Treatment of Chronic Nephritis—April 15, 1979

Treatment of Chronic Nephritis—April 15, 1979

1. Latent type nephritis

Main symptoms: dull pain in the lower back, general fatigue, and dizziness.

Prescription: Goji berries 15 g, Vitex negundo 12 g, Cuscuta chinensis 15 g, Coix seed 30 g, Eclipta prostrata 12 g, Dipsacus asper 12 g, Mistletoe 30 g, Shepherd's purse 30 g.

Mnemonic: Three seeds, mulberry, shepherd's purse, lotus, coix.

Adjustments: For those with more red blood cells in urine, add fresh Imperata cylindrica 30 g, Plantago major 18 g, Thistle and Lesser thistle each 12 g, Fairy grass 12 g, Panax notoginseng 3 g; for cloudy urine, add Atractylodes macrocephala 15 g; for reddish urine, add Anemarrhena asphodeloides 9 g and Phellodendron amurense 9 g; for dry mouth, add Gypsum fibrosum 30 g, Anemarrhena asphodeloides 9 g, Phellodendron amurense 9 g, Rehmannia glutinosa 30 g, Ophiopogon japonicus 12 g; for those with shortness of breath and weakness, consider adding Astragalus membranaceus and Codonopsis pilosula; for those with cold constitution, consider adding Aconitum carmichaelii, Cinnamon, and Deer antler glue; for those with hot flashes and bone-steaming sensations, consider adding Rehmannia glutinosa, Anemarrhena asphodeloides, and Phellodendron amurense.

2. Nephritic type nephritis

This type is characterized by edema as the main symptom; in mild cases, only the face and lower limbs swell, while in severe cases, there is a large amount of protein in the urine, along with red and white blood cells. In terms of treatment, this type has three subtypes: ① Spleen-yang deficiency, with Baoyuan Tang, Si Ni Tang, Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang, and Xiang Sha Liu Jun Tang as the main prescriptions; ② Kidney-yang deficiency, with Jisheng Shenqi Wan as the main prescription; ③ Spleen-kidney yang deficiency, with Zhen Wu Tang as the main prescription.

Old TCM doctor Xu Chongnian proposed that treating nephritis should emphasize clearing and eliminating pathogenic factors, heavily using White flower snake grass, Seven-leaf one-branch flower, Taraxacum officinale, and Purple flower ground ivy, which is somewhat similar to the Yishen Tang formula developed by the Shanxi Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Zhang Jingyue famously said, "Those who are good at tonifying yang must seek yang within yin, so that yang receives yin's assistance and can generate endlessly; those who are good at tonifying yin must seek yin within yang, so that yin receives yang's support and its source never runs out." (Wang Jiru, Tianjin)