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Knowledge baseHerbs

Bu Gu Zhi补骨脂

Fructus PsoraliaePsoraliae Fruit

Also known asScurf Pea Berry

Category
Herbs that tonify Yang
Nature
very warm
Taste
pungent, bitter
Channels entered
Kidney, Spleen
Secondary channels
Pericardium
Dosage
3–9 g

Usual doses

Dosage
3–9 g
Tincture
2–4 ml

Actions & indications

Tonifies the Kidneys, strengthens Yang, stabilizes Jing and astringes urine
  • Kidney Yang Deficiency with impotence, premature ejaculation, enuresis, urinary frequency, a cold and painful lower back and extremities
  • Kidneys unable to grasp Qi
  • Weakening of Ming Men Fire
Tonifies and warms Spleen Yang and stops diarrhea
  • Diarrhea due to Spleen Yang Deficiency with borborygmus and abdominal pain
  • Most appropriate for those with both Spleen and Kidney Yang Deficiency
Topically for vitiligo
Vitiligo (soaked in wine and applied topically)

Contraindications

  • Not used in cases of Yin Deficiency with Heat signs or constipation.
  • Not used when Damp-Heat is causing bone atrophy.
  • Use with caution in Cold Deficiency of the Stomach.
  • Use with caution during pregnancy.

Incompatibilities

Antagonistic with Rx. Glycyrrhizae Gan Cao.

Combinations

  • Impotence.

  • Day-and-night urinary frequency from Kidney Yang Deficiency, along with severe low back pain, premature ejaculation, or cough and wheezing from the same cause.

  • Daybreak diarrhea with abdominal pain and borborygmus that eases after evacuation, a deep thin pulse, and white tongue coat; also diarrhea from Spleen Yang Deficiency with Cold.

  • Low back pain with premature ejaculation, cough, and wheezing from Kidney Yang Deficiency; fortifies Kidney Yang so it can grasp the Qi, treating asthma, cough, and wheezing, strengthening sinews and bones, and relieving aching low back and knees, impotence, and premature ejaculation caused by Cold in the Lower Jiao.

  • Kidney Yang Deficiency with clear, frequent, copious urination, spermatorrhea, or dysmenorrhea marked by low back ache, delayed periods, and lower abdominal coldness; also Spleen Yang Deficiency or Stomach Cold with epigastric distention, anorexia, nausea, and explosive diarrhea or loose stools with gripping abdominal pain.

  • Diarrhea from Spleen Yang Deficiency.

  • Long-standing urinary incontinence in adolescents or adults.

  • Long-standing malaria, enteritis, and other chronic gastrointestinal disorders accompanied by diarrhea.

  • Urinary incontinence and polyuria.

Notes

  • Its literal meaning is "tonify bone resin".
  • It addresses the Lower Jiao when Yuan Qi is Deficient or Cold.
  • It generates Earth, warming and strengthening the Spleen.
  • More recently it has been applied to uterine bleeding, excessive menstrual bleeding, excessive post-abortion bleeding, bleeding related to birth control pills or IUDs, hemophilia, epistaxis, and ulcers.
  • It assists Yang in rising.
  • For vitiligo, the treated area is exposed to daylight for 10 minutes after application, or 2-5 minutes under ultraviolet light, then washed to prevent local skin reactions; if reactions do occur, Bu Gu Zhi should be discontinued.
  • It has demonstrated an ability to prevent miscarriage.
  • Its bleeding-stopping effect takes time to act.
  • It also promotes fracture healing.
  • For polyuria in the elderly, it may be used alone or prepared with rice congee.
  • As a powder taken with warm liquor, it can be used by itself for low back pain.
  • Bu Gu Zhi and Sm. Astragali Complanati Sha Yuan Zi both tonify Kidney Yang, astringe Jing, and treat urinary dysfunction. Bu Gu Zhi is markedly warm, also tonifying Spleen Yang and astringing diarrhea, whereas Sha Yuan Zi is neither overly warm nor drying and instead brightens the eyes, tonifying the Liver and Kidney Deficiency responsible for blurred vision.
  • Bu Gu Zhi and Fr. Alpiniae Oxyphyllae Yi Zhi Ren both tonify the Spleen and Kidneys, fortify Yang, stop diarrhea, and astringe Jing and urine, and are both commonly used for Spleen and Kidney Yang Deficiency. Bu Gu Zhi primarily warms the Kidneys and only indirectly warms Spleen Yang through that route, treating chronic diarrhea and cock-crow diarrhea from Spleen and Kidney Yang Deficiency, as well as low back pain. Yi Zhi Ren, conversely, warms Spleen Yang more directly, with Kidney-warming as the secondary effect, and treats diarrhea from Spleen and Stomach exposure to Cold as well as uterine bleeding.
  • Dry-frying, giving Chao Bu Gu Zhi, reduces its bitterness, dryness, acridity, and dispersing quality, making it better suited to warming Yang and stopping diarrhea.
  • Salt-frying produces Yan Chao Bu Gu Zhi, also called Zhi Bu Gu Zhi, which goes directly to the Kidney channel for stronger tonifying and astringing of the Lower Jiao, and is frequently used for urinary incontinence, impotence, and the Kidneys' failure to grasp Qi.
  • Wine-frying, yielding Jiu Chao Bu Gu Zhi, heightens its acrid flavor and dispersing power, strengthening its effect against Wind-Damp Bi.

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