Adjunct in Xiao Yao San

Wēi Jiāng 煨姜

Roasted ginger · Zingiberis Rhizoma (Zingiber officinale) · small amount, added to the draft in the classical formula

Role in the formula

The classical instructions call for a small amount of wēi jiāng — ginger roasted in embers — added when the powder is drawn as a draft. Roasting softens fresh ginger's dispersing edge, leaving a gentler warmth that harmonizes the stomach and supports the middle burner while the formula does its work^[1].

Character

Acrid and warm, entering the lung, spleen, and stomach channels. Ginger in its several preparations — fresh, dried, roasted, charred — is a small lesson in Chinese pharmacy: one rhizome, four different medicines, chosen by degree of warmth required^[1].

In the pharmacy

The rhizome of Zingiber officinale. Modern patent versions of the formula often substitute fresh ginger (shēng jiāng 生姜) or omit it; traditional preparation roasts it until fragrant.