Wu Ling San (Five Ingredient Powder with Poria)

Wu Ling San (五苓散) promotes urination and drains dampness while warming the yang and transforming qi; for water accumulation with impaired qi transformation of the Bladder.

Wǔ Líng Sǎn  ·  五苓散  ·  Five Ingredient Powder with Poria

English Name

Five Ingredient Powder with Poria

Classical Source

Shang Han Lun, c. 220 CE

Ingredients

Actions & Functions

  • Promotes urination and drains dampness
  • Warms the yang and transforms qi (Bladder)

Indications

Water accumulation: oedema, scanty urination, thirst with vomiting of fluid on drinking, and a stifling fullness below the chest; also damp diarrhoea.

Tongue & Pulse

Tongue: white coat. Pulse: floating or moderate.

Modifications

Add Yin Chen Hao (Yin Chen Wu Ling San) for damp jaundice.

Cautions & Contraindications

Not for oedema purely from yin deficiency.

About Attilio

Doctor of Chinese medicine, acupuncture expert and author of My Fertility Guide and My Pregnancy Guide.

Check Also

PubMed research

Traditional Chinese Medicine Improves Nutritional Status in Maintenance Haemodialysis Patients, Meta-Analysis Finds

Research summary (Traditional Chinese Medicine): Efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine in improving nutritional status among Chinese maintenance hemodialysis patients: a meta-analysis of - Frontiers in nutrition, 2026.