Classic formula · Tonify yin
Da Bu Yin Wan
大补阴丸 Great Tonify the Yin Pill
Four herbs for yin deficiency with strong empty heat: a deep steaming heat in the bones, night sweats that soak the sheets, hot flashes, coughing blood, nocturnal emissions, and sore knees. Heavier than Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan on both sides: more yin, more cooling.
Zhu Dan-xi taught that yang is always in excess and yin always in short supply. This is his answer: fill the yin with tortoise shell and rehmannia, and drain the fire with the two bitter cold barks, in equal measure.
Also sold as: Da Bu Yin Jian · Great Yin Tonifying Pill
Who Da Bu Yin Wan is for
This formula is chosen for 2 patterns. Match your own picture before you match the name.
Signs it is classically given for
- Steaming-bone sensation, a heat that feels deep inside
- Night sweats that soak
- Hot flashes and afternoon fever
- Coughing blood or blood-streaked sputum in a dry, thin person
- Nocturnal emissions
- Irritability, restless sleep
- Sore, weak knees and legs
- Dry mouth, thirst
- Tongue
- Red with little coat.
- Pulse
- Thin, rapid, and a little forceful.
What is in Da Bu Yin Wan
Amounts are the classic decoction range in grams. Patent pills use the same herbs in the same proportion, so read the box for these names.
| Herb | Amount | Role | Job in the formula |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shu Di Huang Prepared Rehmannia Root Use caution | 18 g | Chief | Prepared rehmannia enriches Kidney yin. |
| Gui Ban Tortoise Plastron Use caution | 18 g | Chief | Tortoise plastron fills deep yin and anchors rising heat. |
| Huang Bai Phellodendron Bark | 12 g | Deputy | Phellodendron drains empty fire from the Kidney. |
| Zhi Mu Rhizome of Common Anamarrhena | 12 g | Deputy | Anemarrhena clears heat and moistens. |
How Da Bu Yin Wan works
Two tonics and two drainers in roughly equal weight. The tortoise shell and rehmannia refill the yin; the two barks pull the heat down and out. The original was made with pig spinal marrow and honey to add still more yin. It is a sharper tool than the rehmannia pills and meant for the heavier heat picture.
Actions in classic terms
- Enriches yin and drains fire
- Anchors heat that is rising from an empty Kidney
Common changes to Da Bu Yin Wan
A practitioner rarely gives the bare formula. These are the classic additions for a specific picture.
- Coughing blood add Bai Ji, Xian He Cao Herbs that stop bleeding from the Lung.
- Night sweats that will not stop add Fu Xiao Mai, Mu Li Light wheat and oyster shell hold the sweat in.
- Loose teeth with the heat add Gu Sui Bu The bone mender.
Cautions with Da Bu Yin Wan
- Cold and heavy. Not for a weak Spleen with loose stools or poor appetite.
- Not for a cold picture of any kind.
- Use for the heat, then step down to a gentler yin tonic such as Liu Wei Di Huang Wan.
- Contains tortoise plastron, an animal product.
- Pregnancy: use only under a qualified practitioner.
Forms and typical dose
Sold as teapills, granules, decoction.
- Teapills
- 8 pills, three times a day, the usual label dose
- Decoction
- One bag a day in two doses, with the amounts above. Tortoise shell is decocted first.
- Course
- One to two months, then reassess.
Follow the label of the brand you buy. Pill sizes differ between makers.
Buying Da Bu Yin Wan
The box reads Da Bu Yin Wan with the characters 大补阴丸. Four ingredients: prepared Rehmannia, Tortoise plastron, Phellodendron, and Anemarrhena.
Brand comparisons for formulas live on Supplements Apothecary, the buying side of this library.
Formulas often confused with Da Bu Yin Wan
- Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan 知柏地黄丸 The gentler everyday version: the Liu Wei base with the same cooling pair in small amounts. Start there unless the heat is heavy.
- Zuo Gui Wan 左归丸 Pure filling with no cooling. For deep yin deficiency without heat signs.
- Liu Wei Di Huang Wan 六味地黄丸 The long-term base to continue after the heat has cleared.
Conditions where Da Bu Yin Wan comes up
Sources
- Bensky, Scheid, Ellis and Barolet, Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas and Strategies, 2nd edition Composition, actions, indications, and cautions.
- Zhu Zhen-heng, Dan Xi Xin Fa Source text.
Important Note
Formula pages describe classic use so you can read a label, ask a better question, and find the right monographs. They are education, not a prescription. A formula that fits the wrong pattern can make things worse, so match the picture first.