San Ren Tang — Three Nut Decoction

On this page

1. Overview
2. TCM pattern
3. Key herbs
4. Formula actions
5. Conditions treated
6. Cautions

What is San Ren Tang?

San Ren Tang — Three Nut Decoction — is a classical formula from Wu Tang’s Wen Bing Tiao Bian (Systematic Differentiation of Warm Diseases, 1798). It is one of the most useful formulas in Chinese herbal medicine for damp warm disease in the early stage, where damp predominates over heat across all three Burners.

I prescribe San Ren Tang as part of bespoke herbal formulas from pharmaceutical-grade granules sourced from Sun Ten in Taiwan.

San Ren Tang TCM pattern

Prescribed for damp warm disease with damp predominating across the three Burners: low-grade afternoon fever that does not respond to cooling, heavy aching of the head and body, chest oppression, poor appetite, loose stools or undigested food in the stool, white slimy tongue coating and a slippery or wiry-slippery pulse.

Key herbs

1. Xing Ren — opens upper Burner and descends Lung Qi
2. Bai Dou Kou — transforms Damp in middle Burner
3. Yi Yi Ren — drains Damp from lower Burner
4. Hua Shi (Talcum) — clears Damp-Heat through urination
5. Dan Zhu Ye — clears mild heat and disinhibits urination
6. Tong Cao — clears Damp-Heat through urination
7. Hou Po — moves Qi and dries Damp in middle Burner
8. Ban Xia — transforms Damp-Phlegm

Formula actions

1. Opens upper Burner and disperses Damp
2. Transforms middle Burner Damp
3. Drains Damp through urination from lower Burner

Conditions treated

1. Early-stage damp warm disease: typhoid, malaria and viral fevers in damp climates
2. Persistent post-viral fatigue with low-grade afternoon fever and brain fog
3. Summer colds with heaviness and chest oppression
4. Long-standing damp-stagnation patterns with a thick greasy tongue coat that has not responded to other approaches
5. Chronic urinary tract irritation with damp features

Cautions

Contraindicated in Yin-deficient dryness with a peeled tongue. Generally well tolerated; reduce dose as the slimy coating clears.

Always consult a qualified Chinese herbalist registered with the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine (RCHM). Online herbal consultations are available.

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