The Formula Kitchen 方剂
玉屏风散 yù píng fēng sǎn
Jade Windscreen Powder · from attributed to Danxi Xin Fa, 14th c.
“Three herbs and a beautiful name — a jade screen set against the wind, for the people who catch everything going around.”
— Lao Xinglin
What's in the pot
| Herb | Role | Classical amount |
|---|---|---|
| 黄芪 huáng qí | Chief — secures the exterior, tonifies defensive qi | 30 g |
| 白术 bái zhú | Deputy — strengthens the spleen that feeds the defense | 60 g |
| 防风 fáng fēng | Assistant — 'guard against wind': expels what slips through | 30 g |
The pattern it treats
Some people catch every cold that passes the office door, sweat for no reason, and wilt in a draft. The tradition reads this as defensive qi deficiency — the wei qi at the surface too weak to hold the gate — and Yu Ping Feng San is its named remedy: a screen of jade set against the wind[1].
How the team works
The design is a small masterclass. Huang qi is the screen itself, securing the exterior; bai zhu reinforces the digestion that manufactures the defense; and fang feng — literally "guard against wind" — patrols outside the screen, dispersing what slips through[1]. Tonify and release together: the classical commentators loved that the formula bars the door without locking the thief inside.
What the research says
Popular in East Asia for recurrent respiratory infections and allergic rhinitis, with a scatter of small trials — encouraging direction, insufficient rigor, no established claim. Filed honestly, like its cousins.
Where to be careful
Wrong during an acute infection — this is a between-illnesses formula for prevention, not a treatment for the cold you already have[1]. Fang feng will get its own drawer in the cabinet in time; until then, the herb pages for the two gentlemen above carry the cautions that apply.
References
- Scheid, Bensky, Ellis & Barolet, Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies, 2nd ed., Eastland Press, 2009. ↩
Reviewed 2026-08-25