A "jian-pi xiao-shi" (strengthen the spleen and digest food) formula from Wang Kentang's "Standards for Diagnosis and Treatment", the classical TCM "weak digestion" formula.
Cultural reference - how this formula has been discussed in Chinese medical tradition. Not medical advice.
Background & origin
Compiled in the Ming-dynasty text "Standards for Diagnosis and Treatment" (《证治准绳》, 1602) by Wang Kentang (王肯堂), it is one of the classical "tonify spleen + digest food" combination formulas in TCM. In Japan, the related prescription family appears as 健脾湯系 (Kenpi-tō) sold by Tsumura (ツムラ) and Kracie (クラシエ) for digestive indications. In Korean hanbang, similar "건비" spleen-tonic preparations appear in Kyungdong's (경동) product line. The formula exemplifies how the classic Chinese "spleen-tonic + digestive" combination has been re-expressed in Japanese and Korean product lines.
From the source text
This page is cultural documentation, not medical advice.
From the source text · 《证治准绳》内·伤食门·健脾丸条
Classical text
健脾丸，治脾胃虚弱，饮食不化，脘腹胀满，食少便溏。白术、木香、黄连、甘草、茯苓、人参、神曲、陈皮、砂仁、麦芽、山楂、山药、肉豆蔻。
Modern Chinese rendering
本方用于"脾胃虚弱、饮食不化"系列证候：脾胃运化不及所致的脘腹胀满、食少便溏、面色萎黄、神疲乏力。方以四君子汤（人参、白术、茯苓、甘草）补气健脾为君；山药、肉豆蔻助健脾止泻；神曲、麦芽、山楂消食化积；木香、砂仁、陈皮理气和胃；佐少量黄连清热燥湿，防温补太过。整体上，是明代"补脾 + 消食"思路下"消补兼施"代表方，临床用于"脾虚兼有食滞"证候。
Editorial translation
This formula is used for "spleen-stomach weakness with food-digestion failure" patterns: weakness of the spleen's transport-and-transformation function causing epigastric and abdominal distension and fullness, reduced food intake, and loose stools. The Jiàn Pí Wán uses the Sì Jūn Zǐ Tāng (Four Gentlemen Decoction: Rén Shēn, Bái Zhú, Fú Líng, Gān Cǎo) to tonify qi and fortify the spleen as sovereign; Shān Yào and Ròu Dòu Kòu assist in fortifying the spleen and stopping diarrhea; Shén Qū, Mài Yá, and Shān Zhā digest food accumulation; Mù Xiāng, Shā Rén, and Chén Pí regulate qi and harmonize the stomach; a small amount of Huáng Lián clears heat and dries dampness, preventing over-warm-tonification. It is, in short, the Ming-dynasty representative formula for "tonify plus digest" of the "spleen-deficiency with food-stagnation" register.
In tradition
In TCM framing, associated with "spleen-deficiency with food stagnation", feeling of heaviness in the abdomen after eating, poor appetite, loose stools, fatigue, occasional bloating, and a pale tongue with a thin coating. The formula is a textbook example of "tonify plus digest", it tonifies the spleen (Bai Zhu, Shan Yao) while moving stuck food (Shen Qu, Mai Ya). In Japan, the related prescription family appears as 健脾湯系 (Kenpi-tō) sold by Tsumura and Kracie, and in Korean hanbang the formula family is reflected in Kyungdong's digestive-tonic line.
Formula composition
Monarch2
- Codonopsis root (Dǎng Shēn / 党参)
- Stir-baked atractylodes macrocephala (Chǎo Bái Zhú / 炒白术)
Assistant4
- Citrus peel (Chén Pí / 陈皮)
- Stir-baked bitter orange (Chǎo Zhǐ Shí / 炒枳实)
- Stir-baked hawthorn fruit (Chǎo Shān Zhā / 炒山楂)
- Stir-baked barley sprout (Chǎo Mài Yá / 炒麦芽)
International availability
Japan (Kampo)
- Tsumura & Co.ツムラOTC健脾湯Kenpi-tō
Korea (Hanbang)
- Kyungdong경동OTC건비환Geonbihwan
Taiwan & Hong Kong
- 順天堂OTC健脾丸Jian Pi Wan
Cautions & context
- Not appropriate for acute, severe abdominal pain with fever, TCM tradition warns against tonifying during a defined "acute food stagnation" episode.
- People with diabetes should use with caution, the formula contains several sweeteners (Chinese yam, lotus seed, coix) and is high in carbohydrates.
- Persistent digestive symptoms lasting more than two weeks, or accompanied by weight loss, anemia, or blood in stool, should be evaluated by a clinician, TCM self-care is not a substitute for evaluation of chronic GI conditions.
- Not recommended for use during pregnancy without qualified guidance, the formula contains digestion-moving herbs that may not be appropriate in early pregnancy.
Related formulas
Browse by Pattern
Related concerns
Concern · digestion
Digestion
Upper-abdominal heaviness, bloating, sour reflux, loose stools, traveler's stomach, and the aftermath of a meal that was richer, spicier, or larger than usual.
Editorial note
Compiled from "Standards for Diagnosis and Treatment" (1602).
Last reviewed: July 18, 2026
Three layers of evidence
Classical source
≈ 400 years · "Standards for Diagnosis and Treatment" (1602)
Pharmacopoeia indication
"Fortify the spleen and open the stomach. Used for spleen-stomach weakness: epigastric and abdominal fullness, reduced food intake, and loose stools."
Modern research status
As of 2026-07-18, a PubMed search using the formula name and the Latin / Korean / Japanese transliterations together with "systematic review" and "meta-analysis" did not identify a dedicated systematic review for this formula. Any clinical evidence that does exist is fragmented across small individual trials or covered in broad herbal-medicine umbrella reviews, which do not allow a per-formula evidence assessment; the absence of a dedicated SR is itself the relevant editorial fact here.
References
References reviewed on July 18, 2026 · PubMed search on 2026-07-18
- 01ClassicalWáng Kěntáng (王肯堂), 《证治准绳》 (Zhèng Zhì Zhǔn Shéng / Standards for Diagnosis and Treatment), late Ming dynasty, compiled ca. 1602, the "internal damage: food stagnation" (内·伤食门) section, the entry for Jiàn Pí Wán (健脾丸), the representative "tonify spleen and digest food" formula of the "tonify plus digest" register; the modern industrial product (丸 / 浓缩丸) traces its lineage to this late-Ming text.
- 02TextbookDuān Fùjīn (段富津) et al. (eds.), 《方剂学》 (Fāngjìxué / Science of Formulas), 2nd edition, Shanghai Scientific and Technical Publishers, 2011, the standard modern university-level formula textbook in mainland China, with Jiàn Pí Wán analysed in the "tonifying formulas" (补益剂) chapter as a representative "spleen-tonification + digestion" formula, the canonical entry for the "spleen-deficiency with food-stagnation" register.
- 03TextbookTsumura (ツムラ) and Kracie (クラシエ), Kenpi-tō (健脾湯) prescription family product documentation, Japan's leading Kampo manufacturers, the standard Japanese Kampo "spleen-strengthening" prescription family derived from the late-Ming 《证治准绳》 line, sold in Japanese drugstores for "spleen-deficiency with food-stagnation" presentations; mirrored in Korean hanbang "건비" preparations in Kyungdong (경동) digestive-tonic line.
- 04PharmacopoeiaPharmacopoeia Commission of the PRC, 《中华人民共和国药典》 2020 edition, vol. 1 (Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó Yàodiǎn, Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China, 2020 ed., vol. 1), China Medical Science Press, 2020, the official national monograph for Jiàn Pí Wán (丸 / 浓缩丸), "functional indication" reads "fortify the spleen and open the stomach, used for spleen-stomach weakness: epigastric and abdominal fullness, reduced food intake, and loose stools".