Kidney Qi Pill

Kidney Qi Pill

From "Golden Essentials of the Classics"

[Composition] 24 grams of Gan Di Huang (eight liang), 12 grams of Shan Yao (four liang), 12 grams of Shan Yu Rou (four liang), 9 grams of Du Dan Pi (three liang), 9 grams of Fu Ling (three liang), 9 grams of Ze Xie (three liang), 3 grams of Gui Zhi (one liang), and 3 grams of Pao Fu Zi (one liang).

[Usage] Grind all ingredients into powder, make pills with honey, take 9 grams per dose, twice daily, with warm water. In modern times, it is prepared as a decoction and taken by boiling water.

[Indications] Kidney Yang Deficiency.

[Suitable Symptoms] Dizziness, blurred vision, tinnitus, lower back pain, leg fatigue, feeling cold and shivering, spontaneous sweating, a weak pulse at the wrist; or accompanied by impotence, nocturnal emission, or premature ejaculation; or accompanied by difficulty urinating or generalized edema.

[Functions] Warmly tonify Kidney Yang.

[Formula Explanation] When Kidney Qi is insufficient, dizziness, blurred vision, tinnitus, lower back pain, leg fatigue, and a weak pulse at the wrist may occur; when Yang Qi declines, one feels cold and shivering, and experiences spontaneous sweating; when Yang does not contain Yin, impotence, nocturnal emission, or premature ejaculation may develop; when Yang does not transform Qi, edema or difficulty urinating may occur. This condition is entirely caused by Kidney Yang Deficiency; warming and tonifying Kidney Yang is the key. However, “Solitary Yin cannot arise, solitary Yang cannot thrive,” and “Yin originates in Yang, Yang originates in Yin.” To tonify Kidney Yang, one must first support Yin, just as Zhang Jingyue said: “Those who are good at tonifying Yang must seek Yang within Yin; those who are good at tonifying Yin must seek Yin within Yang.” The original intent of this formula lies in using the Six-Flavor Rehmannia Decoction to greatly nourish Original Yin, then adding Gui and Fu to strengthen Yang—this makes the formula a truly excellent choice for tonifying Yang. Kidney Yang is the Fire within Water, the Fire of the Dragon and Thunder; one must seek Yang within Yin to attain it. The Nine Palaces says: “The left represents the Kidneys, the right represents the Mingmen.” The Kidneys are Water Organs, and the Mingmen govern Fire—this embodies the meaning of Fire within Water. Gui and Fu are used in small amounts, following the principle of “small fire gives rise to vitality”; if used in excess, one risks “excessive fire consuming qi.”

[Clinical Additions and Subtractions]

① Add Niu Xi and Che Qian to form Jisheng Kidney Qi Pill (Jisheng Fang), used for Yang Deficiency with Water Overflow, edema, and reduced urine output.

② Add Lu Rong and Wu Wei Zi to form Shibu Wan (Jisheng Fang), used for long-term Yang Deficiency, dark complexion, cold feet and swollen feet, weak knees and waist, thin body, and lower back and knee pain.

③ Remove Dan Pi, add Du Zhong, Gou Qi, and Gan Cao to form You Gui Yin (Jingyue Quanshu), used for Yin Excess with Yang Deficiency, where true Cold prevails over Heat.

[Reference Materials]

① “The gentleman observes the image of Kan, and understands that the Kidneys possess both Water and Fire functions. Today, when people engage in sexual activity, Yang easily rises—this is due to Yin Deficiency and Fire Activation; when Yang is preoccupied with impotence, the Mingmen Fire is weakened. When True Water is exhausted, winter is not cold; when True Fire is extinguished, summer is not hot. This formula uses Sheng Di, Shan Yao, Ze Xie, Dan Pi, Fu Ling, and Shan Yu as moistening agents, enabling them to strengthen the primary function of Water; Cinnamon and Fu Zi are pungent and moistening, capable of replenishing Fire within Water, thus benefiting the original Fire. When Water and Fire are nurtured, Kidney Qi is restored.” (Yi Guan)

② Jisheng Kidney Qi Pill was used to treat 10 cases of chronic nephritis, with complete remission in 4 cases, improvement in 3 cases, and no effect in 3 cases; it was also found that this formula was highly effective for patients whose symptoms were not obvious, whose renal function showed no significant damage, and who only had long-term proteinuria. (Jiangsu Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1965.11)

③ “Wang Ang of the Qing Dynasty pointed out: ‘When Kidney Deficiency causes Fire to not return to the meridians, leading to intense heat, thirst, red eyes, cracked lips, spines on the tongue, a burning sensation in the throat, burning feet, a pulse that is both strong and weak, yet slightly weak upon palpation’—these conditions represented the Ten Complete Tonifying Decoctions and Eight Flavor Pills, which were actually false fevers. True Cold is the essence, false Heat is merely a symptom; however, Wang Ang only mentioned ‘a pulse that is both strong and weak, yet slightly weak upon palpation,’ which was far from sufficient, because pulse patterns are not always fixed—they should be analyzed comprehensively. True Cold-Heat Syndrome is when Cold resides internally while Yang is blocked externally, when Cold resides below while Yang rises above—a type of Fire without roots. The cases Wang Ang cited were likely mistaken for Yang Heat Syndrome, known as ‘when emptiness leads to abundance.’” (Yue Meizhong’s Collection of Medical Essays)

④ Experimental research conducted by Shen Ziyin and others at Shanghai First Medical College found that the excretion of 17-hydroxy steroids in 24-hour urine was significantly lower in patients with Kidney Yang Deficiency compared to normal levels; after treatment to tonify the Kidneys, this level rose back to normal, while the symptoms of Kidney Yang Deficiency also improved accordingly. (Shanghai Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1962.1)

⑤ Modern immunology believes that the functions of T cells dependent on the thymus and B cells independent of the thymus are the primary factors in forming specific immunity; the precursors to these cells are stem cells located in the bone marrow. Based on the TCM theory that “Kidney generates Bone Marrow,” researchers hypothesized that there might be a connection between the body’s specific immune function and kidney-tonifying therapies. Later experimental studies proved that tonifying Yang drugs could accelerate antibody formation; tonifying Yin drugs, on the other hand, could extend antibody survival time. (Gansu Chinese Medical Association: Academic Materials, January 1979)

[Commentary] This formula can be used for coronary heart disease, pregnancy-induced toxemia, chronic nephritis, chronic pyelonephritis, primary hypertension, prostatitis, lupus erythematosus, Addison’s disease, myxedema, Hashimoto’s disease, chronic bronchitis, functional uterine bleeding in women, neurasthenia, and other conditions.

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