🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Any herb capable of supplementing human yang energy, dispelling cold, and treating yang deficiency is known as a yang-tonifying herb.
① Deer Antler
Deer antler refers to the unossified, hair-covered antlers of male sika deer or elk. It contains trace amounts of estrogen, estrone, bone matter, gelatin, proteins, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, etc. It has strong sexual effects, enhancing work capacity, improving sleep and appetite, reducing muscle fatigue; moderate doses have cardiotonic effects.
Traditional Chinese Medicine considers it warm in nature, sweet and salty in taste, with functions to strengthen all yang energies, replenish qi and blood, enrich essence and marrow, and strengthen tendons and bones. Used for impotence, spermatorrhea, cold waist and knees, deficient leukorrhea, dizziness, tinnitus, and other symptoms due to kidney yang deficiency.
If taken orally, grind deer antler into fine powder, 1–9 grams per dose. If stewed, use 2–5 grams, place in a cup with water, steam over boiling water, and consume; or stew with chicken for about 2–3 hours.
Avoid use in cases of yin deficiency with fire excess, yellow sticky phlegm, dry mouth, chest tightness due to lung heat.
② Sea Dog Penis
Sea dog penis is the external reproductive organ of male sea dogs, containing male hormones, proteins, fats, etc., with stimulatory effects on sexual function.
Traditional Chinese Medicine considers it hot in nature, salty in taste, with functions to tonify the kidneys, strengthen yang, enrich essence and marrow. Used for physical debility, injuries, and yang deficiency due to kidney essence depletion such as impotence, spermatorrhea, cold semen, sore or weak waist and knees.
Before use, sea dog penis must be roasted. Methods include soaking in wine overnight, wrapping in paper, lightly roasting until fragrant, then crushing; or boiling in wine until cooked, then roasting until crisp before eating.
③ Placenta (Purple River Car)
Purple river car is the dried placenta of healthy humans, best when whole, yellow in color, clean, and free of residual blood. Contains proteins, sugars, calcium, vitamins, immune factors, estrogens, progesterone, steroid hormones, adrenocorticotropic hormone, etc. It promotes breast and female reproductive organ development, enhances resistance, immunity, and anti-allergy effects. As recorded in *Fushou Jingfang*: "A woman nearing sixty became increasingly weak, but after taking this ingredient combined with blood-nourishing herbs in pill form, she improved immediately. She continued self-administering regularly and lived to 90, remaining strong like a young person." Soviet research on a "longevity method" claiming to extend life up to 200 years involved injecting human placental serum—similar in effect to China’s purple river car for anti-aging.
Traditional Chinese Medicine considers it slightly warm in nature, sweet and salty in taste, with functions to tonify Qi, nourish blood, enrich essence. Used for physical weakness, long-term illness, chronic deficiency, shortness of breath, night sweats, etc.
If stewed, use one fresh placenta, remove blood vessels, wash clean, then stew until cooked and eat. If powdered, wash and dry placenta, then grind into fine powder, 3–9 grams per dose, taken with warm water. If made into a paste, wash and chop placenta, boil with water into a paste, store, take 2 tablespoons each time, mixed with warm water.
④ Nine-Scented Bug
Nine-scented bug is the dried whole insect of the family Pentatomidae. Contains fat, protein, chitin. In vitro tests show inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus, streptococcus, and Shigella bacteria.
Traditional Chinese Medicine considers it warm in nature, salty in taste, with functions to tonify the kidneys, strengthen yang, regulate liver Qi, and benefit the spleen and stomach. Used for qi stagnation causing epigastric pain, kidney deficiency leading to impotence, sore or weak waist and knees.
Best consumed roasted and chewed. If decocted, 3–9 grams per dose.
⑤ Psoralea
Psoralea is the seed of the leguminous herb Psoralea corylifolia. Contains essential oils, resins, coumarin derivatives, flavonoids. Combine with rice and lamb to cook porridge, then season and serve.
⑨ Morinda Root
Morinda root is the root of the climbing plant Morinda officinalis from the Rubiaceae family. Contains vitamin C, sugars, resins, etc., with corticosteroid-like and hypotensive effects.
Traditional Chinese Medicine considers it slightly warm in nature, pungent in taste, with functions to tonify the kidneys, enrich essence, nourish the liver, improve vision, and stabilize pregnancy. Used for blurred vision, tinnitus, impotence, seminal emission, sore or weak waist and knees, frequent urination with residual urine, threatened abortion, fetal movement instability.
If brewed as tea, use 10 grams of dodder seeds, decoct, cool, add sugar, and drink as tea. If decocted, 9–15 grams per dose, taken internally. If soaked in alcohol, use 30 grams of dodder seeds and 500 ml of white wine, soak for 7 days, take 20–30 ml each time, twice or three times daily, beneficial for health and longevity.
⑩ Shanyuanzi
Shanyuanzi is the mature seed of the annual herb Desmodium styracifolium (also called flat-stemmed yellow vetch), belonging to the Fabaceae family. Contains fatty oils, tannins, vitamin A-like substances, etc., with uterine contraction and anti-diuretic effects.
Traditional Chinese Medicine considers it warm in nature, with functions to tonify the kidneys, solidify essence, nourish the liver, improve vision. Used for premature ejaculation, seminal emission, leukorrhea, blurred vision, dizziness, sore or weak waist and knees, frequent urination with residual urine.
If brewed as tea, use 10 grams, wash and crush, steep in boiling water, drink as tea, once or twice daily, beneficial for health and longevity. If decocted, 6–9 grams per dose, up to 30 grams if necessary.
Bone-breaker
It is the rhizome of the herb *Drynaria fortunei* and *Drynaria sinica* from the Polypodiaceae family. Contains glucose, starch, naringin, etc. In test tubes, it inhibits Staphylococcus aureus; decoction used together with streptomycin sulfate significantly reduces the toxic reaction of streptomycin sulfate.
Traditional Chinese Medicine considers it warm in nature, bitter in taste, with functions to tonify the kidneys, mend bones, activate blood circulation, promote hair growth. Used for trauma, kidney deficiency, loose teeth, tinnitus, and topical treatment of alopecia.
If soaked in alcohol, use 60 grams of bone-breaker and 500 ml of white wine, soak for 7 days, take 1 small cup each time, twice daily; apply externally for alopecia. If decocted, 9–15 grams per dose; or grind into powder, insert into pig kidney, roast until warm, and eat.
⑩ Dog Spine
Dog spine is the rhizome of the perennial herb *Cibotium barometz* from the Dicksoniaceae family. Contains starch, filicinic acid, tannins. The hairs of dog spine stop bleeding from traumatic wounds.
Traditional Chinese Medicine considers it warm in nature, bitter and sweet in taste, with functions to tonify the liver and kidneys, strengthen tendons and bones, expel wind-dampness. Used for sore or painful back and spine, lower limb weakness, muscle and joint pain.
If decocted, 6–12 grams per dose. Avoid use in cases of yin deficiency with heat, internal heat, difficulty urinating, or painful urination.
⑩ Folly Bean
Folly bean is the mature seed of the annual leguminous herb *Trigonella foenum-graecum*. Contains trigonelline, choline, saponins, fatty acids, proteins, mucilage, vitamin B, etc.
Traditional Chinese Medicine considers it greatly warm in nature, bitter in taste, with functions to warm kidney yang, expel cold dampness. Used for cold hernia due to weak vital fire, testicular pain radiating to abdomen, cold damp foot and ankle swelling, cold and weak legs and knees.
When using raw folly beans, wash first, soak in wine overnight, dry, steam or stir-fry before use. Dose: 1–15 grams.