1. Chronic Nephritis

1. Chronic Nephritis

Although TCM does not have a specific term for nephritis, based on syndrome analysis, it falls under the category of "edema." Zhang Jingyue said: "All cases of edema are diseases related to the spleen, lungs, and kidneys. Water is the ultimate yin, so its root lies in the kidneys; water transforms into qi, so its manifestation lies in the lungs; water fears earth, so its control lies in the spleen. When the lungs are weak, water fails to transform into essence and instead becomes water; when the spleen is weak, earth fails to control water and instead oppresses it; when the kidneys are weak, water has no master and runs wild." This shows that the manifestation of edema lies in the lungs, its root lies in the kidneys, and its control lies in the spleen. Edema is further divided into yin edema and yang edema: the former is more often associated with the spleen and kidneys, characterized by deficiency and cold; the latter is more often associated with the lungs, characterized by excess and heat. Clinically, the former resembles chronic nephritis, while the latter resembles acute nephritis. Therefore, the focus of treatment for chronic nephritis should be on the spleen and kidneys, and the main clinical treatment approach is generally strengthening the spleen and tonifying the kidneys.

Liaoning College of Traditional Chinese Medicine treated 100 cases of chronic nephritis with this method, achieving complete remission in 33 cases, basic remission in 13 cases, and partial remission in 39 cases, for an overall effectiveness rate of 85%. The 281st Hospital of the People's Liberation Army reported on the combined use of traditional Chinese and Western medicine to treat 110 cases of chronic nephritis, using the spleen-strengthening and kidney-tonifying method for the herbal component, resulting in 67 clinically cured cases, accounting for 60.9%, 15 cases of basic cure, and 17 cases of improvement, for a total effectiveness rate as high as 90%. The author has also used the spleen-strengthening and kidney-tonifying method in clinical practice to treat this disease, with consistently remarkable results. Patient Wu, male, 29 years old, suffered from acute nephritis four years ago, but due to improper treatment, it developed into chronic nephritis. Over the past four years, he has experienced recurrent edema, with urinary protein consistently ranging from + to ++++, and urine microscopy showing red blood cells, white blood cells, and casts. In recent months, the edema has worsened, accompanied by fatigue, dizziness, lower back pain, aversion to cold, abdominal distension, nausea, and vomiting. His serum non-protein nitrogen (NPN) was 115 mg/dL, his tongue was swollen and pale with tooth marks, his coating was slightly yellow and greasy, and his pulse was deep, fine, and wiry. Based on the diagnosis of spleen-kidney yang deficiency, the spleen-strengthening and kidney-tonifying method was applied, using ingredients such as Rehmannia glutinosa, Cornus officinalis, Dioscorea opposita, Moutan cortex, Poria cocos, Alisma plantago-aquatica, Plantago major, Codonopsis pilosula, Atractylodes macrocephala, Astragalus membranaceus, Achyranthes bidentata, Cinnamomum cassia, Aconitum carmichaelii, Imperata cylindrica, Cicada slough, Leonurus cardiaca, and Perilla frutescens, adjusted up and down as needed. After taking over 100 doses, all symptoms disappeared, his serum NPN returned to normal, and routine urine tests showed only a few red blood cells under microscopy, with all other results normal.