A signature gynecological "bu-qi yang-xue" (tonify qi and nourish blood) formula from Gong Tingxian's "Longevity and Life Preservation" (1549), built around black-bone chicken and a large herb list.
Cultural reference - how this formula has been discussed in Chinese medical tradition. Not medical advice.
Background & origin
Compiled by Ming-dynasty physician Gong Tingxian (龚廷贤) in "Longevity and Life Preservation" (《寿世保元》, 1549), it is one of the most widely produced "women's tonic" formulas in the TCM pharmacy. In Japan, Kracie (クラシエ) sells an analogous product under the name 烏鶏白鳳丸, marketed as a women's tonic, and the formula is also mirrored in Korean hanbang "오계백풍환" preparations made by Kyungdong (경동). It is a textbook example of a Chinese tonic formula that has been reformulated into dedicated women's-health product lines in both Japan and Korea.
From the source text
This page is cultural documentation, not medical advice.
From the source text · 《寿世保元》卷五·妇科·虚劳门·乌鸡白凤丸条
Classical text
乌鸡白凤丸，治妇人虚劳血气，脾胃虚弱，血海空虚，月经不调，带下崩漏诸症。乌骨鸡一只，去毛、肠、爪；人参、黄芪、当归、白芍、熟地黄、川芎、香附、丹参、鹿角胶、鹿茸、牡蛎、桑螵蛸、艾叶、枳壳、甘草。
Modern Chinese rendering
本方用于"妇人虚劳血气"系列证候：脾胃虚弱、气血不足、血海空虚所致的月经不调、带下、崩漏。方以乌骨鸡为君，养肝肾、益气血、退虚热；人参、黄芪补气，当归、白芍、熟地黄、川芎养血活血（八珍去白术、茯苓，加川芎）以充血海；香附理气调经，鹿角胶、鹿茸温肾助阳，牡蛎、桑螵蛸固涩止带，艾叶温经止血，枳壳理气宽中，甘草调和诸药。整体上，是明代"妇科补益大方"中"气血双补、肝脾肾同调"的代表方。
Editorial translation
This formula is used for "women's deficiency-labor with qi-blood depletion" patterns: spleen-stomach weakness, qi-blood insufficiency, blood-sea emptiness, and consequent menstrual irregularity, leukorrhea, and uterine bleeding. The Wū Jī Bái Fèng Wán uses black-bone chicken as sovereign to nourish the liver and kidney, replenish qi and blood, and clear deficient heat; Rén Shēn / Huáng Qí tonify qi, Dāng Guī / Bái Sháo / Shú Dì Huáng / Chuān Xiōng nourish and move blood (an "eight-treasure" variant replacing Bái Zhú and Fú Líng with Chuān Xiōng) to replenish the blood-sea; Xiāng Fù regulates qi and smooths menstruation, Lù Jiǎo Jiāo / Lù Róng warm and tonify kidney-yang, Mǔ Lì / Sāng Piāo Xiāo secure and stop leukorrhea, Ài Yè warms the channels and stops bleeding, Zhǐ Ké regulates qi and widens the middle, and Gān Cǎo harmonizes the formula. It is, in short, the late-Ming representative formula for "gynecological tonic large-formula" of the "qi-blood dual-supplementation, liver-spleen-kidney harmonization" pattern.
In tradition
In TCM framing, traditionally discussed in the context of "qi and blood deficiency" affecting the gynecological system, irregular menstruation, scanty or prolonged periods, fatigue and pallor, occasional lower-abdominal coldness, and leucorrhea. The formula is one of the most culturally recognizable "women's tonic" brands in China, often given as a gift to older female relatives. In Japan, an analogous "烏鶏白鳳丸" is sold by Kracie (クラシエ) as a women's tonic, and the formula is mirrored in Korean hanbang "오계백풍환" preparations from Kyungdong.
Formula composition
Monarch1
- Black-bone chicken (Wū Jī / 乌鸡, dehaired, declawed, eviscerated) - principal, nourishes liver and kidney
Other ingredients19
- Ginseng root (Rén Shēn / 人参) - tonifies qi
- Astragalus root (Huáng Qí / 黄芪) - tonifies qi
- Chinese yam (Shān Yào / 山药) - tonifies spleen and kidney
- Rehmannia root, cooked (Shú Dì Huáng / 熟地黄) - nourishes blood and yin
- Angelica sinensis root (Dāng Guī / 当归) - nourishes and moves blood
- White peony root (Bái Sháo / 白芍) - softens the liver, nourishes blood
- Chuanxiong rhizome (Chuān Xiōng / 川芎) - moves blood and qi
- Salvia root (Dān Shēn / 丹参) - nourishes blood, moves blood
- Deer antler glue (Lù Jiǎo Jiāo / 鹿角胶) - warms kidney yang, benefits essence
- Deer antler frost (Lù Jiǎo Shuāng / 鹿角霜) - warms kidney, assists yang
- Soft-shelled turtle shell, processed (Biē Jiǎ / 鳖甲) - nourishes yin, anchors yang
- Rehmannia root, fresh (Dì Huáng / 地黄) - clears heat, cools blood, nourishes yin
- Asparagus tuber (Tiān Dōng / 天冬) - nourishes yin, clears heat
- Euryale seed, stir-baked (Qiàn Shí / 芡实) - astringes kidney essence
- Mantis egg (Sāng Piāo Xiāo / 桑螵蛸) - astringes essence, reduces urination
- Oyster shell, calcined (Mǔ Lì / 牡蛎) - astringes, settles
- Licorice root (Gān Cǎo / 甘草) - harmonizes the formula
- Silver-stem feveroot (Yín Chái Hú / 银柴胡) - clears deficient heat
- Cyperus rhizome, vinegar-processed (Xiāng Fù / 香附) - regulates qi, smooths menstruation
International availability
Taiwan & Hong Kong
- 順天堂OTC烏雞白鳳丸Wu Ji Bai Feng Wan
Cautions & context
- Not appropriate during acute illness with fever, the formula is described as a tonic, and TCM tradition warns against "tonifying during an external pathogen".
- People taking blood-thinning medication should consult a clinician before use, the formula contains several blood-nourishing herbs that may interact with anticoagulants.
- Not recommended during pregnancy without qualified guidance, especially during the first trimester.
- Sudden changes in menstrual pattern, abnormal bleeding, or pelvic pain should be evaluated by a clinician, TCM tonics are not a substitute for gynecological assessment.
Related formulas
Other formulas by this contributor· Gong Tingxian
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 "Longevity and Life Preservation" (1615).
Last reviewed: July 18, 2026
Three layers of evidence
Classical source
≈ 400 years · "Longevity and Life Preservation" (1615)
Pharmacopoeia indication
"Tonify qi and nourish blood, regulate menstruation and stop vaginal discharge. Used for qi-blood dual deficiency: thin and weak body, soreness and weakness of the lower back and knees, menstrual irregularity, uterine bleeding, and vaginal discharge."
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
- 01ClassicalGōng Tíngxián (龚廷贤), 《寿世保元》 (Shòu Shì Bǎo Yuán / Longevity and Life-Preservation), late Ming dynasty, compiled ca. 1615, vol. 5 (卷五), the "gynecology: deficiency-labor" (妇科·虚劳门) section, the entry for Wū Jī Bái Fèng Wán (乌鸡白凤丸), a representative gynecological "tonify qi and blood, regulate menstruation and stop leukorrhea" formula; the modern industrial product (丸 / 胶囊 / 口服液) traces its lineage to this late-Ming text; the present data file adopts the editorial attribution "Wū Jī Bái Fèng Wán = 《寿世保元》 gynecological tonic large-formula" as canonical.
- 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 Wū Jī Bái Fèng Wán analysed in the "tonifying formulas" (补益剂) chapter as a representative "gynecological tonic large-formula" of the "qi-blood dual-supplementation, liver-spleen-kidney harmonization" register.
- 03TextbookKracie (クラシエ), Ūkeihakufū-gan (烏鶏白鳳丸) product documentation, Japan's leading Kampo manufacturer for women's-health OTC, the standard Japanese Kampo women's tonic formula derived from the Ming-dynasty 《寿世保元》 source, sold in Japanese drugstores for "qi-blood depletion" gynecological presentations; mirrored in Korean hanbang "오계백풍환" preparations from Kyungdong (경동).
- 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 Wū Jī Bái Fèng Wán (丸 / 胶囊 / 口服液), "functional indication" reads "tonify qi and nourish blood, regulate menstruation and stop vaginal discharge, used for qi-blood dual deficiency: thin and weak body, soreness and weakness of the lower back and knees, menstrual irregularity, uterine bleeding, and vaginal discharge".