Liu Wei Di Huang Wan 六味地黄丸
Rehmannia Six Pills
TCM
Craft of Medicines and Patterns for Children; 1119
Powder and form small pills with Honey. It can be prepared as a decoction using half or one-third of the above doses.
Nourish the Yin of the Liver and Kidneys
In all cases, there will be a dry, reddish and /or cracked Tongue with little coating; pulse is rapid and thin, with signs of dryness.
1. Lower back pain, knee weakness
2. Dizziness, Vertigo, Tinnitus
3. Night sweats
4. Tidal (Hectic) Fever; Restless legs at night; Heat in the palms and soles at night
5. Tuberculosis, Consumption, Wasting
6. Chronic Urinary diseases: chronic UTI, glomerulonephritis, nephiritis
7. Hyperthyroidism, Diabetes, Addison’s disease
8. Functional Uterine Bleeding,
9. Menopausal Night sweats, Hot Flushes
10. Optic Neuritis, Optic Nerve Atrophy, Retinitis
11. Failure to Thrive in Children; failure of the Fontanel to close
9 grams of the pills, three times daily
None noted
1. If there is signs of Heat (Yin-deficient Fire), use Rehmannia Sheng Di (raw root) instead of Rehmannia Shu Di (prepared root).
2. Childhood nutritional impairment, omit Rehmannia Shu Di and add Atracylodes Bai Zhu and Amomum Sha Ren.
3. Yin deficient Fire (Yin deficient with Heat signs, especially at night), add Anemarrhena Zhi Mu and Phellodendron Huang Bai. This makes Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan, Rehmannia Six Pill with Anemarrhena and Phellodendron, a main medicine for Yin- deficient Heat.
4. When Cinnamon (either twig, Gui Zhi, or bark, Rou Gui) and prepared Aconitum Zhi Fu Zi are added, it makes Jin Gui Shen Qi Wan, a principle Yang tonic formula in TCM.
5. Yin deficiency with Heat in the head, and for weak eyes with blurred vision, poor eyesight, dry or itchy eyes, Cataracts, Glaucoma, Macular degeneration, add Chrysanthemum Ju Hua and Lycium Gou Qi Zi (‘Goji berry’). This is called Qi Ju Di Huang Wan.
6. When Fu Shen (Poria sclerotium) replaces Poria Fu Ling, and Rehmannia Sheng Di Huang, Bupleurum Chai Hu, Angelica Dang Gui and Schisandra Wu Wei Zi are added, it forms Ming Mu Di Huang Wan. This is used for blurry and failing vision due to Liver and Kidney weakness.
This is the foundation formula for Yin deficiency of the Liver and Kidneys in TCM. Whole texts have been written about this formula and the elegant way it is constructed.
In brief, the last three herbs are used to correct the first three medicines which are the primary Yin tonics. They prevent the Damp which can build up during Yin tonification; they keep the blood active which is liable to stagnate with rich, cloying, yin tonics; and they support the Spleen and Liver to enable them to support formation of Kidney Yin.
GENERAL / REVIEW:
–Pharmacokinetics of the main compounds absorbed into blood after oral administration of Liu Wei Di Huang Wan, a typical combinatorial intervention of Chinese medical formula.
–Biological ingredient analysis of traditional Chinese medicine preparation based on high-throughput sequencing: the story for Liuwei Dihuang Wan.
–[Comparative analysis of components absorbed into blood after oral administration of Liuwei Dihuang Wan and its related prescriptions].
–Safety Evaluation of Yukmijihwang-tang: Assessment of Acute and Subchronic Toxicity in Rats.
IMMUNOMODULATORY:
–Immunomodulatory effects of modified Liu-Wei-Di-Huang-Wan Traditional Chinese medicine on allergic asthmatic mice.
FATIGUE
–Effects of Liuwei Dihuang Decoction (Yukmijihwang-tang) on Physical Fatigue by Regulating Neurotransmitters in Brain.
ENHANCES COGNITION
–Yukmijihwang-tang derivatives enhance cognitive processing in normal young adults: a double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial.
MEMORY
–Effects of Yukmijihwang-tang derivatives (YMJd) on ibotenic acid-induced amnesia in the rat.
–Effects of Yukmijihwang-tang derivatives (YMJd), a memory enhancing herbal extract, on the gene-expression profile in the rat hippocampus.
ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
–Efficacy of Yukmijihwang-tang on symptoms of Alzheimer disease: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.
–The neuroprotective effects of Liuwei Dihuang medicine in the APP/PS1 mouse model are dependent on the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.
AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER
–A survey of Korean medicine doctors’ clinical practice patterns for autism spectrum disorder: preliminary research for clinical practice guidelines.
CEREBRAL PALSY
–Integrative medicine rehabilitation for children with cerebral palsy: a study protocol for a multicenter pragmatic randomized controlled trial.
ASTHMA
–[Antiasthmatic effects of different tonifying kidney-Yin formulas and their effects on airway remodeling in chronic asthma].
HEPATOPROTECTIVE:
–Protective Effects of Liu Wei Di Huang Wan on the Liver, Orbitofrontal Cortex Nissl Bodies, and Neurites in MSG+PH-Induced Liver Regeneration Rat Model.
CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE:
–Effectiveness of Integrative Chinese-Western Medicine for Chronic Kidney Disease and Diabetes: A Retrospective Cohort Study.
–A network pharmacological-based study of the mechanism of Liuwei Dihuang pill in the treatment of chronic kidney disease.
RENAL FIBROSIS:
–Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch and Cornus officinalis Sieb herb couple ameliorates renal interstitial fibrosis in CKD rats by inhibiting the TGF-β1/MAPK signaling pathway.
–Piperlonguminine attenuates renal fibrosis by inhibiting TRPC6.
DIABETES:
–Liu Wei Di Huang Wan and the Delay of Insulin Use in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes in Taiwan: A Nationwide Study.
–A GC-MS-Based Metabolomics Investigation of the Protective Effect of Liu-Wei-Di-Huang-Wan in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Mice.
–Prescription pattern of chinese herbal products for diabetes mellitus in taiwan: a population-based study.
–Chinese herbal products and the reduction of risk of breast cancer among females with type 2 diabetes in Taiwan: A case-control study.
–Effectiveness of Integrative Chinese-Western Medicine for Chronic Kidney Disease and Diabetes: A Retrospective Cohort Study.
–The efficacy and safety of yukmijihwang-hwan (Liuweidihuang-wan) for type 2 diabetes mellitus without complications: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.
–Complementary therapy of traditional Chinese medicine for blood sugar control in a patient with type 1 diabetes.
–[Effects of Liuweidihuang pills on pancreatic islet structure in OLETF rats].
–[Effect of Liuweidihuang pills in preventing diabetes mellitus in OLETF rats].
–Clinical Efficacy of Bolus of Six Drugs Including Rehmannia as an Adjunct to Metformin in the Treatment of Senile Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus and its Influence on Insulin Resistance, Inflammatory Factors and Blood Glucose-related Indicators.
DIABETIC NEPHROPATHY:
–Potential Therapeutic Targets of Rehmannia Formulations on Diabetic Nephropathy: A Comparative Network Pharmacology Analysis
–Efficacy of “Dihuang pill prescriptions” combined with conventional treatment for diabetic kidney disease: A network meta-analysis and systematic review.
DIABETIC COMPLICATIONS:
–Integrative traditional Chinese medicine therapy reduces the risk of diabetic ketoacidosis in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus.
–Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapy and the Risk of Vascular Complications in Patients With Type II Diabetes Mellitus: A Nationwide, Retrospective, Taiwanese-Registry, Cohort Study.
–Chinese Herbal Medicine Treatment Improves the Overall Survival Rate of Individuals with Hypertension among Type 2 Diabetes Patients and Modulates In Vitro Smooth Muscle Cell Contractility.
GESTATIONAL DIABETES:
–Identification of the Active Compound of Liu Wei Di Huang Wan for Treatment of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus via Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking.
OSTEOPOROSIS:
–Liuwei Dihuang pills attenuate ovariectomy-induced bone loss by alleviating bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC) senescence via the Yes-associated protein (YAP)-autophagy axis.
–[Liuwei Dihuang Pills alleviates postmenopausal osteoporosis and fatigue in rats by inhibiting the epigenetic regulatory molecule BRD4 pathway].
–Mechanism of Liuwei Dihuang Pills in treating osteoporosis based on network pharmacology.
SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS (SLE)
–Traditional Chinese medicine therapy improves the survival of systemic lupus erythematosus patients.
HYPERTENSION:
–Chinese patent medicine liu wei di huang wan combined with antihypertensive drugs, a new integrative medicine therapy, for the treatment of essential hypertension: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.
MENOPAUSE:
–Effects of the Chinese Herbal Formulation (Liu Wei Di Huang Wan) on the Pharmacokinetics of Isoflavones in Postmenopausal Women.
–Comparative effectiveness of Chinese H3 (CH3) and liu wei di huang wan (LWDHW) in female climacteric and their mechanism of action.
BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA (BPH)
–Inhibitory effect of Yukmijihwang-tang, a traditional herbal formula against testosterone-induced benign prostatic hyperplasia in rats
CANCER, SIDE EFFECTS OF CHEMO
–Protective effect of Liuwei Dihuang Pill on cisplatin-induced reproductive toxicity and genotoxicity in male mice.
–[Effect of Liuwei Dihuang pill on expression of NF-kappaB in kidney lesion induced by gentamicin in rats].
–Protective Effects of Traditional Polyherbs on Cisplatin-Induced Acute Kidney Injury Cell Model by Inhibiting Oxidative Stress and MAPK Signaling Pathway.
CANCER, RISK REDUCTION
–Chinese herbal products and the reduction of risk of breast cancer among females with type 2 diabetes in Taiwan: A case-control study.
–Decreased risk of colorectal cancer among patients with type 2 diabetes receiving Chinese herbal medicine: a population-based cohort study.
–Integrating Chinese and Western medicines reduced the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with diabetes mellitus: A Taiwanese population-based cohort study.
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Rehmannia Six Pills
Tradition:
TCM
Source / Author:
Craft of Medicines and Patterns for Children; 1119
Herb NameShu Di Huang (Rehmannia)Shan Zhu Yu (Cornus fruit) Shan Yao (Chinese yam) Fu Ling (Poria) Mu Dan Pi (Tree peony root) Ze Xie (Water Plantain root) |
|
Preparation:
Powder and form small pills with Honey. It can be prepared as a decoction using half or one-third of the above doses.
Function:
Nourish the Yin of the Liver and Kidneys
Use:
In all cases, there will be a dry, reddish and /or cracked Tongue with little coating; pulse is rapid and thin, with signs of dryness.
1. Lower back pain, knee weakness
2. Dizziness, Vertigo, Tinnitus
3. Night sweats
4. Tidal (Hectic) Fever; Restless legs at night; Heat in the palms and soles at night
5. Tuberculosis, Consumption, Wasting
6. Chronic Urinary diseases: chronic UTI, glomerulonephritis, nephiritis
7. Hyperthyroidism, Diabetes, Addison’s disease
8. Functional Uterine Bleeding,
9. Menopausal Night sweats, Hot Flushes
10. Optic Neuritis, Optic Nerve Atrophy, Retinitis
11. Failure to Thrive in Children; failure of the Fontanel to close
Dose:
9 grams of the pills, three times daily
Cautions:
None noted
Modifications:
1. If there is signs of Heat (Yin-deficient Fire), use Rehmannia Sheng Di (raw root) instead of Rehmannia Shu Di (prepared root).
2. Childhood nutritional impairment, omit Rehmannia Shu Di and add Atracylodes Bai Zhu and Amomum Sha Ren.
3. Yin deficient Fire (Yin deficient with Heat signs, especially at night), add Anemarrhena Zhi Mu and Phellodendron Huang Bai. This makes Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan, Rehmannia Six Pill with Anemarrhena and Phellodendron, a main medicine for Yin- deficient Heat.
4. When Cinnamon (either twig, Gui Zhi, or bark, Rou Gui) and prepared Aconitum Zhi Fu Zi are added, it makes Jin Gui Shen Qi Wan, a principle Yang tonic formula in TCM.
5. Yin deficiency with Heat in the head, and for weak eyes with blurred vision, poor eyesight, dry or itchy eyes, Cataracts, Glaucoma, Macular degeneration, add Chrysanthemum Ju Hua and Lycium Gou Qi Zi (‘Goji berry’). This is called Qi Ju Di Huang Wan.
6. When Fu Shen (Poria sclerotium) replaces Poria Fu Ling, and Rehmannia Sheng Di Huang, Bupleurum Chai Hu, Angelica Dang Gui and Schisandra Wu Wei Zi are added, it forms Ming Mu Di Huang Wan. This is used for blurry and failing vision due to Liver and Kidney weakness.
This is the foundation formula for Yin deficiency of the Liver and Kidneys in TCM. Whole texts have been written about this formula and the elegant way it is constructed.
In brief, the last three herbs are used to correct the first three medicines which are the primary Yin tonics. They prevent the Damp which can build up during Yin tonification; they keep the blood active which is liable to stagnate with rich, cloying, yin tonics; and they support the Spleen and Liver to enable them to support formation of Kidney Yin.
GENERAL / REVIEW:
–Pharmacokinetics of the main compounds absorbed into blood after oral administration of Liu Wei Di Huang Wan, a typical combinatorial intervention of Chinese medical formula.
–Biological ingredient analysis of traditional Chinese medicine preparation based on high-throughput sequencing: the story for Liuwei Dihuang Wan.
–[Comparative analysis of components absorbed into blood after oral administration of Liuwei Dihuang Wan and its related prescriptions].
–Safety Evaluation of Yukmijihwang-tang: Assessment of Acute and Subchronic Toxicity in Rats.
IMMUNOMODULATORY:
–Immunomodulatory effects of modified Liu-Wei-Di-Huang-Wan Traditional Chinese medicine on allergic asthmatic mice.
FATIGUE
–Effects of Liuwei Dihuang Decoction (Yukmijihwang-tang) on Physical Fatigue by Regulating Neurotransmitters in Brain.
ENHANCES COGNITION
–Yukmijihwang-tang derivatives enhance cognitive processing in normal young adults: a double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial.
MEMORY
–Effects of Yukmijihwang-tang derivatives (YMJd) on ibotenic acid-induced amnesia in the rat.
–Effects of Yukmijihwang-tang derivatives (YMJd), a memory enhancing herbal extract, on the gene-expression profile in the rat hippocampus.
ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
–Efficacy of Yukmijihwang-tang on symptoms of Alzheimer disease: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.
–The neuroprotective effects of Liuwei Dihuang medicine in the APP/PS1 mouse model are dependent on the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.
AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER
–A survey of Korean medicine doctors’ clinical practice patterns for autism spectrum disorder: preliminary research for clinical practice guidelines.
CEREBRAL PALSY
–Integrative medicine rehabilitation for children with cerebral palsy: a study protocol for a multicenter pragmatic randomized controlled trial.
ASTHMA
–[Antiasthmatic effects of different tonifying kidney-Yin formulas and their effects on airway remodeling in chronic asthma].
HEPATOPROTECTIVE:
–Protective Effects of Liu Wei Di Huang Wan on the Liver, Orbitofrontal Cortex Nissl Bodies, and Neurites in MSG+PH-Induced Liver Regeneration Rat Model.
CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE:
–Effectiveness of Integrative Chinese-Western Medicine for Chronic Kidney Disease and Diabetes: A Retrospective Cohort Study.
–A network pharmacological-based study of the mechanism of Liuwei Dihuang pill in the treatment of chronic kidney disease.
RENAL FIBROSIS:
–Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch and Cornus officinalis Sieb herb couple ameliorates renal interstitial fibrosis in CKD rats by inhibiting the TGF-β1/MAPK signaling pathway.
–Piperlonguminine attenuates renal fibrosis by inhibiting TRPC6.
DIABETES:
–Liu Wei Di Huang Wan and the Delay of Insulin Use in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes in Taiwan: A Nationwide Study.
–A GC-MS-Based Metabolomics Investigation of the Protective Effect of Liu-Wei-Di-Huang-Wan in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Mice.
–Prescription pattern of chinese herbal products for diabetes mellitus in taiwan: a population-based study.
–Chinese herbal products and the reduction of risk of breast cancer among females with type 2 diabetes in Taiwan: A case-control study.
–Effectiveness of Integrative Chinese-Western Medicine for Chronic Kidney Disease and Diabetes: A Retrospective Cohort Study.
–The efficacy and safety of yukmijihwang-hwan (Liuweidihuang-wan) for type 2 diabetes mellitus without complications: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.
–Complementary therapy of traditional Chinese medicine for blood sugar control in a patient with type 1 diabetes.
–[Effects of Liuweidihuang pills on pancreatic islet structure in OLETF rats].
–[Effect of Liuweidihuang pills in preventing diabetes mellitus in OLETF rats].
–Clinical Efficacy of Bolus of Six Drugs Including Rehmannia as an Adjunct to Metformin in the Treatment of Senile Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus and its Influence on Insulin Resistance, Inflammatory Factors and Blood Glucose-related Indicators.
DIABETIC NEPHROPATHY:
–Potential Therapeutic Targets of Rehmannia Formulations on Diabetic Nephropathy: A Comparative Network Pharmacology Analysis
–Efficacy of “Dihuang pill prescriptions” combined with conventional treatment for diabetic kidney disease: A network meta-analysis and systematic review.
DIABETIC COMPLICATIONS:
–Integrative traditional Chinese medicine therapy reduces the risk of diabetic ketoacidosis in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus.
–Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapy and the Risk of Vascular Complications in Patients With Type II Diabetes Mellitus: A Nationwide, Retrospective, Taiwanese-Registry, Cohort Study.
–Chinese Herbal Medicine Treatment Improves the Overall Survival Rate of Individuals with Hypertension among Type 2 Diabetes Patients and Modulates In Vitro Smooth Muscle Cell Contractility.
GESTATIONAL DIABETES:
–Identification of the Active Compound of Liu Wei Di Huang Wan for Treatment of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus via Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking.
OSTEOPOROSIS:
–Liuwei Dihuang pills attenuate ovariectomy-induced bone loss by alleviating bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC) senescence via the Yes-associated protein (YAP)-autophagy axis.
–[Liuwei Dihuang Pills alleviates postmenopausal osteoporosis and fatigue in rats by inhibiting the epigenetic regulatory molecule BRD4 pathway].
–Mechanism of Liuwei Dihuang Pills in treating osteoporosis based on network pharmacology.
SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS (SLE)
–Traditional Chinese medicine therapy improves the survival of systemic lupus erythematosus patients.
HYPERTENSION:
–Chinese patent medicine liu wei di huang wan combined with antihypertensive drugs, a new integrative medicine therapy, for the treatment of essential hypertension: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.
MENOPAUSE:
–Effects of the Chinese Herbal Formulation (Liu Wei Di Huang Wan) on the Pharmacokinetics of Isoflavones in Postmenopausal Women.
–Comparative effectiveness of Chinese H3 (CH3) and liu wei di huang wan (LWDHW) in female climacteric and their mechanism of action.
BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA (BPH)
–Inhibitory effect of Yukmijihwang-tang, a traditional herbal formula against testosterone-induced benign prostatic hyperplasia in rats
CANCER, SIDE EFFECTS OF CHEMO
–Protective effect of Liuwei Dihuang Pill on cisplatin-induced reproductive toxicity and genotoxicity in male mice.
–[Effect of Liuwei Dihuang pill on expression of NF-kappaB in kidney lesion induced by gentamicin in rats].
–Protective Effects of Traditional Polyherbs on Cisplatin-Induced Acute Kidney Injury Cell Model by Inhibiting Oxidative Stress and MAPK Signaling Pathway.
CANCER, RISK REDUCTION
–Chinese herbal products and the reduction of risk of breast cancer among females with type 2 diabetes in Taiwan: A case-control study.
–Decreased risk of colorectal cancer among patients with type 2 diabetes receiving Chinese herbal medicine: a population-based cohort study.
–Integrating Chinese and Western medicines reduced the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with diabetes mellitus: A Taiwanese population-based cohort study.
Back to PILLS
Back to FORMULAS
How to Modify a Formula
Substitutes
Weights & Measures