Description
San Cai Feng Sui Dan (Heaven, Human, and Earth Marrow-Retaining Elixir), from Illumination of Medicine (Yi Xue Fa Ming).
Actions: Nourish the kidney and supplement essence, drain fire and consolidate yin
Indications: Indicated for the treatment of kidney yin deficiency and frenetic stirring of ministerial fire, with dizziness, soreness and weakness of the waist and knees, nocturnal emission, vexing heat in the five centers (chest, palms, and soles), dry mouth and throat, red tongue with slight coating, thready and rapid pulse
Category: Formulas that Supplement Yin.
Source: Xi S, Gong Y. Essentials of Chinese Materia Medica and Medical Formulas: New Century Traditional Chinese Medicine. Academic Press/Elsevier, 2017, pp. 591–598.
Composition
| Herb | Amount | % | Role | Function |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Tian Men Dong
as printed: Radix Asparagi (tian dong) 15 g
|
15g | 7.41% | — | |
|
Shu Di Huang
as printed: Radix Rehmanniae Praeparata (shu di huang) 15 g
|
15g | 7.41% | — | |
|
Sha Ren
as printed: Fructus Amomi (sha ren) 45 g
|
45g | 22.22% | — | |
|
Ren Shen
as printed: Radix et Rhizoma Ginseng (ren shen) 15 g
|
15g | 7.41% | — | |
|
Huang Bai
as printed: Cortex Phellodendri Chinensis (huang bai) 90 g
|
90g | 44.44% | — | |
|
Gan Cao
as printed: Radix et Rhizoma Glycyrrhizae Praeparata cum Melle (zhi gan cao) 22.5 g
|
22.5g | 11.11% | — |
Energetics dose-weighted
The formula's overall nature, taste balance and channel reach, weighted by each herb's dose. Classical formulas often pair warm and cool herbs on purpose, so a net figure summarises the mix — it doesn't describe every herb in it.
Nature
Net slightly cool (-0.67)
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Grams by band: cold 52%, neutral 11%, warm 37%.
Pairs warm and cool. 37% of the weighed grams are warm or hot and 52% cool or cold — the net is their average, not the whole story.
Small but decisive: Tian Men Dong 15g (cold, 7% of the grams). Dose weighting nearly cancels a herb this small, but it may be what the formula is for.
Taste
- pungent 22%
- sweet 26%
- bitter 52%
From 100% of the weighed grams.
Channels reached
- Kidney 89%
- Large intestine 44%
- Bladder 44%
- Spleen 41%
- Stomach 33%
- Lung 26%
Share of the grams entering each channel, from 100% of the weighed grams.
Dose-weighted from each herb's recorded nature, taste and channels (missing values are left out, never counted as neutral). It describes the composition — it is not a recommendation.
Preparation
Grind the ingredients into powder, make into pills, and before meal, take 9 g each time with Desert Cistanche Wine [steep Herba Cistanches ( rou cong rong ) 15 g in wine of 300ml for 24 h, then decoct the wine to boil 3–4 times], 3 times a day; or decrease the dosage according to the original proportion and decoct with water for oral use
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Formula family
Each entry reads as the larger formula written out: “+” adds its other catalogue cores, then the herbs none of them hold. A catalogue formula counts as a core only when at least 80% of its herbs are present, no more than 1 is absent, and the absent herb is not its chief.
Formula Network
Formulas that share herbs with this one — the closer to the centre, the stronger the match. Click a node to explore.
Similar Formulas by composition
Match score combines dosage-weighted composition (cosine, 70%) with shared-herb overlap (Jaccard, 30%).
Traditional formula information is for educational purposes only. Herbal formulas should be prescribed by a qualified practitioner — dosages and combinations are individualized and can interact with medications.
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