As the saying goes, nurturing the kidneys equals nurturing life — and this is absolutely true. The kidneys are a major contributor in our bodies; they function like an “energy reservoir,” storing our vital essence and spirit. People with poor kidney function likely experience: persistent lack of energy, soreness and weakness in the loins and knees as if there is no skeletal support, dizziness, and occasional tinnitus. Additionally, the body becomes particularly “sensitive,” tending to be either cold-intolerant or heat-intolerant. More seriously, kidney deficiency can affect reproduction and development. For men, it may lead to some embarrassing problems. Therefore, the kidneys are extremely important for our health.

However, kidney deficiency is not uniform; there are several types, such as yin deficiency, yang deficiency, qi deficiency, and kidney essence (jing) deficiency. If each type required a separate set of medicines, that would be very cumbersome. Today I will introduce a powerful formula that can first tonify yin, second tonify yang, and third replenish essence — its name is San Shen Wan (Three Kidney Pill).

These Three Kidney Pills are composed of 39 Chinese medicinal ingredients including ginseng, eucommia, cinnamon, prepared rehmannia, asparagus root (Tian Dong), angelica, achyranthes, astragalus, and others; there is a great deal of knowledge contained within. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, kidney yang is like the body's "little sun," warming the whole body. Cistanche, curculigo, epimedium, and cynomorium are like adding fuel to the "little sun": they can warmly tonify kidney yang, replenish kidney yang, and also benefit the kidneys and generate essence. Prepared rehmannia, asparagus root (Tian Dong), goji, and ophiopogon can nourish kidney yin. Kidney yin is like the body's "moisturizer"; when kidney yin is sufficient, the body will not be dry, and it can restrain yin and stop sweating.

There are also herbs such as tu si zi (Cuscuta), achyranthes (niu xi), dipsacus (xu duan), and eucommia that can nourish the liver and kidneys and strengthen the sinews and bones. The liver governs the sinews and the kidneys govern the bones; when the liver and kidneys are healthy, the sinews and bones naturally become strong, and problems such as low back and knee soreness and weakness can be improved. Finally, ginseng, poria (fu ling), atractylodes (bai zhu), and astragalus can strengthen the spleen and benefit qi. Why strengthen the spleen? Because the spleen is the source of production and transformation of qi and blood, like the kitchen for cooking; only if the kitchen operates properly can it process the nutrients from food into qi and blood, filling the body with qi and blood. When qi and blood are sufficient, the body will naturally be strong and full of vitality.

However, I must remind everyone that specific medication use must be carried out under a doctor's guidance—by no means should you self-medicate blindly. Each person's constitution and condition are different, and medication must be individualized. I hope everyone pays attention to their kidney health; nourishing the kidneys is equivalent to preserving life.