Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan知柏地黄丸
Anemarrhena, Phellodendron and Rehmannia Formula
Ingredients2 herbs
Indications
Kidney yin deficiency with fire blazing: the water that should hold the ministerial fire down has run low, so heat rises at night and in the palms and soles while the lumbar region and knees go weak. Nourishing alone is too slow here — the fire is cleared at the same time.
Clinical Manifestations
- Tidal heat, night sweats, heat in the palms and soles
- Sore, weak lower back and knees
- Seminal emission and restless sexual desire
- Dry throat and mouth with scanty dark urine
- Perimenopausal flushing on a yin-depleted base
Health Categories
Modern Applications
Common adjustments
- Night sweats pronounced — add Fu Xiao Mai 浮小麦 and calcined Mu Li 牡蛎
- Frequent seminal emission — add astringents such as Jin Ying Zi 金樱子 and Qian Shi 芡实
- Marked dryness of throat and mouth — add Xuan Shen 玄参 and Mai Men Dong 麦门冬
- Deep steaming-bone heat — add Gui Ban 龟板 and Di Gu Pi 地骨皮
Contraindications
Not for Kidney yang deficiency, and not for yin deficiency without heat signs — the bitter cold would only chill an already cold picture. It is rich as well as cold, so it is used cautiously where the Spleen is weak with poor appetite and loose stools, and it is not the answer for damp-heat conditions that need draining rather than nourishing.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.
Pregnancy
Not a routine pregnancy formula — Zhi Mu and Huang Bai are markedly bitter and cold and can weaken the middle. Use only where a practitioner judges the yin-deficient heat pattern to require it.
Related Formulas
References
Source 《医方考》 · Qing dynasty
- 《医宗金鉴》(Qing dynasty, public domain) — classical source of the formula.
2. Scheid, Bensky, Ellis & Barolet. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies, 2nd ed. — composition & dosage cross-checked.
3. 《方剂学》（全国中医药行业高等教育规划教材）— pattern analysis cross-checked.
Professional reference notice. Entries are scholarly references for licensed TCM practitioners and students — not medical advice, and not a recommendation to self-prescribe. Chinese herbal formulas should be used under the guidance of a qualified practitioner. Content is an original editorial compilation by Cura x Cura, cross-checked against the cited references.