Zuo Gui Wan左归丸
Restore the Left (Kidney) Pill
Ingredients8 herbs
Indications
True yin insufficiency with essence and marrow depletion. The essence stored by the Kidney no longer fills the brain marrow or nourishes bone and sinew, and because there is little active fire the strategy is to refill the reservoir rather than to clear heat.
Clinical Manifestations
- Dizziness, blurred vision and tinnitus
- Sore, weak lower back and knees
- Spontaneous sweating or night sweats on a deficient background
- Nocturnal emission and seminal leakage
- Dry mouth and throat with thirst
- Loose teeth and early greying in long-standing depletion
Health Categories
Modern Applications
Common adjustments
- Empty fire flaring upward — following the author's own note, remove Gou Qi Zi 枸杞子 and Lu Jiao Jiao 鹿角胶 and add Nv Zhen Zi 女贞子 with Mai Men Dong 麦门冬, leaving only still, cooling yin substances
- Seminal emission or leakage prominent — the classical text marks Chuan Niu Xi 「」 — omit Chuan Niu Xi 川牛膝
- No sign of empty fire at all — the classical text marks the tortoise-plastron gelatin 「」 — Gui Ban Jiao may be left out
- Steaming-bone sensation, heat rising in the afternoon or at night — add Di Gu Pi 地骨皮
- Dry, hard stools — remove Tu Si Zi 菟丝子 and add Rou Cong Rong 肉苁蓉
- Low back and knee pain predominant — add Du Zhong 杜仲
Contraindications
Rich and cloying with no draining herb to offset it — where the Spleen and Stomach are weak or damp and phlegm have gathered, expect epigastric fullness, poor appetite and loose stools, so it is not for long unmodified use in those people. Not for the yang-deficient picture of aversion to cold, cold limbs, copious clear urine and a pale swollen tongue, which is the territory of You Gui Wan 右归丸. Suspend it during an acute external invasion or while damp-heat or excess heat is still unresolved.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only — not a self-treatment guide.
Pregnancy
Use in pregnancy only under a practitioner's supervision. Chuan Niu Xi invigorates the blood and directs downward and is traditionally avoided while pregnant, and the same classical caution attaches to tortoise plastron; the two gelatins are also heavy on a pregnant digestion. Supporting the Kidney in pregnancy is normally done with a lighter, modified prescription rather than this one as written.
Related Formulas
References
Source Jing Yue Quan Shu 《景岳全书》 · Ming
「治真阴肾水不足，不能滋养营卫，渐至衰弱。」
- Classical source (public domain), cited in the source-quote section.
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.