Therapeutic Actions: -Addresses fatigue, weakness of the limbs, loss of appetite, gas and bloating after meals -Resolves nausea and vomiting caused by dampness affecting the spleen/stomach -Treats phlegm accumulated due to spleen qi deficiency Chinese Therapeutic Effects: -Tonifies qi -Harmonizes the spleen and stomach -Strengthens the spleen -Transforms phlegm This is the classic Chinese formula that treats deficiency of spleen Qi. Its basis is four herbs (the Four Gentlemen) which tonify the Qi of both the spleen and lung. Codonopsis (dang shen) and white atractylodes (bai zhu) combined tonify the spleen qi, lung qi, dry dampness, and facilitate the transporting function of the spleen. Poria (fu ling) leaches out dampness. Baked licorice (zhi gan cao) tonifies the spleen while harmonizing the middle burner (stomach/spleen). Two additional herbs address phlegm: pinellia (ban xia) and citrus (chen pi) are drying and are able to transform phlegm. Since the formula tends to be cloying, vladimiria souliei (mu xiang) and cardamon (sha ren) have been added to disperse stagnation in the stomach, facilitating the absorption of the formula.