Psoralea Fruit

Traditional Use

Primary Actions

• Warms the Kidney and tonifies yang - Bu Gu Zhi is used for cold low back, weak knees, impotence, infertility, and depleted Kidney fire.
• Secures essence and reduces urination - it is a standard herb for frequent urination, enuresis, spermatorrhea, and lower-burner leakage rooted in Kidney deficiency.
• Warms the Spleen and stops dawn diarrhea - it is especially valued when early-morning loose stool reflects chronic Spleen-Kidney yang deficiency.
• Helps the Kidney grasp qi - it is added to formulas for chronic wheezing or dyspnea when lower-source weakness prevents proper grasp of breath.

Secondary Actions

• Traditional and modern practice also uses Bu Gu Zhi externally, especially in vitiligo-focused preparations because of its photosensitizing psoralen compounds.
• It is a strong warm-astringent herb rather than a gentle tonic, so it works best when cold, leakage, and lower-burner weakness are all clearly present.

Classic Formulas

• Si Shen Wan - classic dawn-diarrhea formula using Bu Gu Zhi to warm the Spleen and Kidney and secure chronic early-morning stool.
• Qing E Wan - lower-back and Kidney-yang formula pairing Bu Gu Zhi with Du Zhong and other supportive ingredients for lumbar weakness.
• Kidney grasping-qi lineages pair Bu Gu Zhi with Ren Shen, Hu Tao Rou, or Chen Xiang for chronic wheezing from lower-source deficiency.

Classical References

• TCMWiki records Bu Gu Zhi as sweet, bitter, astringent, and warm, entering the Kidney, Spleen, and Lung to warm yang, secure leakage, stop diarrhea, and relieve dyspnea.
• Traditional materia medica repeatedly distinguishes its hot, drying, astringing nature from the gentler balanced Kidney tonics such as Tu Si Zi.