1. Warmly Tonify Kidney Yang

1. Warmly Tonify Kidney Yang

The Su Wen, in the chapter "Great Discussion on the Correspondence of Yin and Yang," states, "Water energy is connected to the kidney." The Su Wen, in the chapter "Discussion on Water and Heat Points," says, "Why does the kidney govern water? The kidney is the ultimate yin, and the ultimate yin is the place where water abounds." Clearly, the kidney is closely related to the onset of chronic nephritis. When kidney yang is insufficient, water energy overflows, which is the fundamental factor behind the formation of edema in chronic nephritis. In fact, patients with chronic nephritis, in the absence of secondary infections or other complications, often exhibit symptoms of kidney yang deficiency, such as feeling cold, sweating excessively, lower back pain, leg fatigue, dizziness, and tinnitus. In view of this, warming and tonifying kidney yang can be regarded as the fundamental treatment for this disease, and Jisheng Shen Qi Tang is the representative formula for this approach. This formula uses cinnamon, fu pian, and eight ingredients to warm and tonify the kidney, while also using niu xi and che qian zi to unblock the meridians and promote water drainage, making it a good formula that treats both the root and the symptoms. For generally stable cases of chronic nephritis, this formula can be taken long-term and consistently, often yielding good results. The amounts of cinnamon and fu pian should not be too small, as these two ingredients are the main herbs for warming and tonifying the kidney; if used in too small quantities, the effect will be poor! Usually around 10 g is sufficient. Zhen Wu Tang, You Gui Yin, Po Gu Zi, Yin Yang Huo, and Ba Ji Tian can also be used as appropriate.