Psoralea corylifolia, also known as Poguzhi, is the seed of the leguminous plant Psoralea corylifolia. It is named for its effect of warming the kidneys and strengthening bones. It is widely distributed throughout the country, with more in Henan and Sichuan, either wild or cultivated. The fruits are harvested when ripe in autumn, dried for raw use, or stir-fried with salt water for use.
I. Efficacy and Application
Psoraleae Fructus tastes bitter and pungent, and is very warm in property. It acts on the kidney and spleen meridians.
Efficacy can tonify the kidney and strengthen yang, secure essence and reduce urination, warm the spleen and stop diarrhea.
It is commonly used for the treatment of conditions such as kidney deficiency with lower back pain, spleen deficiency with diarrhea, frequent urination, enuresis in children, uterine bleeding in women, and deficiency-cold cough and asthma.
Summary of Masterpieces by Renowned Authors
Materia Medica on Properties: "Treats men's lower back pain, cold knees, damp scrotum, expels various cold bi syndromes and stubbornness, stops frequent urination, and abdominal cold."
Kai Bao Ben Cao: "Treats five strains and seven injuries, wind deficiency cold, marrow damage and failure, kidney cold with seminal discharge, and women's blood qi causing miscarriage."
Compendium of Materia Medica: "Treats kidney diarrhea, unblocks the life gate, warms the cinnabar field."
Jade Qiao's Medicinal Explanation: Warms the spleen and kidneys, eliminates water and aids digestion, treats cold knees and lower back pain, addresses intestinal looseness and kidney leakage, stabilizes pregnancy and prevents miscarriage, effectively stops nocturnal emissions, collects children's bedwetting, invigorates male impotence, removes dampness in the scrotum, and alleviates coldness in the joints.
Ben Cao Bei Yao: "Tonify the ministerial fire to unblock the sovereign fire, warm the dantian, strengthen the primordial yang, reduce urination. Treat the five strains and seven damages. Cold pain in the waist and knees, cold kidney with seminal emission, kidney deficiency diarrhea."
II. Compatibility and Application
1. For impotence, cold pain in the lumbar and knee joints, and other syndromes caused by kidney yang deficiency. Psoralea corylifolia has the effect of tonifying the kidney and strengthening yang. For treating impotence, it is often combined with Cuscuta chinensis, walnut meat, and Aquilaria sinensis, known as Psoralea corylifolia Pill.
If treating cold pain or soreness and weakness in the waist and knees, it is often combined with Eucommia ulmoides and walnut meat, known as Qing'e Wan.
In the treatment of conditions such as kidney deficiency and weak essence, medical practitioners often utilize seed-based Chinese herbs with kidney-tonifying effects, drawing on the principle of like attracting like. For instance, combining mulberry fruit, glossy privet fruit, Cherokee rose fruit, cnidium fruit, wolfberry fruit, dodder seed, raspberry fruit, schisandra fruit, and plantain seed constitutes the Ten-Seed Pill.
2. Used for conditions such as nocturnal emission, enuresis, and frequent urination caused by kidney deficiency and lack of consolidation. Psoralea corylifolia is effective in consolidating essence and reducing urination. When used alone, it can be stir-fried, ground into powder, and taken to treat enuresis in children.
If treating kidney qi deficiency and coldness with incessant urination, it can be combined with equal parts of fennel to form pills, known as Poguzhi Pills.
Three Causes Formulary: For treating spermatorrhea, use equal parts of Psoralea corylifolia and Qingyan, stir-fry together and grind into powder. Take two qian per dose.
Zhu Liangchun's Proven Prescription for Pediatric Neurogenic Frequent Urination: Psoralea corylifolia 10g, Polygonum multiflorum 10g, Red dates 7 pieces. Decoct in water for oral administration. Suitable for pediatric cases of spleen and kidney qi deficiency with unconsolidated kidney qi.
3. For diarrhea before dawn caused by spleen-kidney yang deficiency. Psoraleae Fructus has the effects of strengthening kidney yang, warming spleen yang, and stopping diarrhea. It is particularly suitable for treating diarrhea due to spleen-kidney yang deficiency, as it addresses both the symptoms and root causes, achieving three benefits at once. It is often combined with Myristicae Semen, Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus, and Evodiae Fructus, forming the Four Spirits Pill. If only combined with Myristicae Semen, it forms the Two Spirits Pill.
Wang Ang said: "Kidney deficiency leads to the decline of the life gate fire, which cannot warm and steam the spleen and stomach. Spleen and stomach deficiency cold results in delayed transportation and transformation, leading to reduced food intake, abdominal distension, borborygmus, vomiting of saliva, and diarrhea. Just as there is no fire under a cauldron, food cannot be cooked. Therefore, tonifying the life gate ministerial fire is equivalent to tonifying the spleen. Four liang of Psoralea corylifolia, three liang of Schisandra chinensis, two liang of Myristica fragrans, and one liang of Evodia rutaecarpa, boiled with ginger and made into jujube pills, is called the Four Spirits Pill. It treats early morning kidney diarrhea."
4. For metrorrhagia and metrostaxis caused by kidney deficiency. Metrorrhagia and metrostaxis in women are often related to the dysfunction of the Chong and Ren meridians, with the root cause lying in the kidney. Psoralea corylifolia can warm and tonify kidney yang, consolidate essence, and stop diarrhea, thus also having the effect of stopping metrorrhagia and metrostaxis. It is often combined with cuttlebone, madder, dogwood, glossy privet fruit, and pyrola, with modifications made according to the symptoms, often achieving good results.
Wang Ang said, "The blood depletion and qi collapse in women are similar to the kidney cold and essence leakage in men."
5. For kidney deficiency and arthralgia syndrome. Psoralea fruit can tonify the kidney and strengthen bones, warm and unblock the governor vessel, thus it can be used in the treatment of arthralgia syndrome. For chronic arthralgia due to kidney deficiency, it is often combined with Drynaria rhizome, deer antler slices, Epimedium herb, ground beetle, Dioscorea nipponica, and Sinomenium acutum. If there is persistent arthralgia due to kidney yin deficiency and stirring of ministerial fire, it can be used together with raw Rehmannia root, prepared Rehmannia root, Anemarrhena rhizome, and Phellodendron bark, achieving the wonderful effect of regulating both yin and yang and mutual synergy.
In addition, Psoralea corylifolia can also treat deficiency-cold asthma and cough due to kidney failing to receive qi, often used in combination with walnut meat, honey, etc.
III. Usage and Dosage
Psoralea corylifolia is often used in decoctions and is also suitable for making pills and powders. The usual dosage in decoctions ranges from a few grams to over ten grams; if it is the main ingredient in a prescription, it can also be used in amounts of several tens of grams or more.
Salt processing can enhance the effect of warming the kidney and reducing urination.
Huang Yuanyu said: "Mix with salt and wine, moisten, stir-fry, grind, and dry in the sun for use."
IV. Application Precautions
Psoralea corylifolia is warm and dry in nature, easily damaging yin and promoting fire, so it is contraindicated for those with yin deficiency and fire excess or constipation.
"Ben Cao Jing Shu": "For all conditions of yin deficiency with fire stirring, nocturnal emissions, hematuria, short and difficult urination, red eyes, bitter mouth, dry tongue, dry stools, internal heat causing thirst, fire rising with red eyes, easy hunger with gastric discomfort, damp-heat causing atrophy, leading to bone weakness and lack of strength, all are not suitable for consumption."
