Wu Zi Yan Zong Wan for Infertility

五子衍宗丸 Wu Zi Yan Zong Wan is an interesting formula I'd like to share. It's not found in either Bensky & Barolet or the Chen & Chen formula books, nor is it mentioned in Jiao Shu-De's formula book translated by Wiseman et al. (I don't have the 2nd edition of Formulas & Strategies so it may be in that book).

Wu Zi Yan Zong Wan consists of five herbs, all seeds:

菟丝子 Tu Si Zi
枸杞子 Gou Qi Zi
覆盆子 Fu Pen Zi
五味子 Wu Wei Zi
车前子 Che Qian Zi

I first encountered this formula in the Yosan clinic as an intern. My supervisor, Dr. Jin, used it as a base formula to treat infertility in a woman in her early 30's. The full formula had more than 18 herbs, but Wu Zi Yan Zong Wan was where we started. Without any English-language texts that I know of to go on, I'll take a stab at the functions of this formula.

Tu Si Zi tonifies Yang and is often used in fertility formulas. Gou Qi Zi tonifies the Liver and Kidney, Fu Pen Zi and Wu Wei Zi are both in the category of 固涩 gu se, translated as "stabilize and bind" or "astringe". Che Qian Zi is a draining herb but there are several interesting paragraphs in the 2nd edition of the Bensky et al Materia Medica on the use of Che Qian Zi as a Kidney tonic, particularly when used together with herbs that astringe. I won't retype it all here - it starts on page 278, take a look.

Time Magazine on Placenta Consumption

Here's a humorous article about eating your own placenta from Time Magazine.

For more information on placenta, take a look at our previous post, Human Placenta Consumption, from April 16th.

Human Placenta Consumption

Mmm...

Here's a link to an article about eating one's own placenta after birth. Warning: plenty of ads on this site, including some that dance across the screen, as well as some pop-ups. If you don't want to deal with all that, here's a quote:

Basically, it is fine to consume the placenta -- and many traditional cultures advocate the use of the placenta for obvious reasons. The placenta is chock full of iron (lots of blood in there) and hormones, too. During pregnancy, many women develop anemia, a low iron and blood cell state, from a combination of the fetus preferentially getting iron and from dilution of red blood cells by increased fluid volume in Mom. Additionally, women experience a fairly sizable blood loss at delivery and this contributes to their need to increase iron in the post-partum period.

In Chinese medicine, dried placenta is used as a medicinal material, called 紫河车 Zi He Che. The traditional functions are to replenish Essence, nourish Blood, and benefit Lung Qi.

Kidney jing is derived from one's parents. When this is deficient, patients present with symptoms associated with Kidney yang, jing and blood deficiencies. Typical symptoms include immature development of the sexual organs, infertility in men and women, low sex drive, impotence, spermatorrhea, irregular menstruation, back and knees soreness and weakness, tinnitus, and dizziness. Zi He Che is the best choice to tonify jing, as it is the part of the body most directly involved with the development of a human being. -Chinese Medicinal Herbology and Pharmacology, p. 916

The picture at the top is of a placenta being cooked in preparation for drying, powdering and encapsulation. Here's the complete article, a really great step-by-step guide for those of you too squeamish to eat your own placenta over pasta.

Shen Nong Website

Here's a nicely-designed website with loads of information about Chinese medicine.

The Shen Nong website has sections on the history of Chinese medicine, diagnosis, terminology, and more, making it very useful for students, practitioners and patients alike.

For instance, here is some advice on using Chinese-style food therapy to boost fertility, and here is some advice on how to avoid PMS and have a smooth, pain-free menstrual cycle.

Shen Nong (神农 - one representation is above) is a mythic figure in Chinese medicine, the legendary author of the first Chinese herbal book, the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (神农本草经). Shen Nong means "divine farmer" or "spiritual husbandman". Husbandman might be the more accurate translation, as that implies working with and taking care of plants in all settings, rather than just in a domesticated setting, as a farmer does.

Chinese Medicine in Central Jersey

Take a look at this newspaper article about a Chinese medicine practice in New Jersey. Candace Jania (above) has relocated her practice to a new, larger facility. She has used acupuncture and Chinese herbs effectively in her own life to treat migraines and boost her fertility - and as the article says: "It worked. That baby is now 2 years old."

Acupuncture for Fertility

This video is from the Tao Of Wellness. The doctor you see, Dr. Daoshing Ni, is one of the founders of our school. This is a great introduction to Chinese medicine treatments for infertility.

Acupuncturists everywhere owe a debt of gratitude to the Tao of Wellness for putting together these short, polished videos. More accessible information about Chinese medicine can only help our profession. If you're an acupuncturist and you have a website, I would encourage you to put this video on your site, or a link to it in your email newsletter.

p.s. Check out Dr. Dao's needle technique. You like???