A "tonify qi, secure the exterior, stop sweating" formula from the Yuan dynasty, the most frequently prescribed "prevent-catch-cold" formula in TCM pediatric and geriatric practice.
Cultural reference - how this formula has been discussed in Chinese medical tradition. Not medical advice.
Background & origin
Compiled by the Yuan dynasty physician Zhu Danxi (朱丹溪) in "Danxi's Mastery of Medicine" (《丹溪心法》) as the foundational "secure the exterior" formula. In Japan, Gyokuheifū-san (玉屏風散) is sold by Tsumura and Kracie as the standard OTC for "people who catch colds easily, spontaneous sweating, allergic rhinitis with qi-deficiency presentation". In Korea it appears as Okbyeongpung-san (옥병풍산) in the Hanpung hanbang line. The formula is unique in TCM in being a three-ingredient preventive tonic that is widely used for months at a time.
From the source text
This page is cultural documentation, not medical advice.
From the source text · 《丹溪心法》卷三·自汗·玉屏风散
Classical text
玉屏风散：黄芪一两，白术二两，防风一两。为末，每服三钱，水一盅半，姜三片，煎服。
Modern Chinese rendering
玉屏风散是中医"益气固表"思路最简、最精的代表方,仅三味药而配伍精当。黄芪为君,益气固表止汗,量大至一两,补肺脾之气、固表卫外;白术为臣,二两,健脾益气、培土生金,助黄芪补气之功;防风为佐使,一两,走表而祛风,与黄芪、白术相配,补中寓散,散不伤正、补不留邪。命名"玉屏风"形象表达其功效——以"玉屏"喻卫表如美玉屏风般坚固,外邪难以入侵,内之津液不致外泄。本方为"表虚自汗、易感风邪"的代表方,治肺卫不固所致自汗、恶风、面色㿠白,亦为现代"反复感冒、过敏性鼻炎"等"亚健康"表虚状态的体质调养方。
Editorial translation
Yù Píng Fēng Sǎn (Jade Windscreen Powder) is the most concise and refined representative formula of the TCM "benefit-qi, secure-the-exterior" approach — only three herbs, yet exquisitely combined. Huáng Qí (Astragalus) at 1 liǎng is the sovereign to benefit qi, secure the exterior and stop sweating, supplementing the qi of lung and spleen to firm the defensive qi at the surface; Bái Zhú (white Atractylodes) at 2 liǎng is the minister, fortifying the spleen, supplementing qi, and "cultivating earth to generate metal" (培土生金) to assist the Astragalus; Fáng Fēng (Saposhnikovia) at 1 liǎng is the assistant and envoy, reaching the exterior to dispel wind, paired with Astragalus and Atractylodes, "supplementing with dispersing embedded within, dispersing without harming the upright, supplementing without retaining pathogens" (补中寓散,散不伤正、补不留邪). The name "Jade Windscreen" is a vivid metaphor — like a jade screen, the defensive exterior becomes impregnable, external pathogens cannot enter, and internal fluids do not leak outward. This formula is the canonical prescription for "exterior-deficiency spontaneous sweating and easy contraction of wind", used in TCM framing for insecure defensive qi with spontaneous sweating, aversion to wind, pale complexion, and is also the modern preventive formula for "frequent colds, allergic rhinitis" and other exterior-deficiency sub-health states.
In tradition
In TCM tradition, associated with "qi deficiency with unstable exterior" patterns: catching colds easily, spontaneous sweating on minor exertion, a feeling of being "unprotected" against drafts, and a generally "porous" sense to the body's surface. It is the formula of choice for the patient who is not currently sick but wants to reduce the frequency of colds, the "I get sick every time the season changes" presentation.
Formula composition
Monarch1
- Astragalus (Huáng Qí / 黄芪)
Minister1
- White atractylodes (Bái Zhú / 白术) — fortifies the spleen, benefits qi
Assistant1
- Saposhnikovia root (Fáng Fēng / 防风) — reaches the exterior to dispel wind
International availability
Taiwan & Hong Kong
- 順天堂OTC玉屏風散Yu Ping Feng San
Cautions & context
- A gentle preventive formula, generally safe for long-term use, but not appropriate for active fever or acute infection.
- Considered inappropriate during active wind-heat colds (sore throat, yellow phlegm), the formula is closing and may "trap" external pathogens.
- Long-term daily use should be monitored by a practitioner, even gentle tonics can shift the body's balance over months.
- Symptoms that worsen or do not improve within a few weeks of use should be reassessed by a clinician.
Related formulas
Other formulas from this text· "Danxi's Mastery of Medicine"
Other formulas by this contributor· Zhu Danxi
Browse by Pattern
Related concerns
Concern · immune
Immune Support
The everyday language of "wanting to stay well", a sense of being run down, the change of seasons, occasional mouth ulcers, the slow recovery after a cold.
Editorial note
Compiled from "Danxi's Mastery of Medicine" (1347).
Last reviewed: July 18, 2026
Three layers of evidence
Classical source
≈ 700 years · "Danxi's Mastery of Medicine" (1347)
Pharmacopoeia indication
"Benefit qi, secure the exterior, and stop sweating. Used for insecure exterior with spontaneous sweating and aversion to wind, pale complexion, or constitutionally weak patients prone to contracting wind pathogens."
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
- 01ClassicalZhū Zhènhēng (朱震亨, styled Yànxiū 彦修, self-styled Dān Xī 丹溪, 1281–1358), 《丹溪心法》 (Dān Xī Xīn Fǎ / Danxi's Mastery of Medicine), compiled by his disciples around 1347, vol. 3 (卷三), the "spontaneous-sweat" (自汗) section, the entry for Yù Píng Fēng Sǎn (玉屏风散), the canonical "benefit-qi, secure-the-exterior, stop-sweating" (益气固表止汗) representative formula in TCM, with the elegant "Jade Windscreen" (玉屏风) metaphor for the body's defensive surface becoming impregnable to wind pathogens; the present-day 中成药 form (颗粒 / 口服液 / 片) is the modern industrial production of the classical three-ingredient powder.
- 02TextbookDuan Fuqin (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 Yù Píng Fēng Sǎn analysed in the "tonic formulas" (补益剂) chapter as the representative "benefit-qi, secure-the-exterior" formula, the canonical entry for "exterior-deficiency spontaneous-sweat" (表虚自汗) and "frequently-contracted wind" (易感风邪).
- 03PharmacopoeiaPharmacopoeia 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 Yù Píng Fēng Sǎn (颗粒 / 口服液 / 片), "functional indication" reads "benefit qi, secure the exterior, and stop sweating, used for insecure exterior with spontaneous sweating and aversion to wind, pale complexion, or constitutionally weak patients prone to contracting wind pathogens".