Wumei Wan

Name

Black Plum Pill

The Prescription of Wumei Wan

Source

The book Shang Han Lun

Ingredients

Wu Mei (Fructus Mume) 480 g,
Xi Xin (Herba Asari) 180 g,
Gan Jiang (Rhizoma Zingiberis) 300 g,
Huang Lian (Rhizoma Coptidis) 480 g,
Dang Gui (Radix Angelicae Sinensis} 120 g,
Fu Zi (Radix Aconiti Lateralis Preparata) 180 g,
Chao Shu Jiao (stir-fried Pericarpium Zanthoxyli) 120 g,
Gui Zhi (Ramulus Cinnamomi) 180 g,
Ren Shen (Radix Ginseng) 180 g,
Huang Bai (Cortex Phellodendri) 180 g.

Explanation

Wu Mei: The principal drug, being sour in flavor and neutral in nature, calming roundworms to restrain their movement so as to arrest pain.

Shu Jiao and Xi Xin: Being pungent in flavor to expel roundworms, being warm in nature to warm the internal organs and dispel cold.

Gui Zhi, Fu Zi and Gan Jiang: Helping warm the internal organs and dispel cold.

Ren Shen and Dang Gui: Invigorating Qi and nourishing blood.

Huang Lian and Huang Bai: Being bitter in flavor to expel roundworms, being cold in nature to remove heat in the upper, controlling the over-warm nature of all the other drugs lest Yin be damaged.

The Effect of Wumei Wan

Effect

Warming the internal organs and calming roundworms.

Indications

Colic caused by ascaris, prolonged dysentery or diarrhea due to deficiency of vital Qi resulting from chills and fever, marked by intermittent fidgets and vomiting, vomiting of roundworms after eating, cold limbs, abdominal pain, or prolonged dysentery and long-lasting diarrhea; including such diseases with the above symptoms as biliary ascariasis, chronic dysentery and chronic enteritis.

Administrations

Wu Mei is steeped in 50% vinegar for one night and then taken out. It is pounded into pieces after the core is removed. All the other drugs are also pounded into pieces. The two kinds of pieces are mixed and dried in the sun and finally ground into powder. The powder is made with honey into pills each as big as a seed of Chinese parasol. 9 g of the pills is taken on an empty stomach with warm boiled water each time, 1-3 times daily. With their amounts properly reduced according to their original proportions, the drugs may be also decocted in water for oral use.