Restore the Right (Kidney) Decoction
Chinese Prescription: You Gui Yin
English Translation: Restore the Right (Kidney) Decoction
Formula Type: Warm and Tonify Yang
Actions: Warms the Kidneys & replenishes the essence.
Indications: For Kidney yang deficiency with feebleness & exhaustion, abdominal pain, sore lower back, cold extremities, & a thin pulse. Also for patterns of true cold & false heat in which the preponderance of yin causes a separation of the yang, which floats to the exterior; that is to say, the excessive yin causes the remaining yang to move to the superficial levels of the body. This formula is slightly weaker than the principal formula. This is the Decoction.
Contraindications: Unknown.
Pinyin | English | Suggested Dosage |
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view: Shu Di Huang |
Prepared Rehmannia | 6-60g |
view: Shan Yao |
Dioscorea Opposita | 6g |
view: Shan Zhu Yu |
Cornus Fruit | 3g |
view: Gou Qi Zi |
Lycii-Wolfberry Fruit | 6g |
view: Zhi Gan Cao |
Honey-fried Licorice | 3-6g |
view: Du Zhong |
Eucommia Bark | 6g |
view: Rou Gui |
Cinnamon Bark | 3-6g |
view: Fu Zi |
Aconite | 3-9g |
Shu Di Huang / Rehmannia Root, cooked in wine | |||
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Taste: Sweet • Temperature: Slightly Warm • Category: Tonic • Sub Category: Tonify Blood | |||
Dosage9-30g |
Actions1. Tonifies the blood: for blood deficiency with such symptoms as pallid complexion, dizziness, palpitations, & insomnia. Very commonly used when blood deficiency leads to such problems as irregular menstruation, uterine bleeding, & post partum bleeding.2. Nourishes the yin: for Kidney yin deficiency with such symptoms as night sweats, nocturnal emissions, steaming bone disorder, & wasting & thirsting disorder. 3. Nourishes the blood & tonifies the essence: for low back pain, weakness of the lower extremitites, lightheadedness & dizziness, tinnitus, diminished aural acuity, & premature graying of hair due to exhaused blood & essence. |
MeridiansHeart, Kidney, Liver |
CautionsUse with caution in cases of Spleen &/or Stomach deficiency, & in cases of stagnant qi or phlegm. Overuse can lead to abdominal distention & loose stools. Toxicity: Side effects from using shu di huang are mild & include diarrhea, abdominal pain, dizziness, lack of energy, & palpitations. These symptoms usually disappear with continued administration of the herb. |
Shan Yao / Dioscorea Opposita | |||
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Taste: Sweet • Temperature: Neutral • Category: Tonic • Sub Category: Tonify Qi | |||
Dosage9-30g, 250g decoction daily |
Actions1. Tonifies & augments the Spleen & Stomach: for Spleen & Stomach deficiency with such symptoms as diarrhea, fatigue, spontaneous sweating, & lack of appetite.2. Tonifies the Lung qi & augments the Lung yin: for chronic cough or wheezing due to Lung deficiency. 3. Tonifies the Kidneys & also stabilizes & binds: because this herb moistens & is neither hot nor cold, it benefits both the yin & the yang of the Lungs & Kidneys. It is therefore often used in treating wasting & thirsting disorder. It also binds the essence & treats spermatorrhea, frequent urination, & vaginal discharge. |
MeridiansKidney, Lung, Spleen |
CautionsContraindicated in cases of excess, especially when there is fullness due to dampness, stagnation, or accumulation. May antagonize gan sui. |
Shan Zhu Yu / Cornus Fruit | |||
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Taste: Sour • Temperature: Slightly Warm • Category: Stabilize & Bind • Sub Category: | |||
Dosage3-12g, 30-60g in cases of shock |
Actions1. Stabilizes the Kidneys & retains the essence: for leakage of fluids due to weak essence with such symptoms as excessive urination, incontinence, spermatorrhea, & excessive sweating.2. Stops excessive sweating & supports that which has collapsed: for excessive sweating, especially in cases of devastated yang & collapsed qi, as in shock. 3. Tonifies & augments the Liver & Kidneys: for Liver & Kidney deficiency with such symptoms as lightheadedness, dizziness, sore & weak lower back & knees, or impotence. This herb both tonifies the essence & assistes the yang. 4. Stabilizes the menses & stops bleeding: for deficiency patterns of excessive uterine bleeding & prolonged menstruation. It has only a weak effect on the bleeding. |
MeridiansKidney, Liver |
CautionsContraindicated in cases with painful & difficult urination or those with damp-heat. May antagonize jie geng, fang feng, & fang ji. |
Gou Qi Zi / Lycii-Wolfberry Fruit | |||
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Taste: Sweet • Temperature: Neutral • Category: Tonic • Sub Category: Tonify Blood/Yin | |||
Dosage6-18g |
Actions1. Nourishes & tonifies the Liver & Kidneys: for such patterns of yin & blood deficiency with such symptoms as sore back & legs, low-grade abdominal pain, impotence, nocturnal emission, wasting & thirsting disorder, & consumpion. Since this herb is neither hot nor cold, it is commonly used in treating Liver & Kidney deficiency.2. Benefits the essence & brightens the eyes: for Liver & Kidney deficiency patterns where the essence & blood are unable to nourish the eyes. Manifestations include dizziness, blurred vision, & diminished visual acuity. 3, Enriches the yin & moistens the Lungs: for consumptive cough. |
MeridiansLiver, Lung, Kidney |
CautionsContraindicated in cases with externally contracted excess heat patterns, & cases of Spleen deficiency with dampness & loose stools. |
Zhi Gan Cao / Licorice Root, honey-baked | |||
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Taste: Sweet • Temperature: Warm • Category: Tonic • Sub Category: Tonify Qi | |||
Dosage2-12g |
Actions1. Tonifies the Spleen & augments the qi: commonly used for Spleen deficiency with shortness of breath, lassitude, & loose stools. Also for qi or blood deficiency patterns with an irregular or intermittent pulse & /or palpitations.2. Moistens the Lungs & stops coughing: for coughing & wheezing. Because of its neutral properties, it can be used for either heat or cold in the Lungs. 3. Clears heat & relieves fire toxicity: used raw for carbuncles, sores, or sore throat due to fire toxin. For this purpose, it can be taken internally or applied topically. 4. Moderates spasms & alleviates pain: for painful spasms of the abdomen or legs. 5. Moderates & harmonizes the characteristics of other herbs: by virtue of its sweet, neutral, & moderating properties, this herb moderates hot & cold herbs, & mitigates the violent properties of other herbs. Since it is said to enter all 12 primary channels, it can lead & conduct other herbs into the channels. 6. Used as an antidote for a variety of toxic substances, both internally & topically. 7. The raw root clears heat & relieves toxicity, the honey-fried tonifies the middle & moderates spasms. |
MeridiansAll 12 channels (principally the Heart, Lung, Spleen, & Stomach) |
CautionsContraindicated in cases of excess dampness, nausea, or vomiting. May be in compatible with jing da ji, yuan hua, gan sui, & hai zao, & may antagonize yuan zhi. The toxicity of gan cao is very low, but if taken long-term it may cause hypertension &/or edema. Glycyrrhetinic acid has been reported to cause a reduction in the activity of the thyroid & a reducation in the basal metabolic rate. |
Du Zhong / Eucommia Bark | |||
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Taste: Sweet, Slightly Acrid • Temperature: Warm • Category: Tonic • Sub Category: Tonify Yang | |||
Dosage6-15g |
Actions1. Tonifies the Liver & Kidneys, strengthens the sinews & bones: for Liver & Kidney deficiency with such symptoms as weak, sore, or painful lower back & knees, fatigue, & frequent urination.2. Aids in the smooth flow of qi & blood: used to promote circulation, especially in those with weakness of the sinews & bones. 3. Calms the fetus: for cold deficient Kidney patterns with bleeding during pregnancy. Also used to prevent miscarriage when the fetus is restless or agitated, & when the pregnant woman has significant back pain or presents with a deficient condition. 4. Recently used for dizziness & lightheadedness (hypertension) from rising Liver yang. |
MeridiansKidney, Liver |
CautionsContraindicated in heat from yin deficiency. According to some traditional sources this herb antagonizes xuan shen. Toxicity: has a mild sedative effect in very large doses, though no symptoms of overdose with du zhong have been recorded. |
Rou Gui / Cinnamon, (inner bark) | |||
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Taste: Acrid, Sweet • Temperature: Hot • Category: Warm Interior & Expel Cold • Sub Category: | |||
Dosage1.5-4.5g, crush into small pieces before using, usually taken as powder, pill or tincture to avoid loss of volatile oils |
Actions1. Warms the Kidneys & fortifies the yang: for a wide variety of problems due to insufficiency of Kidney yang & waning of the gate of vitality. Common manifestations include aversion to cold, cold limbs, weak back, impotence, frequent urination. Also for waning of the Spleen & Kidney yang with abdominal pain & cold, reduced appetite, & diarrhea. Also important for wheezing due to the failure of the Kidneys to grasp the qi.2. Leads the fire back to its source: the principal herb for treating the upward-floating of the deficient yang. Manifestations include flushed face, wheezing, severe sweating (when the sweat pours out like oil), weak & cold lower extremities, & a deficient & rootless pulse. This patterns is called illusionary heat & true cold, or heat above/cold below. Also used for other conditions where the upper part of the body is hot (e.g., dry mouth, sore throat, or toothache that become worse at night) & the lower part is cold (e.g., lower back pain, cold lower extremities, diarrhea, weakness in the proximal position of the pulse). 3. Disperses deep cold, warms the channels, unblocks the channels & vessels, & alleviates pain: for deep cold causing qi stagnation or blood stasis. Associated problems include cold in the blood causing amenorrhea or dysmenorrhea, damp-cold painful obstruction, yin type boils (chronic sores that are usually concave & ooze a clear fluid), & abcesses or sores that do not heal. 4. Encourages the generation of qi & blood: with qi & blood tonics as an auxiliary herb for chronic deficiency of qi & blood. |
MeridiansHeart, Kidney, Liver, Spleen |
CautionsContraindicated in cases of yin deficiency with heat signs, interior excess heat, & the reckless movement of hot blood. Use with caution during pregnancy. |
Fu Zi / Aconite Root (Treated) | |||
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Taste: Acrid • Temperature: Hot • Category: Warm Interior & Expel Cold • Sub Category: | |||
Dosage1.5-15g, boil 30-60 min before adding other ingredients to reduce toxic properties |
Actions1. Restores devastated yang: for devastated yang disorders where the yang qi is extremely weak & the cold yin is abundant. Symptoms include diarrhea containing undigested food particles, chills, cold extremities, & a faint or imperceptible pulse. This condition often occurs after severe vomiting, diarrhea, or sweating. This herb is critical in these situations since it both assists the Heart yang to unblock the vessesls & improve circulation, & tonifies the Kidney yang to augment the fire & avoid loss of the basal yang.2. Warms the fire & assists the yang: for any problem associated with weakness or deficiency of the Heart, Spleen, or Kidney yang. It is a widely used herb, especially when the pattern involves interior cold due to yang deficiency. 3. Disperses cold, warms the channels, & alleviates pain: for wind-damp-cold painful obstruction, especially when cold is predominant. Also for cold blocking the Organs, channels, sinews, bones, or blood vessels. |
MeridiansHeart, Kidney, Spleen |
CautionsContraindicated in cases of yin deficiency with illusionary cold & true heat, & during pregnancy. Traditionally this herb was not to be used together with bei mu, gua lou, bai ji, ban xia, or bai wei. According to some traditional sources, this herb antagonizes wu gong & counteracts xi jiao & lu dou. Note that the latter two substances are used to reduce the toxicity of this herb. Toxicity: Fu zi is a very toxic herb. Toxicity waivers widely depending on the source of the herb, when it was harvested, how it was prepared, & how long it was decocted. Preparation usually removes much of the toxicity. A toxic dose is usually far above normal level, on the order of 15-60g. Clinically, atropine has been very effective in treating overdosage of this herb. When gan cao & gan jiang are combined with this herb in decoctions, its toxicity is substantially diminished. Xi jiao, jin yin hua & lu dou also reduce its toxicity. Signs of toxic overdose include drooling, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, lightheadedness, blurred vision, & numbness in the mouth & extremities. In advanced cases there may be premature atrial contractions, dyspnea, tremors, incontinence, stupor, & reduced temperature & blood pressure. |