Classic formula · Tonify yin
Liu Wei Di Huang Wan
六味地黄丸 Six-Ingredient Pill with Rehmannia
The base formula for Kidney yin deficiency and the most widely sold Chinese patent formula in the world. For the person who is dry, warm, and worn down: sore low back, dry mouth at night, ringing ears, dizziness, and a tiredness that sleep does not fix.
Three herbs fill the tank and three herbs keep the tank from going stagnant. That balance is why a person can take it for months.
Also sold as: Six Flavor Rehmannia Teapills · Six Flavor Teapills · Rehmannia Six Formula
Who Liu Wei Di Huang Wan is for
This formula is chosen for 3 patterns. Match your own picture before you match the name.
Signs it is classically given for
- Sore, weak low back and knees
- Dry mouth and throat, worse at night
- Dizziness and ringing in the ears
- Night sweats
- Warm palms and soles
- Loose teeth and slowly receding gums
- Chronic dry sore throat
- Nocturnal emissions
- Thirst with a wish for small sips
- Slow growth or late closing of the fontanel in a child, its original use
- Tongue
- Red with little coat.
- Pulse
- Thin and rapid, or deep and thin.
What is in Liu Wei Di Huang 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 | 24 g | Chief | Prepared rehmannia enriches Kidney yin and essence and fills the marrow. |
| Shan Zhu Yu Asiatic Cornelian Cherry Fruit | 12 g | Deputy | Cornelian cherry nourishes Liver and Kidney and holds the essence in. |
| Shan Yao Chinese Yam Rhizome | 12 g | Deputy | Chinese yam strengthens the Spleen and Kidney and steadies the essence. |
| Ze Xie Rhizome of Oriental Waterplantain | 9 g | Assistant | Water plantain drains damp turbidity so the rich rehmannia does not stagnate. |
| Mu Dan Pi Tree Peony Bark Use caution | 9 g | Assistant | Tree peony bark clears the mild heat that rises when yin is low. |
| Fu Ling Poria | 9 g | Assistant | Poria leaches dampness and helps the Spleen digest the tonic. |
How Liu Wei Di Huang Wan works
Rehmannia, cornelian cherry, and yam fill the Kidney, Liver, and Spleen. The other three herbs drain the dampness, heat, and stagnation that rich tonics would otherwise cause. That is why this formula can be taken for months where a heavier tonic would bloat you in a week.
Actions in classic terms
- Enriches yin and nourishes the Kidney
- Three tonics, three drainers: fills without clogging
Common changes to Liu Wei Di Huang Wan
A practitioner rarely gives the bare formula. These are the classic additions for a specific picture.
- Heat signs: night sweats, hot palms, red cheeks add Zhi Mu, Huang Bai This becomes Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan.
- Loose teeth and receding gums add Gu Sui Bu, Niu Xi Gu Sui Bu mends the bone around the tooth; Niu Xi pulls the formula down to the teeth.
- Dry or blurry eyes add Gou Qi Zi, Ju Hua This becomes Qi Ju Di Huang Wan.
- Dry cough or wheeze add Mai Dong, Wu Wei Zi This becomes Mai Wei Di Huang Wan.
- Ringing ears and poor hearing add Ci Shi, Wu Wei Zi The classic ear modification, Er Long Zuo Ci Wan.
Cautions with Liu Wei Di Huang Wan
- Rich and a little heavy. If stools go loose, appetite drops, or you bloat, take it with food or reduce the dose. If that does not settle it, the Spleen needs help first.
- Not for a cold picture: cold back and knees, pale face, clear frequent urine. That is Kidney yang deficiency and needs the warming cousin, Jin Gui Shen Qi Wan.
- Not for an acute cold or flu. Pause the tonic until the illness clears.
- Pregnancy: use only under a qualified practitioner.
Forms and typical dose
Sold as teapills, concentrated tablets, granules, decoction.
- Teapills
- 8 pills, three times a day with warm water, the usual label dose
- Decoction
- One bag a day in two doses, with the amounts above
- Course
- Three months is a normal first course. Kidney tonics are slow.
Follow the label of the brand you buy. Pill sizes differ between makers.
Buying Liu Wei Di Huang Wan
The box reads Liu Wei Di Huang Wan with the characters 六味地黄丸 and lists exactly six herbs. If the list shows Anemarrhena and Phellodendron, that is Zhi Bai, the cooling version. If it shows Cinnamon and Aconite, that is the warming version for a cold picture. Plum Flower and Lanzhou Foci are the widely sold tested brands.
Brand comparisons for formulas live on Supplements Apothecary, the buying side of this library.
Formulas often confused with Liu Wei Di Huang Wan
- Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan 知柏地黄丸 Same base plus Zhi Mu and Huang Bai to clear empty heat. Choose it when night sweats, hot palms, or red cheeks are present.
- Qi Ju Di Huang Wan 杞菊地黄丸 Same base plus goji and chrysanthemum for dry, blurry, tired eyes.
- Mai Wei Di Huang Wan 麦味地黄丸 Same base plus ophiopogon and schisandra for a dry cough and dry throat from Lung and Kidney yin deficiency.
- Jin Gui Shen Qi Wan 金匮肾气丸 The warming cousin: same base plus cinnamon bark and processed aconite. For the cold picture, not the dry one. Some boxes call it Ba Wei Di Huang Wan, so read the ingredients.
- Zuo Gui Wan 左归丸 A richer, pure tonic with no draining herbs, for deeper essence deficiency and weak bones. Harder to digest.
Conditions where Liu Wei Di Huang Wan comes up
Sources
- Bensky, Scheid, Ellis and Barolet, Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas and Strategies, 2nd edition Composition, actions, indications, and modifications.
- Qian Yi, Xiao Er Yao Zheng Zhi Jue, 1119 Original 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.