Some individuals clearly have a deficiency of Kidney Yang (shèn yáng kuī xū), yet after taking remedies to tonify Kidney Yang, they see no therapeutic effect and cannot seem to replenish it. What could be the reason for this?
To successfully replenish Yang Qi (yáng qì), two conditions must be met.
The first condition is the presence of a guiding herb (yǐn jīng yào).
Some people take Kidney Yang tonifying herbs but after a period of use, their symptoms do not improve and they even experience signs of excess heat. This may be because the tonifying herbs are not entering the Kidney meridian (shèn jīng) — replenishing the Kidney requires a guiding herb.
A commonly used herb for tonifying Kidney Yang is **Bu Guo Zhi** (Bupleurum), which has the functions of tonifying the Kidney, assisting Yang, warming the Spleen, stopping diarrhea, and consolidating essence while reducing urination. It is often used to treat conditions such as Kidney Yang deficiency, unsteady essence, and Kidney deficiency with shortness of breath.
Since **Bu Guo Zhi** cannot directly enter the Kidney meridian, we need to add a guiding herb to direct it into the Kidney, and **Rou Gui** (Cinnamon) is the most suitable guiding herb.
**Rou Gui** has the properties of warming the fire and assisting Yang, and when these two herbs are used together, they can quickly replenish Kidney Yang.
The second condition is that the pathway for tonifying the Kidney must be unobstructed.
Why do some individuals with Kidney Yang deficiency find that tonifying herbs are ineffective?
This is because there is waste present in the body, which consists of phlegm-dampness (tán zhì) and blood stasis (yū xuè).
One can imagine that when tonifying herbs enter our body, they must first be digested and absorbed by the Spleen and Stomach before being transported to the Kidneys.
If this transport pathway is blocked by waste (phlegm-dampness and blood stasis), the tonifying herbs cannot reach the Kidneys.
Therefore, when there is phlegm-dampness and blood stasis in the body, no matter how many tonifying herbs you take, the effect will not be significant.
At this point, it is necessary to clear the waste.
If, in addition to the symptoms of Kidney Yang deficiency, you also experience excessive phlegm, chest tightness, abdominal distension, sticky stools, and a thick greasy tongue coating, this indicates the presence of phlegm-dampness. In this case, you need to tonify the Kidney while strengthening the Spleen and resolving phlegm. You can use **Bu Guo Zhi**, **Rou Gui**, and add **Chen Pi** (Dried Tangerine Peel) to the formula.
**Chen Pi** has the effects of drying dampness, strengthening the Spleen, promoting Qi movement, and resolving phlegm. Once the phlegm-dampness is eliminated, the pathway for tonifying the Kidney will naturally be clear, making it easier to tonify Kidney Yang and consolidate essence.
If you extend your tongue and observe a dark tongue body or have spots of stasis, and you often feel pain in certain areas of your body, this likely indicates blood stasis.
At this point, it is necessary to perform blood-activating and stasis-resolving treatment while tonifying the Kidney.
You can use tonifying Kidney herbs along with **Dan Shen** (Salvia Root).
**Dan Shen** has the effect of activating blood and alleviating pain, allowing the stasis in the body to disperse, thereby enabling the tonifying herbs to exert their effects in consolidating essence.
Therefore, if you are unable to replenish Kidney Yang, you should also consider whether the pathway for tonifying the Kidney is clear.
Some may ask, what is the appropriate dosage of these herbs? The dosage needs to be adjusted based on each individual’s specific condition and should be done under the guidance of a qualified practitioner.
If you have any questions, please feel free to consult, learn, and communicate.
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