What types of Dihuang Wan are there and what are their effects?
Dihuang Wan is an over-the-counter medicine, mainly composed of prepared rehmannia root, cornu cervi degelatinatum, dried Chinese yam, oriental waterplantain rhizome, tree peony bark, and white poria. Different modifications of the medicinal materials produce different effects. Common types include Liuwei Dihuang Wan, Qiju Dihuang Wan, Guishao Dihuang Wan, Zhibai Dihuang Wan, Guifu Dihuang Wan, Maiwei Dihuang Wan, Mingmu Dihuang Wan, and others. Let's take a look at what effects these Dihuang Wan have!
Liuwei Dihuang Wan
Liuwei Dihuang Wan has the effect of nourishing yin and tonifying the kidney. It is used for kidney yin deficiency, dizziness and tinnitus, soreness and weakness of the waist and knees, bone-steaming tidal fever, night sweats and spermatorrhea, and consumptive thirst. Those with kidney yin deficiency have both heat symptoms such as fever, night sweats, dry mouth and throat, and deficiency symptoms such as dizziness, tinnitus, soreness and weakness of the waist and knees, insomnia and spermatorrhea. Liuwei Dihuang Wan combines six medicines, with three tonifying and three draining, and is suitable for patients with the above symptoms such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and tumors during chemotherapy, but those with spleen and kidney yang deficiency must not take it.
Zhibai Dihuang Wan
Zhibai Dihuang Wan has the effect of nourishing yin and reducing fire. It is used for yin deficiency with hyperactive fire, tidal fever and night sweats, dry mouth and throat, tinnitus and spermatorrhea, and scanty dark urine. Traditional Chinese medicine holds that yin deficiency generates internal fire. In addition to kidney yin deficiency symptoms, there are also signs of deficiency heat such as emaciation, red cheeks, and heat in the five centers. Zhibai Dihuang Wan is suitable for patients with these symptoms such as tuberculosis, menopausal syndrome, chronic pharyngitis, and nervous deafness, but those with yang deficiency cold syndrome or excess heat syndrome should not take it.
Qiju Dihuang Wan
Qiju Dihuang Wan has the effect of nourishing the liver and kidney. It is used for dizziness, vertigo and tinnitus, blurred vision, and dry eyes caused by liver and kidney yin deficiency, or hypertension belonging to yin deficiency with yang hyperactivity. In addition to being suitable for hypertension and hyperlipidemia, it is also used for patients with cataracts, optic nerve atrophy, and dry eye syndrome who have symptoms of liver and kidney yin deficiency, but it should be used with caution for dizziness, vertigo, and tinnitus caused by excess fire.
Guishao Dihuang Wan
Guishao Dihuang Wan has the effect of nourishing the liver and kidney, tonifying yin and blood, and clearing deficiency heat. In those with yin deficiency and hyperactive fire, in addition to kidney yin deficiency symptoms, there are also blood heat symptoms such as bright red bleeding and irregular menstruation. Guishao Dihuang Wan is suitable for patients with hypertension, neurasthenia, menstrual disorders, and functional uterine bleeding due to yin deficiency and blood heat, and is likewise contraindicated for those with yang deficiency and blood cold syndrome.
Guifu Dihuang Wan
Guifu Dihuang Wan is based on Liuwei Dihuang Wan with the addition of two warming yang Chinese medicines, cinnamon and aconite. It is more suitable for cold limbs, abdominal pain, loose stool, impotence, and female infertility caused by kidney yang deficiency. Traditional Chinese medicine holds that when yang qi is depleted, there must be deficiency cold symptoms, with cold symptoms such as cold and painful waist and knees, cough and asthma with edema, frequent urination and diarrhea. Guifu Dihuang Wan is the only Chinese patent medicine in the Dihuang Wan series suitable for those with deficiency of both yin and yang, such as patients with lumbar muscle strain, chronic bronchitis, and diabetic nephropathy edema with kidney yin deficiency combined with kidney yang deficiency, but it is contraindicated for those with yin deficiency generating internal heat.
Guifu Dihuang Wan
Guifu Dihuang Wan has the effect of warming and tonifying kidney yang. It mainly treats kidney yang insufficiency, soreness and coldness of the waist and knees, limb edema, difficult or excessive urination, phlegm-fluid retention with cough and asthma, and consumptive thirst. Traditional Chinese medicine holds that when yang qi is depleted, there must be deficiency cold symptoms, with cold symptoms such as cold and painful waist and knees, cough and asthma with edema, frequent urination and diarrhea. Guifu Dihuang Wan is the only Chinese patent medicine in the Dihuang Wan series suitable for those with deficiency of both yin and yang, such as patients with lumbar muscle strain, chronic bronchitis, and diabetic nephropathy edema with kidney yin deficiency combined with kidney yang deficiency, but it is contraindicated for those with yin deficiency generating internal heat.
Maiwei Dihuang Wan
Maiwei Dihuang Wan has the effect of nourishing the kidney and lung. It mainly treats lung and kidney yin depletion, tidal fever and night sweats, dry throat, dizziness and tinnitus, and soreness and weakness of the waist and knees. Those with lung yin deficiency experience symptoms such as dry cough with blood and afternoon tidal fever. Maiwei Dihuang Wan is used to treat patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, diabetes, and cor pulmonale due to lung and kidney yin deficiency, but it should be used with caution in patients with colds.
Mingmu Dihuang Wan
Mingmu Dihuang Wan has the effect of nourishing the kidney, nourishing the liver, and improving vision. It is used for liver and kidney yin deficiency, dry and photophobic eyes, blurred vision, and tearing in the wind. It is suitable for eye diseases caused by liver and kidney yin deficiency, such as optic neuritis, retinal macular degeneration, and keratoconjunctival xerosis, but it should not be taken for eye diseases caused by liver fire flaming upward.