Rehmannia glutinosa (Shu Di Huang) 24 gm, Cornus officinalis (Shan Zhu Yu) and Dioscorea opposita (Gan Shan Yao) 12 gm each, Alisma plantago-aquatica (Ze Xie), Paeonia suffruticosa (Dan Pi), and Poria cocos (Bai Fu Ling) 9 gm each.

bubble_chart Preparation and Dosage

Grind into powder, refine into pills with honey, as big as a phoenix tree seed. Adults take 6-9 grams each time, administered with light salt water before meals. Children take 1.5-3 grams each time, taken with warm water before meals, three times a day.

bubble_chart Efficacy

Nourish kidney yin and tonify liver blood.

bubble_chart Indications

Liver-kidney yin deficiency, dizziness, blurred vision, deafness, dry and sore throat, soreness and weakness in the lower back and knees, spontaneous sweating, night sweats, steaming bone fever, seminal emission, premature ejaculation, consumptive thirst, frequent urination, hematuria, bloody stool, deficient fire toothache, gum bleeding, premature graying of hair; in women, advanced menstruation with scanty flow; in children, delayed closure of the fontanel, emaciation, steaming bone fever, delayed walking, delayed speech, delayed teething, red tongue with little coating, and a thin, rapid pulse.

bubble_chart Formula Principles

This formula is indicated for conditions of liver-kidney yin deficiency, and the treatment should focus on nourishing water to moisten the wood's yin. Prepared Rehmannia Root tonifies kidney yin and enriches essence as the sovereign herb; Cornus officinalis tonifies the liver and kidney, astringes deficient fire, and Dioscorea opposita can tonify the kidney and strengthen the spleen, serving together as minister herbs; yin deficiency leads to excessive fire, so Moutan Cortex is used to cool blood and clear heat, draining liver and kidney deficiency fire; kidney deficiency results in the inability to drain dampness, so Poria and Alisma are used to promote water and dampness. The entire formula combines "three tonics" with "three purgatives," but the emphasis is on "tonification," with "purgation" as a secondary approach, hence the three "tonic herbs" are used in heavier doses, while the three "purgative herbs" are used in lighter doses. The formula is ingeniously designed, with a precise combination of medicinals, which is why Fei Bo-xiong of the Qing Dynasty praised it as "the standard of tonifying formulas."

Currently used for chronic nephritis, hypertension, diabetes, neurasthenia, hyperthyroidism, subcutaneous nodules, central retinitis, optic neuritis, and various advanced-stage tumors characterized by liver-kidney yin deficiency. Additionally, it is used for health preservation, anti-aging, and treating various symptoms and signs of premature aging.

bubble_chart Modern Pharmacology

1. Enhance physical strength and stimulate the body's immune function. Journal of New Medicine 1977(7):41, Six-Ingredient Rehmannia Pill can increase body weight, prolong swimming time, and enhance physical strength in normal mice, suggesting a tonic effect. In addition, it can reduce the incidence of squamous cell carcinoma in the forestomach of mice induced by N-nitrososarcosine ethyl ester, enhance the proliferative activity of germinal centers in the spleen lymph nodes of animals receiving chemical carcinogens, and enhance the phagocytic activity of the mononuclear phagocyte system in the initial stage of transplanted tumors. It also increases the serum albumin/globulin ratio in tumor-bearing animals, seemingly prolonging their survival time. Based on this reasoning, the main effect of this formula lies in mobilizing the body's anti-cancer ability, achieving the effect of supporting the healthy to eliminate the pathogenic.
2. "Chinese Patent Drug Research" 1986(4):26, experimental comparison of this formula with Duzhong Tang and normal saline proved that this formula has similar effects to anti-low temperature, anti-fatigue, hypoxia tolerance, and corticotropin-like effects. It has a certain counteracting effect on the adrenal and thymus atrophy in mice caused by hydrocortisone and can inhibit the proliferation of cotton ball granuloma in mice.
3. Improve renal blood flow and lower blood pressure. "Chinese Journal of Internal Medicine" 1964(1):23, the decoction of this formula has a significant effect on lowering blood pressure, improving renal function, and reducing mortality in experimental renal hypertension. The reasoning for the mechanism of action of this formula may be directly or indirectly improving renal blood flow and promoting renal tubular secretion through renal metabolism.
4. Lower lipids. "Chinese Patent Drug Research" 1986(12):41, this formula has no significant effect on serum cholesterol and triglycerides in normal rats, but has a significant lipid-lowering effect in experimental hyperlipidemic rabbits.