency. In other words, fix your poop and your sneezing may improve.
Internal dampness can cause a dry mouth, but less likely thirst.
Overall, based on the transparent mucus arising in the nose and other end, I would feel good about you taking this formula mostly because it is a gentle formula that should show some benefits for you even if some indications don’t quite line up. If however this formula doesn’t pan out for you, a custom formula would allow me to modify this formula to conform to your yellow coating and allergies.
If I have spleen qi deficiency , will i be cured after taking the caplets over a couple months or is this issue a life long problem –thanks
Hi Mark,
Diarrhea due to Spleen qi deficiency isn’t something that we would kill (as with an antibiotic) and then say it is cured. Spleen qi deficiency means that your digestion is working inefficiently.
If this has been going on for a very short time, then one bottle of herbs may be all that is required.
However in most cases, this kind of thing has been going on for a while and will thus take more time to fix. There’s more about that at the Prognosis-o-Matic.
Finally, the cause of Spleen qi deficiency may be dietary, lifestyle, or constitution.
If the problem is dietary and has been caused by eating too much junk food, frozen foods, fatty or deep-fried foods, then you’ll need to eat right to see full-recovery.
Same thing with the lifestyle question, if you’re always sitting at your computer and mentally active, you can deplete your Spleen qi. So get up and exercise, go outside, and smell the roses a bit to strengthen your Spleen.
In the case of constitution, you will probably need to take these Spleen qi tonics until further notice. In this case, you can think of them as dietary supplements that you take for energy everyday.
Hi! After reading a bit about dampness, it seems like this particular herb is right for my symptoms. I am nursing my 10 month old daughter and want to know if these herbs are safe for her? Thanks, Anne
Hi Anne, you’re good to go with this formula. There are no known issues for young mothers in association with this formula. Here’s more about Chinese herbs and breastfeeding.
i have a grey coating on my tongue that will not go away . will this product help? Dont have diarrea.
Hi Mary, this formula is great for addressing a coating that is too thick (such as you can’t see through it to the tongue body beneath).
What this formula addresses is internal dampness which usually shows up in the poop as loose or watery stools, as well as a tongue with teethmarks or a thick coating. But we use this formula for other purposes that arise from dampness too including hyperhydrosis (excessive sweating) etc.
So, it should help with the coating, but there are a few other causes for a coating and this may not be the correct formula. It is however safe either way and a decent place to begin.
One more thing, the issue of the “grey” color is of some interest. Where we draw the line between white, yellow, gray, and brown is something that each Chinese internal medicine doctor has to learn and differentiate after looking at hundreds of tongues.
If you truly have a grey coating, I’m going to assume that you are either a heavy smoker, are taking some bismuth-based antacids (such as Pepto-Bismol), or that there is some other source of extreme heat or cold in your body. Grey coatings are somewhat rare. So I’m going to assume that your coating is actually a white or off-white.
If you want to send me a picture, track me down on the “contact” page and well take a look for ya.
Would Ginseng, Poria, Atractylodes powder also help with chronic skin disorders such as seborrheic dermatitis, acne, along with the gas, loose stool and gluten allergy? I have eliminated gluten from the diet but I still have break outs and intestinal movement.
This formula is great for internal dampness.
If your skin conditions arise from excessive oil secretion, this formula is in the ball park. It will address the internal dampness common to your acne, dermatitis, and loose stools.
As for the gas, if it smells like your regular poo, then this is helpful. If it has no odor, then consider Digestive Support, and if it is “silent but deadly” look in to Kudzu, Scutellaria and Coptis Combination.
As for the gluten allergy, no. This formula doesn’t directly fix that, but it may not matter after all the symptoms that you’re ascribing to it are gone. :)
I have a white coated tongue especially in the morning, with some yellow on the middle towards the top. Also have gas and mucus in my stool and also when I sneeze have had chronic sneezing with transparent mucus for six months and have no allergies as just had several test done. Will this help? Do you think I have damp; I also feel thirsty all the time.
The appearance of the tongue first thing in the morning is not considered accurate information. Everybody’s tongue is funky when we wake up. Wait an hour to determine what your tongue really looks.
However, some yellow toward the “top” is also very common. By “top” I read that to mean the end of the tongue that is closest to your throat. That does suggest some dampness either in the Large Intestine or both the Stomach and Large Intestine. Yellow means “heat”, but transparent mucus in either your stools or your nose says “cold”. The appearance of mucus in your nose is interesting because the Large Intestine channel enters the Large Intestine organ at one end but ends up at the nose.
So, there’s some damp going on there. Cold damp, left untreated often becomes warm, so that is perhaps the cause of the yellow hue on your tongue’s coating. Of course drinking tea or coffee can turn the coating a little yellow too which isn’t true heat.
The chronic sneezing is usually more about your Lungs. This would be secondary to your digestive deficiency. In other words, fix your poop and your sneezing may improve.
Internal dampness can cause a dry mouth, but less likely thirst.
Overall, based on the transparent mucus arising in the nose and other end, I would feel good about you taking this formula mostly because it is a gentle formula that should show some benefits for you even if some indications don’t quite line up. If however this formula doesn’t pan out for you, a custom formula would allow me to modify this formula to conform to your yellow coating and allergies.
If I have spleen qi deficiency , will i be cured after taking the caplets over a couple months or is this issue a life long problem –thanks
Hi Mark,
Diarrhea due to Spleen qi deficiency isn’t something that we would kill (as with an antibiotic) and then say it is cured. Spleen qi deficiency means that your digestion is working inefficiently.
If this has been going on for a very short time, then one bottle of herbs may be all that is required.
However in most cases, this kind of thing has been going on for a while and will thus take more time to fix. There’s more about that at the Prognosis-o-Matic.
Finally, the cause of Spleen qi deficiency may be dietary, lifestyle, or constitution.
If the problem is dietary and has been caused by eating too much junk food, frozen foods, fatty or deep-fried foods, then you’ll need to eat right to see full-recovery.
Same thing with the lifestyle question, if you’re always sitting at your computer and mentally active, you can deplete your Spleen qi. So get up and exercise, go outside, and smell the roses a bit to strengthen your Spleen.
In the case of constitution, you will probably need to take these Spleen qi tonics until further notice. In this case, you can think of them as dietary supplements that you take for energy everyday.
Hi! After reading a bit about dampness, it seems like this particular herb is right for my symptoms. I am nursing my 10 month old daughter and want to know if these herbs are safe for her? Thanks, Anne
Hi Anne, you’re good to go with this formula. There are no known issues for young mothers in association with this formula. Here’s more about Chinese herbs and breastfeeding.