Bai zhu fu zi tang also known as gui zhi fu zi qu gui jia bai zhu tang
bai zhu 12 fu zi 9 sheng jiang 9 da zao 9 zhi gan cao 6
After eight or nine days of cold damage, when wind and dampness clash, there is vexing body ache, inability to turn one’s body, no vomiting or thirst, a floating deficient and choppy pulse, then gui zhi fu zi tang governs. If stool is hard, and urination is uninhibited, then eliminate gui zhi and add bai zhu.
It treats a tai yang pattern with cold and dampness accumulation in the joints.
This is a modification of gui zhi fu zi tang. But now the gui zhi is taken out and bai zhu is added. Bai zhu tonifies earth and dries damp of earth meaning that the transformation of fluids is restored so the stool will soften.
Bai zhu, Atractylodis macrocephalae rhizome is sweet tonifying of the stomach domain and spleen. Bai zhu is bitter draining of excess fluids in the stomach domain, spleen, lungs and bladder.
It tonifies the spleen qi along with the promotion of the spleen’s transforming and transporting actions.
Bai zhu restores the control over Water. It tonifies the spleen and dries dampness and restores the transforming function of the spleen. It tonifies tai yin qi of spleen and lung and strengthens the spleen by drying and clearing dampness which frees the spleen from constraint and allowing normal function to return.
Fu zi, Aconiti radix lateralis praeparata is pungent dispersing of liver blood and the ministerial fire in the san jiao. It is pungent dispersing of the heart and kidneys. It is pungent dispersing of the tai yang channels. It is pungent dispersing of excess water.
Fu zi and sheng jiang disperse fluids outward to clear the surface of dampness. Fu zi also warms the surface to clear cold while warming the shao yin.
Sheng jiang, da zao, and zhi gan cao are the trio that supports tai yin in delivering qi and blood to the surface. We see them used in external patterns of tai yang wind strike which is a deficiency pattern.
Sheng jiang, Zingiberis rhizoma recens is pungent dispersing of the liver and pericardium blood and the ministerial fire in the san jiao. Sheng jiang is pungent dispersing of dampness and cold in the stomach domain, spleen and lung.
Sheng jiang is pungent connecting of the tai yin with the tai yang. It supports raising of the clear qi to the chest and the 100 vessels.
Sheng jiang mildly disperses warmth outward to clear cold and disperses dampness on the surface, while warming and drying earth.
Da zao, Jujubae fructus is sweet tonifying and moderating. It tonifies and nourishes the stomach domain, spleen, lungs, and heart. It directly nourishes the shao yin heart.
Da zao replenishes blood and adds material in the nutritive to replace what is lost but also anchors the pungent dispersing yang of fu zi and sheng jiang.
Zhi gan cao, Glycyrrhizae radix prep Zhi gan cao is sweet tonifying and nourishing of all organs but especially the heart.
It balances the pungent fu zi and sheng jiang with its sweet moderation and nourishing. It nourishes yin fluids in the tai yin and shao yin. It calms wind in the jue yin.
Zhi gan cao moistens fluids and tonifies the Earth while anchoring pungent with sweet.
If surface dispersing is needed then consider using pungent cang zhu.