A "wen-jing san-han, yang-xue qu-yu" (warm the channels, disperse cold, nourish blood, dispel stasis) formula from Zhang Zhongjing's "Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Cabinet" (c. 220 CE), the canonical TCM "cold-stasis" gynecological formula.
Cultural reference - how this formula has been discussed in Chinese medical tradition. Not medical advice.
Background & origin
Compiled by Zhang Zhongjing in "Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Cabinet" (《金匮要略》) around 220 CE, it is the canonical "warm the menses" gynecological formula when cold and stasis coexist with blood and yin deficiency. In Japan, it is sold as 温経湯 (うんけいとう / Unkei-tō) by Tsumura (ツムラ) and Kracie (クラシエ) and is one of the most widely prescribed kampo formulas for perimenopausal and menstrual-cycle indications. In Korea, it is sold as 온경탕 (On-gyeong-tang) in the Kyungdong (경동) hanbang line. The formula is, in short, one of the most cross-culturally reproduced gynecological formulas in East Asia.
From the source text
This page is cultural documentation, not medical advice.
From the source text · 卷下·妇人杂病脉证并治·第 9 条
Classical text
问曰：妇人年五十所，病下利数十日不止，暮即发热，少腹里急，腹满，手掌烦热，唇口干燥，何也？师曰：此病属带下，何以故？曾经半产，瘀血在少腹不去。何以知之？其证唇口干燥，故知之。当以温经汤主之。
Modern Chinese rendering
妇人年过五十，下血（带下病）数十日不止，傍晚即发热，少腹里急胀满，手掌烦热，唇口干燥，是什么病？答：此病属于"带下"。原因何在？曾经小产，瘀血停留在少腹未去。如何知道？症见唇口干燥即是佐证。当用温经汤主治。这是"温经散寒、养血祛瘀"思路下"崩漏"证的代表性条文：瘀血内停兼冲任虚寒，用温经汤温经散寒与养血祛瘀并用，是后世妇科"温经止血"治法的源头。
Editorial translation
A question is asked: a woman of about fifty years of age has had uterine bleeding for several dozen days without stopping, develops fever in the evening, lower-abdominal cramping and fullness, irritating heat in the palms, and dryness of the lips and mouth. What is this? The master answers: this disorder belongs to "dai xia" (lower jiao disorders). What is the cause? She once had a miscarriage, and static blood has remained in the lower abdomen. How do we know? The sign of dry lips and mouth tells us. Warm the Menses Decoction is the formula of choice. This is the canonical clause for the "metrorrhagia with cold and stasis" reasoning in gynecology: when static blood is lodged in the uterus together with deficiency-cold of the chong and ren channels, Warm the Menses Decoction is used to simultaneously warm the channels, disperse cold, nourish blood, and dispel stasis. It is the historical source of the later "warm the menses to stop bleeding" treatment principle.
In tradition
In TCM framing, traditionally used in the context of "cold and blood stasis" affecting the gynecological system, irregular menstruation, scanty or dark menstrual flow, occasional lower-abdominal coldness and pain, mild night-time hot flashes, and dryness of lips and mouth. It is one of the most discussed gynecological formulas in TCM education and is considered the principal formula when "cold" and "stasis" coexist with "blood and yin deficiency". In Japan, it is sold as 温経湯 (Unkei-tō) by Tsumura and Kracie, and in Korea as 온경탕 (On-gyeong-tang) by Kyungdong, the formula is one of the most widely prescribed kampo formulas for perimenopausal and menstrual indications.
Formula composition
Monarch2
- Evodia fruit (Wú Zhū Yú / 吴茱萸) - principal, warms the middle and disperses cold
- Cinnamon twig (Guì Zhī / 桂枝) - principal, warms the channels and unblocks yang
Minister3
- Angelica sinensis root (Dāng Guī / 当归) - minister, nourishes and moves blood
- Chuanxiong rhizome (Chuān Xiōng / 川芎) - minister, moves qi and invigorates blood
- White peony root (Bái Sháo / 白芍) - minister, nourishes blood and softens the liver
Assistant3
- Donkey-hide gelatin (Ē Jiāo / 阿胶) - assistant, nourishes blood and moistens yin
- Ophiopogon root (Mài Mén Dōng / 麦门冬) - assistant, nourishes yin and clears deficient heat
- Moutan bark (Mǔ Dān Pí / 牡丹皮) - assistant, clears deficient heat and moves blood
Envoy4
- Ginseng (Rén Shēn / 人参) - envoy, supplements qi to assist the blood-tonifying action
- Honey-fried licorice (Zhì Gān Cǎo / 炙甘草) - envoy, harmonizes the middle and the formula
- Fresh ginger (Shēng Jiāng / 生姜) - envoy, warms the middle and harmonizes the stomach
- Pinellia rhizome (Bàn Xià / 半夏) - envoy, harmonizes the middle and downbears counterflow
International availability
Taiwan & Hong Kong
- 順天堂OTC溫經湯Wen Jing Tang
Cautions & context
- Not appropriate during active abnormal uterine bleeding with "heat" signs, the formula is described as warming and moving, and TCM tradition generally favors cooling formulas in that setting.
- Pregnant women should not use without qualified guidance, the formula contains several blood-moving herbs and is generally contraindicated in early pregnancy.
- People taking blood-thinning medication (warfarin, aspirin) should consult a clinician, the formula contains several blood-moving ingredients.
- Sudden changes in menstrual pattern, abnormal bleeding, or pelvic pain should be evaluated by a clinician, TCM gynecology is not a substitute for evaluation of gynecological conditions.
Related formulas
Other formulas from this text· "Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Cabinet"
Other formulas by this contributor· Zhang Zhongjing
Related concerns
Concern · womens-health
Women's Health
The cluster of complaints that Chinese households often frame around the menstrual cycle: premenstrual mood shifts, breast tenderness, irregular cycles, and post-partum recovery.
Editorial note
Compiled from "Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Cabinet" (220).
Last reviewed: July 18, 2026
Three layers of evidence
Classical source
≈ 1800 years · "Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Cabinet" (220)
Pharmacopoeia indication
"Nourish blood and regulate menstruation, disperse cold and stop pain. Used for deficiency cold of the Chong and Ren meridians with cold-stasis blood stasis: menstrual irregularity, cold pain in the lower abdomen, dysmenorrhea, reduced menstrual flow or amenorrhea, and cold hands and feet."
Modern research status
A 2017 systematic review and meta-analysis (PMID 28791471) of 18 randomized controlled trials (1,736 patients) found Wenjing decoction significantly outperformed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on clinical effective rate, visual analogue scale, and pain scale for primary dysmenorrhea; however, the authors explicitly noted the evidence is low quality due to high risk of bias in the included trials, and called for well-designed RCTs to confirm the findings.
References
References reviewed on July 18, 2026 · PubMed search on 2026-07-18
- 01ClassicalZhang Zhongjing, 《金匮要略》 (Jǐn Guì Yào Lüè / Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Cabinet), Eastern Han dynasty, c. 220 CE, with the base formula appearing in clause 9 of the "women's miscellaneous disorders" section, the canonical text for the "warm the menses to stop bleeding" approach in gynecology.
- 02TextbookDuan Fuqin (段富津) et al. (eds.), 《方剂学》 (Fāngjìxué / Textbook of Formulas), Shanghai Scientific and Technical Publishers, 1995, the standard modern university-level formula textbook in mainland China, with Wen Jing Tang analysed as the representative "warm the channels, disperse cold, nourish blood and dispel stasis" formula for "deficiency-cold of chong and ren with static blood" patterns.
- 03PharmacopoeiaChinese Pharmacopoeia Commission, 《中华人民共和国药典》 2020 年版一部 (Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó Yàodiǎn, Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China, 2020 Edition, Vol. I), China Medical Science Press, 2020, the official monograph for Wen Jing Tang / Wen Jing Tang Keli dosage forms.