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Zhu Ling Tang: A classic prescription for promoting diuresis, clearing heat and nourishing yin

Writer's picture: Hongji MedicalHongji Medical

Zhu Ling Tang comes from the Treatise on Febrile Diseases, a classic Chinese medicine written by Zhang Zhongjing, a famous doctor in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. Zhang Zhongjing is known as the "Medical Saint". His work Treatise on Febrile Diseases laid the foundation for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases in Chinese medicine and had a profound impact on the development of Chinese medicine in later generations. Zhu Ling Tang is used in Treatise on Febrile Diseases to treat specific symptoms of Shaoyin disease and Yangming disease, which mainly involve imbalance in body fluid metabolism and internal accumulation of heat pathogens .


Explanation of the recipe of Zhu Ling Tang


Zhu Ling Tang is made up of five medicinal ingredients, namely, Zhuling, Poria, Zexie, Donkey-hide Gelatin and Talc.


Pig Poria Soup
豬苓湯
  • Main drug: Poria cocos. The main function of Poria cocos is to promote water permeation, especially the conditioning effect on the kidney and bladder. It can help the body to discharge water, especially suitable for the situation where the water in the body is stagnant.

  • Assistant medicines: Poria, Zexie. Poria and Zexie have light properties, which can help Zhuling strengthen the function of drainage and water vapor penetration. Zexie can also help remove heat from the body. When used together with Zhuling and Poria, they can complement each other and enhance the overall effect, making the water channels in the body more unobstructed, thereby effectively draining moisture from the body and reducing the body's heat.

  • Adjuvant: Talc. The sweet, mild and cold nature of talc helps to clear the heat in the bladder and make the water channel more unobstructed. It not only enhances the drainage and moisture permeation effects of the above three herbs, but also enhances the heat-clearing effect. Talc plays an important role in Zhuling Decoction, which can effectively clear the heat evil in the body and promote the discharge of water.

  • Ingredient: Donkey-hide gelatin. The main function of donkey-hide gelatin is to nourish and lubricate the yin fluid. It can nourish the kidney yin and avoid excessive consumption of body fluids due to excessive drainage. Donkey-hide gelatin must be melted with hot water before adding it to other decocted medicinal juices. This combination ensures that the yin fluid will not be damaged while draining water. The evil heat is removed, the yin fluid is restored, and the corresponding symptoms disappear.


The efficacy of Zhu Ling Tang


Zhu Ling Tang is a traditional Chinese medicine that helps the body excrete excess water and heat . It is especially suitable for people who feel thirsty, have difficulty urinating, have a fever, or are upset and insomniac. These symptoms are usually caused by the blockage of water and heat in the body, resulting in poor water metabolism .


Pig Poria Soup
豬苓湯

The main effect of Zhu Ling Tang is to "promote diuresis, clear away heat and nourish yin", and it is mainly used to treat "syndrome of water and heat". This syndrome is often seen in symptoms such as dysuria, fever and thirst, restlessness and insomnia, cough, vomiting, diarrhea, etc., with a red tongue with white or slightly yellow fur and a weak pulse.


This recipe, through the combination of several Chinese herbs, can effectively remove the heat evil in the body and promote the discharge of fluids. This can relieve problems such as thirst and difficulty urinating, and can also improve symptoms of fever and irritability and insomnia. The donkey-hide gelatin in the Zhu Ling Tang can also nourish the yin fluid and avoid damage to body fluids due to excessive discharge.




In modern medicine, Zhu Ling Tang is used to treat a variety of urinary system diseases, such as nephritis, cystitis, urethritis , etc. It can also help relieve some other symptoms, such as gastrointestinal bloating, swollen limbs, coughing and vomiting, etc. In short, Zhu Ling Tang is a very effective prescription that can help the body restore balance and improve a variety of discomfort symptoms.


Pathogenesis of Zhu Ling Tang


The pathogenesis of Zhu Ling Tang mainly involves the imbalance of water metabolism and internal heat. When the human body is invaded by external pathogens, these pathogenic qi may enter the body, affecting the function of the kidneys and bladder, resulting in the inability to discharge water normally, forming a state of water and heat.


This combination of water and heat can cause a series of symptoms, such as difficulty urinating, fever, thirst, irritability and insomnia. Disordered water metabolism may also cause water vapor to rise, causing coughing and vomiting, or water and moisture to penetrate into the large intestine, causing diarrhea. These symptoms are all because the water and heat in the body are blocking each other and cannot function normally .


Pig Poria Soup
豬苓湯

Zhu Ling Tang can effectively remove the heat evil in the body and promote the discharge of water through the effects of promoting diuresis, clearing heat and nourishing yin , thereby restoring the body's water metabolism balance. This can relieve various discomfort symptoms and help the body recover health.


Modern Application of Zhu Ling Tang



Zhu Ling Tang has been widely studied and applied in modern medicine, especially in the treatment of urinary system diseases. Studies have shown that Zhu Ling Tang can effectively treat diseases such as nephritis, cystitis, and urethritis, which are usually accompanied by symptoms such as urinary incontinence, fever, and thirst. Zhu Ling Tang helps patients excrete excess water and heat in the body through its diuretic and heat-clearing effects, thereby alleviating these symptoms.


These diseases are usually caused by internal accumulation of water and heat. Zhu Ling Tang can effectively remove the heat evil in the body and promote the discharge of water, thereby achieving a therapeutic effect.


Pig Poria Soup
豬苓湯

In addition to urinary system diseases, Zhu Ling Tang is also used to treat a variety of other conditions. For example, it can help relieve symptoms such as gastrointestinal bloating, limb swelling, coughing and vomiting. These symptoms are often caused by imbalanced water metabolism and internal heat evil in the body. Zhu Ling Tang can effectively improve these problems by regulating water metabolism and clearing away heat evil.


Modern research has also found that some ingredients in Zhu Ling Tang have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects, which makes it effective in treating some infectious diseases. For example, Zhu Ling Tang is used to treat diseases such as urinary tract infections, enteritis, and pneumonia. These research results further confirm the importance and broad application prospects of Zhu Ling Tang in modern medicine.


The difference between Zhu Ling Tang and Wu Ling San


Zhu Ling Tang and Wu Ling San are both commonly used prescriptions in traditional Chinese medicine, mainly used to help the body excrete excess water, but their composition and effects are different. Zhuling Decoction is mainly composed of Zhuling, Poria, Zexie, Donkey-hide Gelatin and Talc, and is mainly used to treat conditions with heat in the body, especially water-heat syndrome, common symptoms include urinary incontinence, fever, thirst, irritability and insomnia.


 Wu Ling San is composed of Zhuling, Fuling, Zexie, Baizhu and Guizhi. Its effect is more warming and is mainly used to treat cold and dampness in the body. Baizhu and Guizhi in  Wu Ling San can strengthen the spleen and stomach function and disperse the evil qi on the surface. It is suitable for patients with symptoms such as cold and dampness in the body, urinary incontinence and thirst.




In general, Zhu Ling Tang is cold and suitable for heat in the body, while  Wu Ling San is warm and suitable for cold and dampness in the body. The choice between the two depends mainly on the patient's specific symptoms and constitution, so when using it, it is necessary to choose according to the principle of syndrome differentiation and treatment in traditional Chinese medicine.


Notes


When using Zhu Ling Tang, you need to pay attention to the following points:

  1. This prescription should not be used if the patient has excessive internal heat and severe damage to the Yin fluid. This is because Zhuling Decoction has a diuretic effect and may aggravate the damage to the Yin fluid.

  2. It is not suitable for those who sweat a lot and are thirsty : In Yangming disease, if the patient sweats a lot and is thirsty, Zhuling Decoction should not be used, because excessive sweating will cause the stomach to be too dry, and Zhuling Decoction will further promote urination and may aggravate the condition.

  3. It is not suitable for patients with internal dampness stagnation but no yin deficiency : If the patient has internal dampness stagnation but no signs of yin deficiency, it should also be avoided to prevent the nourishing nature of donkey-hide gelatin from promoting dampness.


Conclusion


Zhu Ling Tang is a classic Chinese medicine prescription that has the effects of promoting diuresis, clearing heat and nourishing yin. It is mainly used to treat water-heat syndrome. It achieves therapeutic effects by promoting the discharge of water in the body, removing excess body heat, and replenishing and nourishing the yin fluid in the body. In modern medicine, Zhu Ling Tang is widely used in a variety of urinary system diseases and other related diseases, showing its wide application prospects and good therapeutic effects. However, when using Zhu Ling Tang, it is necessary to pay attention to the specific conditions of the patient to avoid the side effects that may be caused by inappropriate use.

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