What Qi Ju Di Huang Wan is for
This is the version of the six-herb Kidney tonic that is used when dryness has reached the face and the surface has lost its moisture. Two herbs are added to the six, and they direct part of that nourishment upward to the face.
The skin picture is dry and thin, with a papery quality over the cheeks and around the eyes and a dull, uneven colour rather than a flush. Pigmentation is often patchy, and dry plaques can sit where the skin has thinned most. The face looks tired rather than inflamed: no heat to clear, no oozing, no crusting. The loss of moisture is most visible where the skin is thinnest, and it has usually developed slowly, over months or years, in someone whose reserve has been running low for a long time.
The six herbs rebuild the Kidney Yin that is the source of moisture, and the two additions do the work at the surface. Shu Di Huang nourishes deeply at the base, Shan Zhu Yu secures the Essence so the nourishment is kept, and Shan Yao supports the Spleen and Kidney together. Gou Qi Zi adds Liver and Kidney nourishment, and Ju Hua clears the head and settles mild rising Yang, so the upper part of the body is not left dry and irritated. Ze Xie, Mu Dan Pi and Fu Ling keep the rich tonics from congesting, which matters because a formula this nourishing can otherwise sit heavily.
This is a slow formula for a slow picture, and it suits the dry, depleted stage rather than an active eruption. It is not for skin that is red, hot, greasy or weeping, and it is not for the acute phase of any rash. Where dryness dominates and the surface has simply lost its supply, the nourishment shows over weeks rather than days. The same Yin that keeps the eyes moist keeps the face supple, which is why a dry surface and a dry eye so often appear together.
Actions
- Nourishes Liver and Kidney Yin
- Brightens the eyes and clears the head
- Moistens dryness
- Settles mild rising Yang
Properties
- Taste and temperature: Predominantly sweet and slightly bitter with a cool note from the chrysanthemum. Sweet nourishes, cool clears the head.
- Organs: Kidney, Liver
- Channels: Kidney, Liver
The pattern behind it
The pattern is Liver and Kidney Yin deficiency. The Yin fails to nourish the eyes and the head, producing dryness and dizziness, and the skin loses its moisture. The formula nourishes the reserve and adds gentle clearing for the head, which is why it suits the dry depleted picture with eye symptoms.
Composition
The herbs in Qi Ju Di Huang Wan, with their role and dose.
| Role | Herb | Dose | Properties | Why it is there |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| King | Shu Di Huang | 24 g | Slightly warm, Sweet | Nourishes Kidney Yin and Blood deeply, the base of the formula. |
| King | Gou Qi Zi | 9 to 15 g | Neutral, Sweet | Nourishes Liver and Kidney Yin and benefits the eyes. |
| Shan Zhu Yu | 12 g | Slightly warm, Sour, astringent | Secures the Essence so the nourishment is retained. | |
| Shan Yao | 12 g | Neutral, Sweet | Tonifies the Spleen and Kidney together. | |
| Ju Hua | 9 to 10 g | Slightly cold, Sweet, bitter | Clears the head, brightens the eyes and settles mild rising Yang. | |
| Ze Xie | 9 g | Cold, Sweet, bland | Drains Dampness so the rich tonics do not congest. | |
| Mu Dan Pi | 9 g | Slightly cold, Bitter, pungent | Cools and moves Blood, clearing mild deficiency heat. | |
| Fu Ling | 9 g | Neutral, Sweet, bland | Supports the Spleen and drains Dampness gently. |
Patterns it treats
Liver Yin Deficiency
Dry, thin facial skin with patchy pigmentation or dry plaques, on a face that looks tired rather than inflamed. The moisture has been lost slowly from the surface, and the dryness shows most where the skin is thinnest, around the eyes and the cheekbones.
How the formula is built
The six-herb base with two herbs added for the eyes and head. The base nourishes and balances, while Gou Qi Zi and Ju Hua direct some of that nourishment to the eyes and clear the top. That is why it suits dryness with visual symptoms.
Skin conditions it is used for
Where this formula appears in the skin conditions of the library.
Preparation and use
Taken as prepared pills, two to three times a day.
Modifications
- If the dryness is marked, moistening herbs are added.
- If the head symptoms dominate, the eye herbs are increased.
- If Heat signs are marked, the cooling version Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan is used.
- If Dampness is present, the formula is not used.
Timing
Taken two to three times a day.
Duration
Four to twelve weeks as a course, then reassessed.
Diet while taking it
Moistening nourishing food; avoid drying food and alcohol.
Safety
Contraindications
Avoid in Damp-Heat with a greasy coat, and in Yang deficiency with cold limbs. Use care where digestion is weak.
Interactions
The formula may affect blood sugar, so monitoring is needed in diabetes.
Pregnancy
Generally considered safe under professional guidance, as the herbs are gentle and nourishing.
Breastfeeding
Considered acceptable under professional guidance.
Children
Used only with professional supervision.
Before you use it
Recorded from the classical record and rewritten in this project's own words. Educational only: not a prescription, and sudden vision change needs urgent medical assessment.
General safety references
General references for herbal hepatotoxicity and herb-drug interactions; they are not specific to this formula.
- Review article: Herbal hepatotoxicity - an update on traditional Chinese medicine preparations. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 2014. PMID: 24844799.
- Interactions between herbal medicines and prescribed drugs: an updated systematic review. Drugs, 2009. PMID: 19719333.
- Warfarin and food, herbal or dietary supplement interactions: a systematic review. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 2021. PMID: 32478963.
Origin and history
Recorded in the later formulary tradition as a modification of Liu Wei Di Huang Wan for eye and Liver deficiency.
Qi Ju Di Huang Wan developed as a practical modification of the six-herb Kidney tonic: add two herbs that reach the eyes and the head, and the same nourishment addresses vision and dizziness. It became a standard formula for age-related eye and skin dryness.
Evidence note
No controlled trial of this treatment in skin conditions was identified for this entry. What is described here rests on the classical and later materia medica record and on traditional clinical use, not on controlled trial evidence, and it is not a prediction of benefit. Where skin-specific research does exist it is linked above.
Common questions
How is it different from Liu Wei Di Huang Wan?
It adds Goji and Chrysanthemum for the eyes and head, so it is used when vision and dizziness are part of the picture.
Can it help dry facial skin?
Where the dryness comes with dry eyes, dizziness and lower back weakness, over weeks.
Who should avoid it?
People with Dampness and a greasy coat, or with cold Yang deficiency.
How long is it used?
Four to twelve weeks, then reassessed.