Premature Ejaculation, Nocturnal Emission, Weak Lower Back and Knees? Doctor Luo Dalun on Suo Yang Gu Jing Wan (Lock Yang, Stabilize Essence Pill): a Kidney-Warming, Essence-Stabilizing Classic Built on Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan — Tonifying Yang While Clearing Fire

Opening: starting from Wu Zi Yan Zong Wan — today’s formula hits a little harder

Doctor Luo has already talked about several kidney-tonifying formulas. Today’s one is a familiar sight on pharmacy shelves — Suo Yang Gu Jing Wan (Lock Yang, Stabilize Essence Pill).

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Earlier I talked about Wu Zi Yan Zong Wan, right? That one is very gentle — a formula you take little by little, tonifying slowly. So what are we talking about today? Suo Yang Gu Jing Wan. This formula has a bit more force than the previous one. And what does it do? It warms the kidneys and stabilizes the essence.

Warming the kidneys, stabilizing the essence — those four words are the heart of this formula. What does it treat?

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: It specializes in the seminal emission and premature ejaculation that come from kidney deficiency. The usual weak lower back and knees, dizziness and tinnitus, weak limbs — all the various symptoms of kidney deficiency. The most important of these: the seminal emission caused by kidney deficiency, premature ejaculation, nocturnal emission and all the rest.

Put simply: when the kidneys are too weak to hold the essence, the essence runs out on its own — nocturnal emission, premature ejaculation, seminal emission, plus the familiar kidney-deficiency companions of weak lower back and knees, dizziness and tinnitus, and weak limbs. All of these are in Suo Yang Gu Jing Wan’s territory.

Where does this formula come from? — a treasured recipe handed down by the old pharmacy houses

The origin of Suo Yang Gu Jing Wan is different from most formulas — it was not created at one stroke by one great physician, but accumulated generation after generation by the old established pharmacy houses.

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: In ancient times there was already a Suo Yang Gu Jing Wan, but the ancient formula was simpler compared with today’s — fewer herbs — and if you looked at it now it would be nothing like the current one. So how did the Suo Yang Gu Jing Wan that Tongrentang makes today come about? It was like this: in the old days there were many old established pharmacy houses. How did they survive? They had to have their special recipes. So every old pharmacy house hired doctors who, over a long time, slowly wrote prescriptions, and some good formulas were kept. So each pharmacy had its own formula.

Doctor Luo adds an interesting detail: he collects old handwritten texts, and people have received old pharmacy prescriptions that spell everything out clearly — all kinds of methods.

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Suo Yang Gu Jing Wan was actually gradually summed up in the old pharmacy houses — putting the effective herbs together, slowly refined through the constant guidance of Chinese medicine doctors, until it finally became a classic formula. Strictly speaking, back then the Suo Yang Gu Jing Wan sold by pharmacies across the country was not identical — for example, our Shenyang: Shenyang has a formula now that is a bit simpler than the Beijing one. If you could see the old pharmacy prescriptions from all over the country, each had its own Suo Yang Gu Jing Wan, the formulas different, generally with fewer herbs.

So with all these versions, which one do the pharmacies sell today?

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Beijing’s version is the classic one. Which old house represents Beijing? Tongrentang. Tongrentang’s formula is the Beijing formula — classic, complete, and put into it are the most herbs. The Suo Yang Gu Jing Wan in today’s Chinese Pharmacopoeia is basically fixed with the Tongrentang Beijing formula as its standard.

The skeleton of the formula: Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan as the base, cold and heat regulated together

This formula has many herbs, but the skeleton is very clear. Doctor Luo punctures its structure in one sentence:

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: This formula is actually built on our Chinese medicine’s Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan as the base, with the yang-tonifying herbs added on top. That combination is ingenious. What is this? It’s a strategy of regulating cold and heat together.

Why would a kidney-yang-tonifying formula use the heat-clearing Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan as its base? That starts with the most central herb in the formula — Shu Di Huang (prepared rehmannia), used in the largest amount.

Three tonic herbs: Shu Di Huang, Shan Zhu Yu and Shan Yao — tonify the essence of all five organs

First remember the big premise — kidney essence is the root of life.

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: I’ve explained this concept before: what matters most in life? Kidney essence. Kidney essence is the root of our whole life, the foundation of our growth and development — it determines our original drive. Within kidney essence are contained the seeds of yin and yang; from kidney essence yin and yang are generated, and with kidney yin and kidney yang come qi, qi and blood, and our body runs normally.

Kidney essence itself is of two kinds:

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Kidney essence is divided into prenatal essence and acquired essence. Prenatal essence is inherited from your parents. Can you push hard to tonify it, turn ten parts into a hundred? Impossible — so with prenatal essence there’s not much room to work; we should just try not to waste it. Acquired essence? It is gradually formed when the spleen and stomach absorb the finest nutrients of food and drink, and the clear, light qi of the breath is drawn in. Acquired essence can be replenished — look after the spleen and stomach, and that is replenishing acquired essence. The two kinds of essence combine into kidney essence.

So tonifying kidney essence means focusing on the acquired kind. Which herb tonifies kidney essence best? The one Doctor Luo most admires is Shu Di Huang.

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Which herb can tonify kidney essence? Shu Di Huang is the single most important Chinese herb for tonifying kidney essence — this is what I especially admire. There are many kidney-essence tonics, and they all work, but the leader, the most effective one, is Shu Di Huang.

Where does Shu Di Huang come from? There’s an interesting processing story behind it:

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: There is an herb called di huang (rehmannia), which grows in the ground. If you take it out and dry it in the sun, it is called Sheng Di (raw rehmannia). Sheng Di cools the blood, has a yin-nourishing action — it goes after nourishing yin, and its nature is cool. If this rehmannia goes through nine steamings and nine dryings and is processed into Shu Di Huang, its nature turns warm — it tonifies kidney essence, and it does so exceptionally well. In the Synopsis of the Golden Cabinet (Jin Gui Yao Lue), the section of the earliest classic, the Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases, there is the Jin Gui Shen Qi Wan (Kidney Qi Pill from the Golden Cabinet), and its most important herb is this Shu Di Huang — what does it do? It tonifies kidney essence. It also tonifies the liver channel — every organ has its own essence and qi, and it tonifies the essence of liver and kidney, mainly kidney essence.

What does Shu Di Huang pair with? Shan Zhu Yu (cornus fruit) and Shan Yao (Chinese yam).

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Shan zhu yu is a fruit; its flesh and skin are red — red enters the heart; its taste is sour — sour enters the liver. What does it tonify? The essence of heart, liver and kidney, mainly heart and liver. Each of the five organs has its own essence and qi; if the herbs are used well, the essence of all five organs can be tonified. Shan Yao? Sweet, entering the spleen; when you break it open the color is white — white enters the lung, so it also tonifies the lung channel; its mucilage is slippery, and it enters the kidney, tonifying the essence and qi of the kidney.

Do you see it now?

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Shu Di Huang plus Shan Zhu Yu, plus Huai Shan Yao — what do these three herbs tonify? The essence of heart, liver, spleen, lung and kidney — all five organs. And all three of them also tonify the kidney at the same time. So you see, this tonifies the essence of the five organs. The ancients said it explicitly: the first three herbs of Liu Wei Di Huang Wan (Six-Ingredient Rehmannia Pill) tonify the essence of the five organs, with Shu Di Huang in the largest amount tonifying kidney essence mainly, while the other two tonify the five organs and also tonify the kidney. These three herbs are the foundation of Liu Wei Di Huang Wan, Jin Gui Shen Qi Wan, Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan and the rest — when kidney essence is sufficient, the essence of the five organs is sufficient; and if the essence of the five organs can be fully tonified, in turn it nourishes kidney essence and provides nutrition for it.

These three herbs are used in slightly larger amounts — they are the core. Their value was even certified by the number-one Chinese doctor of the Republican era, Doctor Zhang Xichun:

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: The famous Republican-era doctor, ranked first in all of China — Zhang Xichun. Look at his late-life case records: whenever he tonifies, whenever he says a person is deficient, what comes up in every prescription? Shu Di Huang, Huai Shan Yao and Shan Zhu Yu — these three herbs are used without fail. That’s his experience. This is a strategy summed up by the ancient Doctor Zhang Zhongjing, and in Zhang Xichun’s time it worked just as well, with excellent tonifying results.

Tonify and drain at the same time: the clever pairing of Fu Ling, Ze Xie and Mu Dan Pi

Three tonic herbs pushing in hard — could that cause problems? The ancients thought of it long ago: while you tonify, you must also drain.

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Add Fu Ling, which tonifies the spleen — what if there’s some dampness in there? You’re pushing tonics in hard on this side, and there’s dampness on that side — the more you tonify, the worse it gets. So the ancients designed their formulas very classically, like the Jin Gui Shen Qi Wan strategy: I tonify on one side and drain on the other, supply ammunition to the regular troops while helping you blast the enemy out. This is the attack-and-tonify strategy.

This strategy is laid out clearly in three pairs of herbs:

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Fu Ling pairs with Shan Yao — tonify the spleen and drain water-dampness. Ze Xie pairs with Shu Di Huang — Ze Xie drains water-dampness outward; Shu Di Huang wants to tonify the kidney, and if there is water-dampness inside the kidney the tonification won’t work well; Ze Xie drains outward, Shu Di Huang tonifies inward, and only then does the tonification come out clean. Shan Zhu Yu pairs with Mu Dan Pi — Mu Dan Pi drains liver fire. You’re tonifying the liver channel with Shan Zhu Yu, but if there’s some liver fire in the channel, the more you tonify, aren’t you adding fuel to the fire? I put in Mu Dan Pi to drain liver fire — tonify on one side, drain on the other, so the tonifying effect is good and things never get worse the more you tonify. These six herbs are our famous Liu Wei Di Huang Wan.

So when you say Suo Yang Gu Jing Wan, know that it contains Liu Wei Di Huang Wan inside. But Liu Wei Di Huang Wan alone wasn’t enough — Zhi Mu (Anemarrhena) and Huang Bai (Phellodendron bark) were added, and with those two, Liu Wei Di Huang Wan was upgraded into Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan.

Zhi Mu and Huang Bai: why must a kidney-tonifying formula clear fire first?

What are Zhi Mu and Huang Bai for?

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Zhi Mu drains lung fire. What’s the relationship between lung and kidney? The lung belongs to metal, the kidney to water — the lung is the mother of the kidney. Drain the lung fire, and it becomes easier to clear the deficiency fire in the kidney essence. Huang Bai drains damp-heat from the lower burner and drains fire. Zhi Mu and Huang Bai together drain the deficiency fire in the kidney more thoroughly.

Chinese physicians used this pairing very early. The Jin-Yuan physicians were especially good at it:

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: For example, Li Dongyuan made a formula called Zi Shen Wan (Nourish the Kidneys Pill), which treats hidden fire in the lower burner — some people have yellow urine, painful urinary dribbling; he used Zhi Mu, Huang Bai plus Dang Gui, and the formula worked right away. Many people have deficiency fire in the lower burner.

What is Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan best at? Clearing deficiency heat. Doctor Luo told a case he has verified again and again himself:

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: For example, someone with deficiency heat from insufficient kidney essence has night sweats — sweats while sleeping; on waking, soaked in sweat; fine by day. That is called dao han (night sweats). Night sweats are mostly yin deficiency. Where does yin deficiency come from? Kidney essence deficiency often leads to yin deficiency, and yin deficiency brings deficiency heat. Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan works extremely well for this — basically one pill: go to the pharmacy, buy it, one bowl of Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan down, and the night sweats of that evening vanish. I’ve used this on countless patients — one pill definitely works immediately, but I tell them not to take more; generally three pills is about right.

But here’s the question: isn’t this a kidney-yang-tonifying formula? Why use the heat-clearing Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan as its base?

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Do people with kidney deficiency have fire? Are kidney-deficient people necessarily yang-deficient, with no fire at all? No. People with kidney deficiency often have especially much deficiency fire. Let me give you an analogy: a person with sufficient kidney qi is like a machine with plenty of oil — one turn of the key and the car starts and drives off. A kidney-deficient person? The car has problems — not much oil, wiring trouble — so he keeps cranking the engine, humming and humming; the car hasn’t moved, hasn’t started, but is it running? It’s running — in an unsaturated state. Is his car hot? Just as hot, even hotter than a properly running car.

That analogy makes it instantly clear — when function is insufficient, you still push to complete the task, fail every time, and the heat accumulates.

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Does a kidney-deficient person have desire? Of course he does — sometimes no less than anyone else. But his function fails. Every time he cannot complete the task, so the heat accumulates — what is this? This is not the true ming men (life-gate) fire, not the warmth of your upright qi. It is called xiang huo (ministerial fire). Ministerial fire is heat generated by deficiency and waste. This heat must be clearly recognized: it cannot be dissolved by nourishing yin — the ministerial fire must be cleared. There was a great physician of the Jin-Yuan period, Li Dongyuan, who said: original qi and ministerial fire cannot coexist. Ministerial fire is not the body’s normal fire; it is surplus fire produced by deficiency and waste, and it needs to be cleared away with a small amount of good medicine.

Why must it be cleared before you can tonify yang?

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: If you have this ministerial fire, deficiency fire burning inside you — a little flame constantly smoldering — and you want to tonify yang, the moment the tonic goes down you get urinary pain, and the fire symptoms appear at once. Why? Because this deficiency fire, this evil fire, is inside causing trouble. So it must be cleared first. This formula is a classic precisely because its construction is so clever — it uses Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan as the base to clear the evil fire, and only then tonifies, so the tonification goes in cleanly and works.

Why do modern people burn through kidney essence so fast?

After all this talk about kidney essence — how does it actually get used up? Doctor Luo says, modern people have especially many chances to waste kidney essence.

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: There are too many beautiful things for the eyes to see, and you feel desire — I want to possess. On the sexual side: in ancient times people looked at paintings of beauties, and the paintings weren’t even necessarily good — you might not even think of any beautiful desire. Now? Photos, film, images — of course these consume it. Staying up late — people today are busy every day, staying up late, living the night life. What does that consume? Kidney essence too. Work that is exhausting, racking your brains over problems — does that consume kidney essence? Of course it does.

As kidney essence is continuously depleted, illness arrives. The most typical one — chronic pharyngitis.

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Very many people have chronic pharyngitis now. Do heat-clearing toxin-resolving remedies work? If you have this experience you’ll know — detoxify for two days, it works a little at the time, then in a couple of days it comes back. People have eaten basket after basket of Niu Huang Jie Du Wan; does it work? No. Why do so many people have chronic pharyngitis? Partly air pollution; and on the other side, deficiency fire from insufficient kidney essence — there is always deficiency fire climbing upward: the ministerial fire follows the route of the kidney channel to the throat and the root of the tongue, constantly scorching there, and so it becomes chronic pharyngitis. So when I treat this condition, I basically tonify kidney essence and add a little medicine to lead the fire downward — draw that fire down, and you’ll find the chronic pharyngitis gradually heals. Why?

The traces of kidney essence deficiency also write themselves on the outside:

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Many people have loose teeth before their age — kidney essence deficiency. The kidneys govern the bones and produce marrow; teeth are the surplus of the bones. When the kidneys weaken, the bones start to go bad, and the teeth go bad too. Hair graying early and falling out early, eyes failing early — this is aging too soon. A great deal of it is related to kidney essence deficiency; modern people waste too much.

The yang-tonifying squad: Suo Yang, Rou Cong Rong, Ba Ji Tian, Tu Si Zi, Du Zhong, leek seed…

With the obstacles cleared, now comes the actual tonification. On the foundation of nourishing kidney essence, this formula develops in the direction of tonifying kidney yang — because yang governs function; to strengthen the kidney’s function, add yang-tonifying herbs.

The first is of course Suo Yang (Cynomorium) — the formula is named after it.

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Suo Yang’s nature is sweet and warm. You’ll notice the herbs are chosen carefully: basically no hot herbs are used, only warm ones — so it can’t flare up into fire; we tonify little by little. What does it do? It tonifies kidney yang and benefits essence-blood, and at the same time moistens the intestines and frees the stool — when kidney qi and kidney yang are sufficient, essence-blood is sufficient, the large intestine functions normally, and the stool is moist and free. In daily practice we use Suo Yang to treat weak lower back and knees, impotence and seminal emission from kidney deficiency.

Why can Suo Yang treat seminal emission? There’s a misconception to clear up here:

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: When kidney qi is sufficient, the whole reproductive system runs normally — when the essence is full it can be released on its own; this has a cycle, and marital intercourse also takes a certain cycle to reach orgasm before ejaculation. But when kidney qi is insufficient, the cycle is broken — there’s no strength to hold it, and the essence comes out on its own. That is premature ejaculation. When kidney qi becomes sufficient again and can complete the original cycle, there is no premature ejaculation. So you see, tonifying the kidneys is the core here — because the kidneys are tonified, the cycle returns to normal, and so there is no leaking emission. The ancients’ word “suo yang” — locking the yang — what is it really? It is the result of tonifying the kidneys.

The second herb is Rou Cong Rong (desert-broomrape), which looks very much like Suo Yang.

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Rou Cong Rong also tonifies the kidneys — kidney yang — and is an essential herb for nourishing essence-blood; it can nurture the life gate, treat kidney qi and nourish essence-blood. Its nature is also warm, sweet and salty. In the past we often soaked it in wine; the kidney-tonifying effect is excellent. When kidney qi is weak and the stool won’t pass, it has a moistening action — for elderly constipation, decoct Rou Cong Rong in water to free the stool. Some people say this herb is strongly hot — no, it isn’t strongly hot; it is warm, and especially gentle. For elderly constipation I use 30 grams and the effect is excellent.

Then comes a team of kidney-yang tonics:

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Ba Ji Tian also warms and tonifies kidney yang — very important; we often use it in prescriptions — for example, Yin Huo Tang (Lead the Fire Down Decoction) contains Ba Ji Tian to warm and tonify kidney yang. Add Bu Gu Zhi — it warms the middle and tonifies the kidneys. Add Tu Si Zi — we’ve discussed it before; Tu Si Zi tonifies kidney yang, extending the tonification in the yang direction. And Du Zhong — Du Zhong is warm, warms and nourishes liver and kidney, strengthens sinew and bone; we use it for sore lower back and lower back pain. This formula uses Du Zhong carbon — Du Zhong stir-fried until it smokes and turns to charcoal; then its nature is gentle and rather warm, with a warming kidney-yang action. Ba Jiao Hui Xiang (star anise) warms the middle. Jiu Cai Zi — people say, isn’t leek seed something you eat? Leek seed is a dedicated herb for warming kidney yang; it tonifies liver and kidney, warms the lower back and knees, assists yang and firms the essence. When we treat impotence, premature ejaculation and these yang-deficient conditions of the kidneys, we use leek seed. The folk dish leek stir-fried with shrimp, said to warm kidney yang — that’s the same principle.

The astringent group: Lian Zi, Qian Shi, Lian Xu, Long Gu, Mu Li — what’s tonified must also be held in place

Tonifying is one thing; holding it in place is another. This formula adds a group of astringent herbs. The first pair is Lian Zi (lotus seed) and Qian Shi (fox nut).

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Strictly speaking, Lian Zi and Qian Shi tonify the spleen. Why tonify the spleen? Because the spleen governs holding and securing — the spleen secures the fluids. When spleen qi is sufficient, qi is sufficient, and the fluid-like substances in the body can run normally in their proper tracks. If spleen qi becomes deficient, these fluid substances lose the strength to control them, and they tend to leak out — hence the tendency to seminal emission and the like. Tonifying the spleen is equivalent to securing the fluids. And Qian Shi also has a converging action and a kidney-firming action — after tonifying the kidneys with a formula, adding Qian Shi can hold the medicinal power in. That is Qian Shi’s special trait.

Then comes Lian Xu (lotus stamen) — the stamen of the lotus flower.

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Lian Xu’s nature is sweet, astringent and neutral — it has an essence-astringing action; it can secure and astringe. You know the lotus is a treasure from head to toe: lotus seed flesh tonifies the spleen; lotus seed heart clears heart fire; lotus stem raises the clear and lowers the turbid; lotus leaf also raises the clear and lowers the turbid. Lian Xu also clears heart fire and opens communication with the kidney — so when a person has too many desires, Lian Xu clears the heart fire; once the heart fire comes down, ministerial fire in the lower burner won’t stir wildly. And because its nature is astringent, it can astringe the essence — frequent seminal emission can be held in. For the same reason — its astringency — it can be used for women’s excessive vaginal discharge, and when bleeding is excessive Lian Xu can stop it too.

Finally, calcined Long Gu (dragon bone) and calcined Mu Li (oyster shell) — the old partnership of the astringent world.

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: What do calcined Long Gu and calcined Mu Li do? They astringe and converge. If I tonify without astringing, the deficiency fire may flare up after the tonification — I astringe the medicinal power so it stays in and does its work. This kind of use appears already in Zhang Zhongjing’s Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases: Gui Zhi Jia Long Gu Mu Li Tang (Cinnamon Twig plus Dragon Bone and Oyster Shell Decoction), Chai Hu Jia Long Gu Mu Li Tang (Bupleurum plus Dragon Bone and Oyster Shell Decoction) — all take the astringing action of Long Gu and Mu Li. At the same time, Long Gu and Mu Li settle the spirit and suppress floating yang — the deficiency fire of kidney-deficient people tends to float upward; settling and suppressing calms the heart-spirit and lets that deficiency fire converge downward.

Lu Jiao Shuang, Niu Xi and Da Qing Yan: the clever touches of three more herbs

There’s one more interesting herb in the formula — Lu Jiao Shuang (deer antler frost). First, sort out the deer family:

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Newly grown deer antler is a bit soft — that is called lu rong (deer velvet). In the second year this velvet starts to ossify — it is called lu jiao (deer antler), already very large. We take the antler and boil it, drawing out most of the active ingredients — that becomes lu jiao jiao (deer antler glue). The residue of the antler left after the glue is extracted is called lu jiao shuang — if you strike it with a stone it crumbles; grind it and it is quite soft. Lu Jiao Shuang also tonifies kidney yang and the governing vessel, but because the glue has been boiled out, its nature is gentle — it tonifies without creating fire, and it even turns slightly inward, with a converging action. This herb is used especially cleverly — tonifying the kidneys without being harsh, tonifying very gently.

Then two guiding herbs are added:

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Niu Xi (Achyranthes root) strengthens sinew and bone and tonifies liver and kidney, and at the same time Niu Xi guides the medicinal power downward — kidney tonification doesn’t want the herbs going upward; you want to tonify the lower burner downward. Then add a little Da Qing Yan (halite): why Da Qing Yan? Because the salty flavor enters the kidney. In the old days, when taking kidney-tonifying pills, people drank them with lightly salted water, or dipped them in a bit of salt powder — that made them work better. Adding some Da Qing Yan gives the whole formula a faint salty flavor, so it enters the kidney better.

Why does Suo Yang Gu Jing Wan tonify the kidneys without causing fire?

At this point, the whole design of the formula is complete:

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: Tonify kidney essence as the core; then clear away the obstacles — water-dampness and deficiency fire are cleared out; then start tonifying kidney yang, guiding the tonification in the yang direction; and while tonifying, don’t forget to astringe and hold it in. These classic formulas handed down through the ages are full of this kind of care. Some people take a kidney tonic and what happens? Fire flares — sore throat, red eyes, flushed face, blood pressure up. That tonification was badly done — you didn’t have all this design, all these safeguards. With a formula like this — I tonify on one side, clear fire on the other, tonify toward kidney yang, then astringe and converge — so tonifying kidney yang never causes fire.

How to use it? — kidney tonification is homework for middle age, but tonifying the kidneys ≠ boosting virility

So who is Suo Yang Gu Jing Wan for?

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: If a friend runs into these problems — kidney essence deficiency, kidney qi on the weak side, frequent seminal emission, premature ejaculation and the like, sexual dysfunction — Suo Yang Gu Jing Wan can be used. But everyone must know: we are not using it to boost sexual function. In fact, kidney essence deficiency and weak kidney qi cause many problems in the body — premature aging, lack of energy, insufficient energy for work — and these affect our life and work.

Doctor Luo especially reminds us: as we reach middle age, kidney tonification is routine homework, but you must be careful about it.

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: After middle age, as the years pass, kidney qi naturally weakens, or all kinds of depletion make the body deficient — tonifying the kidneys is a lesson we often need to do. At that point there must be no carelessness — you absolutely do not buy a pile of kidney tonics from a street stall, soak them in wine at home and glug them down. That won’t do. You have to be careful. A truly good Chinese medicine formula has thought of everything.

So what is kidney tonification for, after all?

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: When kidney essence is tonified sufficiently, you’ll find your energy abundant and aging delayed. When your energy is abundant and upright qi is full, will external pathogens easily invade you? No. Even your ability to resist external pathogens grows. The improvement of the whole body’s function, the improvement of its overall state — that is the goal of kidney tonification. Everyone must discard the idea that “tonifying the kidneys means boosting virility.” When your whole body function returns to normal, qi and blood are vigorous and running normally — at that point, sexual function is only one of the body’s many functions. When your whole body is normal, of course this part is normal too.

Closing: the great wisdom inside an old formula

💬 Note from Doctor Luo: So, everyone, take every chance to learn more Chinese medicine, to understand what secrets lie inside these old patent medicines. Even in modern life we need the wisdom of Chinese medicine more than ever to safeguard our health. Modern people face far more problems than the ancients did — but our bodies are the same as theirs. The thinking the ancients worked out still applies today. Inside these classic formulas there is indeed great wisdom — tonification is never reckless tonification.

What to take away

Suo Yang Gu Jing Wan is a kidney-warming, essence-stabilizing formula with a bit more force than the very gentle Wu Zi Yan Zong Wan — it treats seminal emission, premature ejaculation, nocturnal emission, weak lower back and knees, dizziness and tinnitus, and weak limbs from kidney deficiency.
It was not created by a single physician — it was accumulated generation by generation by the old pharmacy houses; the Shenyang version is simpler, the Beijing Tongrentang version is the most complete and classic, and the Chinese Pharmacopoeia takes the Tongrentang Beijing formula as its standard.
The skeleton is Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan as the base plus yang-tonifying herbs — a cold-and-heat-regulating design. The core trio is Shu Di Huang, Shan Zhu Yu and Shan Yao, which together tonify the essence of all five organs while all three also tonify the kidney — the very foundation of Liu Wei Di Huang Wan, Jin Gui Shen Qi Wan and Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan, and the trio Doctor Zhang Xichun used in every late-life tonifying prescription.
While tonifying, drain: Fu Ling, Ze Xie and Mu Dan Pi keep water-dampness and liver fire from ruining the tonification — the attack-and-tonify strategy of Jin Gui Shen Qi Wan.
Zhi Mu and Huang Bai clear the fire first, because kidney-deficient people are full of deficiency fire (xiang huo, ministerial fire). Like a car being cranked in an unsaturated state, the machine runs hot without ever starting — Li Dongyuan said original qi and ministerial fire cannot coexist; if you tonify yang without clearing that fire, the very next symptom is urinary pain.
Modern life wastes kidney essence constantly: visual stimulation of desire, staying up late, exhausting mental labor — showing up as chronic pharyngitis (deficiency fire scorching the throat along the kidney channel), loose teeth (teeth are the surplus of the bones), early graying and early failing eyesight.
The yang-tonifying squad (Suo Yang, Rou Cong Rong, Ba Ji Tian, Bu Gu Zhi, Tu Si Zi, Du Zhong carbon, star anise, leek seed) is all warm, never hot; the astringent group (Lian Zi, Qian Shi, Lian Xu, calcined Long Gu and Mu Li) makes sure what’s tonified is held in place; Lu Jiao Shuang tonifies gently without fire, Niu Xi guides the power downward, and Da Qing Yan carries it into the kidney by saltiness.
The goal of kidney tonification is not virility — it is abundant energy, delayed aging and upright qi strong enough to resist external pathogens. When the whole body returns to normal, every function, including that one, recovers naturally.
Be careful how you take it: never buy random kidney tonics from street stalls and glug them down in wine — the classic old formulas have thought of everything.

Compiled from Doctor Luo Dalun’s lecture series on traditional Chinese medicine formulas. The formula discussed is Suo Yang Gu Jing Wan, a classic formula passed down through the old established pharmacy houses (the Chinese Pharmacopoeia takes the Beijing Tongrentang version as its standard).