Among the various presentations of kidney deficiency, concurrent deficiency of both kidney yin and yang is the most difficult to regulate. As the old saying goes, “If you want longevity, you must regulate yin and yang”; the balance of yin and yang in the body is the key safeguard for health and long life.

If you routinely feel fatigued and weak, have a dizzy or foggy head, lack motivation for anything, are prone to illness, show signs of premature aging, and have increasingly poor memory, these are all manifestations of imbalance between yin and yang in the body.

Today let's talk about Zhang Zhongjing’s Eight-Ingredient Kidney Qi Decoction; this formula has a particularly strong effect in harmonizing and tonifying both yin and yang. It is an adaptation of Liuwei Dihuang Tang. It reduces the dosage of Rehmannia (dihuang) and substitutes processed rehmannia (gandihuang), while adding cinnamon twig (guizhi) and aconite (fuzi). Guizhi and fuzi are both acrid and warm in nature and are clearly powerful agents for tonifying yang qi.

At the same time, the formula also includes raw rehmannia (shengdi), Chinese yam (shanyao), and cornelian cherry (shanyurou), three herbs that nourish yin. When these herbs are combined, they have the wonderful effect of “seeking yang within yin, generating endless transformation.” Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes the interdependence and mutual use of yin and yang; yin and yang can mutually transform, and this combination can adequately tonify both kidney yin and kidney yang.

Now let’s explain why alisma (zexie), poria (fuling), and moutan bark (danpi) are added. In yin deficiency, yang qi is not restrained and the body easily develops false heat (xu huo); in yang deficiency, the body easily generates cold-damp. Zexie and fuling promote urination and drain dampness, expelling dampness and pathological substances from the body; danpi clears heat and cools the blood, reducing false heat. Together these three herbs clear heat and purge fire, drain dampness, and detoxify.

When these eight herbs are combined, they both nourish yin and tonify yang. By supplementing yin and yang together, they restore the body’s yin-yang balance. Once yin and yang are balanced, the symptoms of deficiency and debilitation will naturally improve. If anyone has concurrent yin and yang deficiency, you might consider trying this formula.