Er Chen Decoction，From *The Universal Remedies* (Vol. 206), citing *The Guide to Formulas*.，Deficiency-cold of the spleen and stomach, distension and fullness in the chest and abdomen, vomiting and inability to eat, spontaneous diarrhea without thirst; caused by undigested food or belching after vomiting that impairs spleen qi. After sweating due to cold damage, the spleen and stomach are injured by cold substances, resulting in discomfort in the chest and diaphragm; or general disharmony of blood and qi;Taiyin-type cold damage: warm hands and feet, spontaneous diarrhea without thirst, abdominal distension with intermittent pain, dry throat, and a deep and fine pulse in both the Cun and Chi positions; dietary injury to the spleen, undigested food stagnating in the stomach, vomiting in the evening after breakfast or in the morning after dinner, rising qi accompanied by heat, cold and numbness in the limbs, disharmony of the Triple Burner, as well as spleen-stomach deficiency with cold qi rising upward and worry-induced qi settling downward—these two energies clash, causing only expulsion without intake, resulting in vomiting and inability to eat;Internal cold: undigested food, sour regurgitation and belching; after eating, the abdomen becomes distended and bloated, leading to fullness and vomiting; disharmony between the spleen and stomach: reduced appetite, shortness of breath, emaciation, and recurrent vomiting; cholera with vomiting and diarrhea; chest obstruction and heart pain; counterflow of qi and shortness of breath; central fullness and deficiency-type mass; diaphragmatic obstruction and blockage; or, after recovery from a serious illness, cold in the chest causing occasional coughing and spitting;Cholera with vomiting and diarrhea, accompanied by unstoppable bloody diarrhea; cold in the viscera causing abdominal pain and intestinal rumbling, with greenish-black diarrhea; food stagnation resulting in fullness and pain in the epigastrium and abdomen; anxiety and worry leading to stagnation, with stagnation of spleen and lung qi, causing distension and upward surging, inability to eat, abdominal fullness and oppression, especially when combined with food stagnation; and cold, sticky foods.
Er Chen Decoction
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Formulas Name : Er Chen Decoction
Chinese Name : 二陈汤
Drug Formulation
Ginseng, Atractylodes macrocephala, licorice (roasted), dried ginger (roasted), green tangerine peel, and dried tangerine peel—each in equal parts.
Source
From *The Universal Remedies* (Vol. 206), citing *The Guide to Formulas*.
Benefits
Deficiency-cold of the spleen and stomach, distension and fullness in the chest and abdomen, vomiting and inability to eat, spontaneous diarrhea without thirst; caused by undigested food or belching after vomiting that impairs spleen qi. After sweating due to cold damage, the spleen and stomach are injured by cold substances, resulting in discomfort in the chest and diaphragm; or general disharmony of blood and qi;Taiyin-type cold damage: warm hands and feet, spontaneous diarrhea without thirst, abdominal distension with intermittent pain, dry throat, and a deep and fine pulse in both the Cun and Chi positions; dietary injury to the spleen, undigested food stagnating in the stomach, vomiting in the evening after breakfast or in the morning after dinner, rising qi accompanied by heat, cold and numbness in the limbs, disharmony of the Triple Burner, as well as spleen-stomach deficiency with cold qi rising upward and worry-induced qi settling downward—these two energies clash, causing only expulsion without intake, resulting in vomiting and inability to eat;Internal cold: undigested food, sour regurgitation and belching; after eating, the abdomen becomes distended and bloated, leading to fullness and vomiting; disharmony between the spleen and stomach: reduced appetite, shortness of breath, emaciation, and recurrent vomiting; cholera with vomiting and diarrhea; chest obstruction and heart pain; counterflow of qi and shortness of breath; central fullness and deficiency-type mass; diaphragmatic obstruction and blockage; or, after recovery from a serious illness, cold in the chest causing occasional coughing and spitting;Cholera with vomiting and diarrhea, accompanied by unstoppable bloody diarrhea; cold in the viscera causing abdominal pain and intestinal rumbling, with greenish-black diarrhea; food stagnation resulting in fullness and pain in the epigastrium and abdomen; anxiety and worry leading to stagnation, with stagnation of spleen and lung qi, causing distension and upward surging, inability to eat, abdominal fullness and oppression, especially when combined with food stagnation; and cold, sticky foods.
Instructions for Use
Take 4 qian per dose; boil with 1.5 zhan of water until reduced to 7 fen; strain out the residue; add a pinch of salt and take orally.
Copyright: Excerpt from From *The Universal Remedies* (Vol. 206), citing *The Guide to Formulas*., Copyright belongs to the Original Author and all original sources, This article was shared by DeDe on August 24, 2026, Please credit the source and include a link to the original article when reposting.
Terminology Proofreading: [Cheng Bo] | August 24, 2026 Reviewed by: [Wang Zhongxiang, Associate Chief TCM Physician (China)] | August 24, 2026
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Er Chen Decoction,Deficiency-cold of the spleen and stomach, distension and fullness in the chest and abdomen, vomiting and inability to eat, spontaneous diarrhea without thirst; caused by undigested food or belching after vomiting that impairs spleen qi. After sweating due to cold damage, the spleen and stomach are injured by cold substances, resulting in discomfort in the chest and diaphragm; or general disharmony of blood and qi;Taiyin-type cold damage: warm hands and feet, spontaneous diarrhea without thirst, abdominal distension with intermittent pain, dry throat, and a deep and fine pulse in both the Cun and Chi positions; dietary injury to the spleen, undigested food stagnating in the stomach, vomiting in the evening after breakfast or in the morning after dinner, rising qi accompanied by heat, cold and numbness in the limbs, disharmony of the Triple Burner, as well as spleen-stomach deficiency with cold qi rising upward and worry-induced qi settling downward—these two energies clash, causing only expulsion without intake, resulting in vomiting and inability to eat;Internal cold: undigested food, sour regurgitation and belching; after eating, the abdomen becomes distended and bloated, leading to fullness and vomiting; disharmony between the spleen and stomach: reduced appetite, shortness of breath, emaciation, and recurrent vomiting; cholera with vomiting and diarrhea; chest obstruction and heart pain; counterflow of qi and shortness of breath; central fullness and deficiency-type mass; diaphragmatic obstruction and blockage; or, after recovery from a serious illness, cold in the chest causing occasional coughing and spitting;Cholera with vomiting and diarrhea, accompanied by unstoppable bloody diarrhea; cold in the viscera causing abdominal pain and intestinal rumbling, with greenish-black diarrhea; food stagnation resulting in fullness and pain in the epigastrium and abdomen; anxiety and worry leading to stagnation, with stagnation of spleen and lung qi, causing distension and upward surging, inability to eat, abdominal fullness and oppression, especially when combined with food stagnation; and cold, sticky foods.