Search in formulas
Flowery Knotweed Life-Extending Elixir
首乌延寿丹 〔首烏延壽丹〕 shǒu wū yán shòu dān
Source: Empirical formula
Ingredients
- Hé shǒu wū (何首乌 Polygoni Multiflori Radix, flowery knotweed [root]) 15g
- Xī xiān cǎo (豨莶草 Siegesbeckiae Herba, siegesbeckia) 15g
- Tù sī zǐ (菟丝子 Cuscutae Semen, cuscuta [seed]) 15g
- Dù zhòng (杜仲 Eucommiae Cortex, eucommia [bark]) 15g
- Huái niú xī (怀牛膝 Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix, achyranthes [root]) 12g
- Nǚ zhēn zǐ (女贞子 Ligustri Lucidi Fructus, ligustrum [fruit]) 15g
- Sāng yè (桑叶 Mori Folium, mulberry leaf) 12g
- Jīn yín huā (金银花 Lonicerae Flos, lonicera [flower]) 12g
- Sāng shèn (桑椹 Mori Fructus, mulberry) 15g
- Hēi zhī má (黑芝麻 Sesami Semen Nigrum, black sesame [seed]) 30g
- Mò hàn lián (墨旱莲 Ecliptae Herba, eclipta) 15g
Actions: Enriches the liver and kidney; nourishes the blood and boosts essence.
Indications: Liver-kidney yīn vacuity with vacuity fire flaming upward, characterized by dizzy head and vision, night sweating or tidal sweating, bitter taste in the mouth, and dry throat. Also loss of visual acuity in patients suffering from insufficiency of liver yīn, as well as high blood pressure and coronary disease where there are signs of liver-kidney yīn vacuity.
Method: Grind agents to a powder and make into pills or tables. Can also be prepared as a decoction.
Rationale: Hé shǒu wū, Hēi zhī má, Nǚ zhēn zǐ seed, eclipta, Sāng shèn, Tù sī zǐ, and Dù zhòng enrich the liver and kidney. Xī xiān cǎo, Sāng yè, and Jīn yín huā course wind and clear heat. Niú xī conducts the other agents downward.
Variations:
- Pronounced
yīn vacuity : Add cooked and Shēng dì huáng (生地黄 Rehmanniae Radix Exsiccata seu Recens, dried/fresh rehmannia [root]). - Additional presence of
blood stasis : Add Dān shēn (丹参 Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix, salvia [root]) and Xìng rén (杏仁 Armeniacae Semen, apricot kernel). - To prevent the yīn-supplementing agents cause stagnation in patients with poor digestion: Add Shān zhā (山楂 Crataegi Fructus, crataegus [fruit]) and Mài yá (麦芽 Hordei Fructus Germinatus, barley sprout).
Dizziness : Add Tiān má (天麻 Gastrodiae Rhizoma, gastrodia [root]) and Gōu téng (钩藤 Uncariae Ramulus cum Uncis, uncaria [stem and thorn]).- Gripping
heart pain (angina pectoris): Add Guā lóu (瓜蒌 Trichosanthis Fructus, trichosanthes [fruit]) and Rǔ xiāng (乳香 Olibanum , frankincense).