Ling Gan Wu Wei Jiang Xin Tang
Do not self-treat with Ling Gan Wu Wei Jiang Xin Tang
Practitioner-prepared only. Where this formula is used at all, it is used by a trained prescriber who checks your kidneys, blood pressure and other drugs first.
If this is an emergency
Some reactions to Ling Gan Wu Wei Jiang Xin Tang need urgent care. Call your local emergency number or go to an emergency department straight away — do not wait to see whether it passes.
Who should avoid Ling Gan Wu Wei Jiang Xin Tang?
- Do not use if you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant: asarum and licorice can harm a pregnancy.
- Do not use if you are breastfeeding.
- Do not use if you have any kidney disease, or only one working kidney.
- Do not use if you have high blood pressure (hypertension).
- Do not use if you have heart failure, an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia), or you take digoxin (a heart drug).
- Do not use if you have low potassium (hypokalaemia), or you take water pills (diuretics) that lower potassium.
- Do not use if you have liver disease.
- Do not use if you take steroid tablets such as prednisolone.
- Do not use if you take a transplant medicine such as tacrolimus or ciclosporin.
- Do not use if you have a dry or hot cough with thick yellow or green mucus, a fever, or blood in your spit — this mix is wrong for that and may make you worse.
- Do not use if the maker cannot confirm that the asarum is root only and tested for aristolochic acid (a plant chemical that can damage the kidneys and cause cancer).
- Do not use if you are thinking of giving it to a child: it is not for children unless a qualified doctor prescribes and watches over it.
When should you see a doctor?
Stop and get urgent medical help if you get chest pain, a pounding or uneven heartbeat, bad muscle weakness, or trouble breathing. Get urgent help too if you pass much less urine than normal, or your urine turns pink or brown.
See a doctor soon if your ankles or face swell, your blood pressure climbs, you feel faint, or you get numbness and tingling that does not settle.
Book a normal appointment if your cough lasts more than three weeks, keeps coming back, or you also have weight loss, night sweats or a fever. Tell every doctor and pharmacist that you are taking this mix, because it changes how many medicines work.
- What it is: A classic five-herb Chinese mix, taken as one product, for a cold, wet cough with thin, clear mucus.
- Active ingredients: Glycyrrhizin (licorice), Gingerols and shogaols (dried ginger), Schisandra lignans, Poria triterpenes, Asarum volatile oil
- Side effects: Stomach upset is common; licorice and asarum can raise blood pressure, drop potassium and harm the kidneys.
- Pregnancy & breastfeeding: Avoid in pregnancy and while breastfeeding.
Educational information, not medical advice — ask your doctor or midwife.
What is Ling Gan Wu Wei Jiang Xin Tang?
Ling Gan Wu Wei Jiang Xin Tang is an old Chinese herb mix. It is sold and used as a single drug (a TCM formula), which means its five herbs are always taken together as one product. Its English name is Poria, Licorice, Schisandra, Ginger, and Asarum Decoction.
Herb users give it for a wet cough that brings up thin, clear, watery mucus. People who take it often feel cold, wheeze, or feel full in the chest, and feel worse in cold, damp weather. It is a warming mix, not one for a dry or hot cough.
The proof is thin. We could not find a human trial of this formula, so its standing rests on long use in Chinese medicine. Long use in tradition is not proof that a remedy works, and this mix carries real risks, so read the safety part first.
How does Ling Gan Wu Wei Jiang Xin Tang work?
No one has shown in people how this mix works. What follows is how Chinese medicine explains it, plus a few hints from lab work.
In that tradition, the lungs are said to hold cold, thin fluid. Dried ginger and asarum are said to warm and dry. Poria is said to drain extra water, schisandra to rein in the cough, and licorice to blend the herbs and soothe the throat.
Lab and animal work on the single herbs points to effects on mucus, airway muscle and swelling. That work does not tell us what the whole mix does in a person.
What forms does Ling Gan Wu Wei Jiang Xin Tang come in?
It comes as a bag of raw herbs that you boil into a decoction (a tea made by boiling herbs). This is the oldest form.
It also comes as granules that you stir into hot water, and as small pills or tablets from Chinese pharmacies.
In several countries, herbs that may hold aristolochic acid are limited or banned. Check your own country's rules, and only buy from a supplier who tests each batch.
Where it comes from:
The mix comes from the Jin Gui Yao Lue (Essentials from the Golden Cabinet), written by Zhang Zhongjing around 200 CE. It has stayed in use in Chinese medicine ever since, mostly for cold, watery cough. It is a staple of that one tradition, not a remedy shared across many.
What does Ling Gan Wu Wei Jiang Xin Tang help with?
- Cough with thin, clear, watery mucus: This is the main use in Chinese medicine, and the one the old texts describe. We found no human trial that tests the mix for cough. If your mucus is thick, yellow or green, this is the wrong remedy.
- Wheeze that gets worse in cold air: Herb users pick it when cold weather sets off a wheeze with watery spit. There is no trial evidence for asthma or wheeze. Never swap it for an inhaler.
- Long-term bronchitis (swelling in the airways) that flares in winter: Chinese practice uses it for winter flares with lots of thin mucus. Human proof is missing. Ongoing cough needs a doctor's check, not self-treatment.
- Runny nose with watery mucus: Asarum and dried ginger are used in tradition to dry a watery nose. No trial has tested this mix for that. Any benefit is unproven.
- A full, tight feeling in the chest linked to fluid: Old texts link poria to draining fluid and easing chest fullness. There is no human study of this effect. Chest tightness can be a heart or lung problem, so get it checked.
What are the side effects of Ling Gan Wu Wei Jiang Xin Tang?
- Heartburn, nausea or a burning stomach
- Dry mouth or a hot, flushed feeling
- Swelling in the ankles, hands or face from held fluid
- Raised blood pressure
- Low potassium, which can bring muscle weakness, cramps or an odd heartbeat
- Headache
- Numb or tingling lips and tongue from asarum
- Fast or pounding heartbeat, dizziness or shortness of breath at higher asarum doses
- Rash or itch from an allergy
Good to know:
Mild stomach upset is the most common complaint. The serious problems come from two herbs.
Licorice can cause pseudoaldosteronism (a hormone-like effect that makes your body hold salt and water, so blood pressure rises and potassium falls). Very low potassium can trigger an irregular heartbeat, so this is not a minor risk.
Asarum is stronger still. Too much can harm the kidneys, upset heart rhythm, and in large amounts cause fits (seizures). Its aristolochic acid content has been linked to kidney failure and to cancer of the urinary tract.
Options to discuss with a clinician
For every one of the problems this formula is reached for, there are routes with better safety data behind them — and each one is a conversation to have with a doctor, pharmacist or qualified herbalist, not something to swap in on your own.
**A tight, full chest and thick or stubborn mucus.** NAC (N-Acetyl cysteine), which thins mucus so it clears more easily, is well studied and is worth raising with a pharmacist or doctor — it interacts with some asthma and heart medicines, so the conversation matters.
**Cough and blocked, stuffy airways.** Eucalyptus Oil, usually inhaled as steam, has reasonable evidence behind it; ask a clinician whether it suits you, as it is not appropriate for young children or some people with asthma.
**Winter flare-ups of long-term bronchitis (ongoing swelling in the airways).** Umckaloabo (a South African pelargonium root extract) and Andrographis (a bitter herb used for short respiratory infections) both have trial support. Both can be discussed with a herbalist or GP, who will check them against your other medicines.
**Dry, scratchy, irritated throat with coughing.** Marshmallow Root is a traditional soothing option with weaker evidence — a pharmacist can tell you whether it is reasonable for you.
**A wheeze that worsens in cold air** deserves a proper diagnosis first; it may be asthma, which has established treatment.
Graded pages for the options named above:
- NAC (N-Acetyl cysteine) — evidence grade A, traditional tier T0
- Marshmallow Root — evidence grade C, traditional tier T3
- Eucalyptus Oil — evidence grade A, traditional tier T2
- Andrographis — evidence grade A, traditional tier T3
- Umckaloabo — evidence grade A, traditional tier T2
Review status
This page has not been signed off by a pharmacist and is not published. It is shown here for a policy decision only.