Kidney Qi Pill

Kidney Qi Pill

Rehmanniae Radix (Gan Di Huang) 8 liang (240g), Dioscoreae Rhizoma (Shan Yao) 4 liang (120g), Corni Fructus (Shan Zhu Yu) 4 liang (120g), Alismatis Rhizoma (Ze Xie) 3 liang (90g), Poria (Fu Ling) 3 liang (90g), Moutan Cortex (Mu Dan Pi) 3 liang (90g), Cinnamomi Ramulus (Gui Zhi) 1 liang (30g), Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata (Fu Zi) 1 liang (30g)

Grind the medicinals into a fine powder. Then use honey to form the powder into pills the size of a phoenix tree seed. Fifteen pills (about 6g) are taken for each dose, twice a day.

Supplements the kidney and assists yang.

Shen Qi Wan is indicated for patterns of kidney yang deficiency manifesting lumbar pain, flaccidity of the lower limbs, cold sensation of the body below the waist, spasm of the lesser abdomen, dysuria or abnormally severe profuse urination at night, impotence, premature ejaculation, a pale, swollen tongue, and a deficient, weak pulse that is deep and thin at the chi position. It is also applicable for patterns of phlegm-retention, edema, xiao ke, beriberi, bladder colic, and dysuria during pregnancy, and so on.

Shen Qi Wan is applicable for patterns of kidney-yang and ming mén fire deficiency. The waist is the residence of kidney. The kidney is the foundation of the congenital constitution. It stores the true fire of ming men, which is the root of the body’s yang qi. The deficiency of ming men fire leads to an occurrence of various diseases. Deficient kidney yang fails to warm the lower jiao. Therefore, problems such as lumbar pain, flaccidity of the lower limbs, cold sensation below the waist, and cramping pain in the lesser abdomen develop. Deficient kidney yang is incapable of transforming qi and promoting urination, and as a result, water stays inside, causing dysuria, cramping pain in the lesser abdomen, or even bladder colic and dysuria while pregnant. Kidney yang should steam water-liquid, which rises to moisten the upper jiao. However, when it fails to do so the water-liquid descends directly into the lower jiao and fails to moisten the upper part. Therefore, problems such as increased urination and xiao ke are noticed. The kidney governs water. Therefore, in the case of kidney yang deficiency, water retention symptoms occur including edema, phlegm-rheum, and beriberi. Although the symptoms vary from each other, the disease mechanism behind them is the same. This is, the so called, “different diseases, same treatment.” The treatment is to supplement the fire and assist yang. This treatment method is also known as “supplement the foundation of fire to remove the yin disease”, as stated by Wang Bing.

1. Essential pattern differentiation Shen Qi Wan is commonly used to supplement the kidney and assist yang. This clinical pattern is marked by lumbar pain and weak legs, dysuria or abnormally increased urine, pale, enlarged tongue, deficient, weak pulse that is deep-thready at the chi position. 2. Modern applications Shen Qi Wan is used as a basic formula to treat the following biomedical diseases, identified as kidney yang deficiency: chronic nephritis, diabetes, aldosteronism, hypothyroidism, neurasthenic, adrenocortical hypofunction, chronic bronchial asthma, climacteric syndrome. 3. Cautions and contraindications The formula is inappropriate for patterns of kidney yin deficiency with deficiency-fire flaming upward manifesting a dry throat and mouth, and a red tongue with scanty coating. Moreover, it is inappropriate for a simple pattern of kidney yang deficiency without excess in which the urination is normal.

1. Jia Wei Shen Qi Wan (Supplemented Kidney Qi Pill 加味腎氣丸)