bubble_chart Composition

Peach Kernel 15 gm, Apricot Kernel (stir-fried with bran, peeled and de-pointed) 30 gm, Arborvitae Seed 3.75 gm, Bitter Apricot Kernel (stir-fried) 3 gm, Pine Nut 3 gm, Dried Tangerine Peel (separately ground into powder) 120 gm.

bubble_chart Preparation and Dosage

Grind the five kernels separately into a paste, mix with tangerine peel powder, and form into pills with refined honey, each as big as a phoenix tree seed. Take 50 pills before meals, administered with rice soup. Modern usage: Grind the five kernels into a paste, grind the tangerine peel into powder, and form into pills with refined honey. Take 9 grams per dose, 1-2 times daily, with warm water.

bubble_chart Efficacy

Moistening intestines to relieve constipation.

bubble_chart Indications

Dryness of body fluids and intestinal dryness syndrome, characterized by difficulty in defecation, dry tongue with little fluid, and a thin, choppy pulse.

bubble_chart Formula Principles

Five-Kernel Pill has the effect of {|###|}moistening intestines to relieve constipation{|###|}, among which {|###|}Bitter Apricot Seed{|###|} enters the lung and large intestine meridians, nourishes intestinal dryness, lowers lung qi, and facilitates the conduction function of the large intestine; {|###|}Peach Kernel{|###|} enters the liver and large intestine meridians, breaks and expels blood stasis, moistens dryness and lubricates the intestines, mainly treating blood dryness constipation; {|###|}Bush Cherry Seed{|###|} enters the spleen and large intestine meridians, moistens intestines to relieve constipation, unblocks water and disperses edema; {|###|}Platycladi Seed{|###|} is sweet and primarily nourishing, moistening to remove dryness, nourishes the heart and calms the spirit; {|###|}pine nut{|###|} kernel moistens the five zang-organs, specifically treating constipation of deficiency type; {|###|}Dried Tangerine Peel{|###|} regulates qi and moves stagnation, ensuring that qi movement allows the large intestine to function; refining honey into pills further enhances its {|###|}moistening purgation{|###|} effect.

This formula was first recorded in the Song Dynasty by Yang Tan in "Yang's Family Prescriptions", named "Nourishing Intestine Five-Kernel Pill", and is said to be an effective formula for treating the elderly and those with insufficient qi and blood, large intestine stagnation, and difficult conduction. The original formula grinds {|###|}Peach Kernel{|###|}, {|###|}Bitter Apricot Seed{|###|}, {|###|}pine nut{|###|} kernel, {|###|}Platycladi Seed{|###|}, and {|###|}Bush Cherry Seed{|###|} into a paste, mixes it with {|###|}Dried Tangerine Peel{|###|} powder, refines honey into pills, and takes it with rice water before meals. Modern usage mostly involves making pills or decoctions for consumption.

bubble_chart Modern Application

Mainly used for treating constipation-type irritable bowel syndrome, elderly constipation, infantile anorexia, and other conditions.