Zi Cui Yin滋膵饮
Enrich the Pancreas Drink
Ingredients5 herbs
Indications
Wasting-thirst that has injured both qi and yin and reached the Liver and Kidney: the fluid is not merely dry but no longer held, so what is drunk leaves below.
Clinical Manifestations
- Long-standing wasting-thirst with fatigue
- Frequent copious urination with a sore lower back and weak knees
- Dry mouth without marked heat signs
- Gradual weight loss in a deficiency pattern
- Thirst that persists after dryness-heat has been cleared
Health Categories
Modern Applications
Common adjustments
- Pig pancreas is unavailable or unwanted — omit it and add Tian Hua Fen 天花粉 or Yu Zhu 玉竹 to keep the moistening
- Urination very frequent — increase Shan Zhu Yu 山茱萸
- Dryness-heat still present with a red dry tongue — add Zhi Mu 知母, borrowing from Yu Ye Tang
- The rich herbs sit heavily on the appetite — add Ji Nei Jin or Chen Pi 陈皮
Contraindications
Too rich for a middle burner loaded with damp, food stagnation or damp-heat — a thick greasy coating rules it out. The pig pancreas makes it unsuitable for vegetarian patients and for anyone avoiding animal products, and it is not stocked by most modern dispensaries. As with any wasting-thirst formula, diabetes must be medically monitored and prescribed treatment continued.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.
Pregnancy
Not established for use in pregnancy — the formula is rich and includes an animal organ, and thirst or urinary change in pregnancy needs medical assessment first. Only a practitioner should decide.
References
Source Yi Xue Zhong Zhong Can Xi Lu 《医学衷中参西录》 · Republican era
- 《医学衷中参西录》— original source of the formula (cited by title only; the text is modern and not quoted here).
2. Scheid, Bensky, Ellis & Barolet. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies, 2nd ed. — composition cross-checked.
3. 《方剂学》（全国中医药行业高等教育规划教材）治燥剂·滋阴润燥, 附方 note alongside 玉液汤 — 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.