Age-Related Diabetes — Part 3
Age-Related Diabetes — Part 3
Liuwei Dihuang Wan: A Formula for the Depleting Body
In Part 2, we explored how Classical Medicine views age-related diabetes
as a process in which the body’s Yin foundation gradually becomes depleted,
leading to increasing internal heat and disruption of fluid regulation.
From this perspective,
how is a treatment formula constructed?
A Formula Built Around Restoration and Balance
Liuwei Dihuang Wan is one of the most representative formulas reflecting this treatment principle.
First recorded during the Song dynasty in Xiao Er Yao Zheng Zhi Jue,
it has been used for centuries as a foundational formula for nourishing Kidney Yin (Bensky et al., 2004).
Composition of the Formula
Liuwei Dihuang Wan consists of six herbs:
- Rehmanniae Radix Preparata (Shudihuang)
- Corni Fructus (Shanzhuyu)
- Dioscoreae Rhizoma (Shanyao)
- Alismatis Rhizoma (Zexie)
- Moutan Cortex (Mudanpi)
- Poria (Fuling)
These six herbs are not simply combined together.
The formula is carefully structured around a balance between:
- nourishing components
- regulating components
working simultaneously.
Strategy 1 — Replenishing the Depleted Foundation
- Shudihuang
- Shanzhuyu
- Shanyao
These herbs form the nourishing core of the formula.
Shudihuang
Shudihuang is considered the central herb.
It directly nourishes Kidney Yin
and helps restore the body’s fluid foundation.
Shanzhuyu
Shanzhuyu supports both the Kidney and Liver systems
while helping prevent excessive leakage or depletion of fluids.
Shanyao
Shanyao supports digestion and absorption through the Spleen and Stomach systems,
helping maintain the body’s ability to generate and regulate nourishment.
(Bensky et al., 2004)
Together, these three herbs work to replenish the depleted Yin foundation
from multiple directions.
Strategy 2 — Preventing Stagnation and Maintaining Balance
- Zexie
- Mudanpi
- Fuling
Classical Medicine recognizes that excessive tonification alone
can create stagnation or accumulation.
For this reason, the formula includes regulating components.
Zexie
Zexie helps drain unnecessary fluids and heat through the Kidney system.
Mudanpi
Mudanpi helps cool internal heat associated with Yin deficiency.
Fuling
Fuling regulates dampness through the digestive system
while also calming the mind.
(Maciocia, 2015)
These three herbs prevent the nourishing components
from becoming overly heavy or stagnant,
maintaining movement and balance within the formula.
Classical Medicine describes this structure as:
“Three tonifying, three regulating.”
(San Bu San Xie)
The principle is not merely to fill deficiency,
but to nourish while simultaneously maintaining circulation and regulation.
What the Formula Structure Reveals
The core feature of Liuwei Dihuang Wan
is the balance between:
- replenishment
- movement
within a single formula.
It restores what has been depleted
while preventing that restoration from becoming stagnation.
In modern terms,
this can be understood not simply as nutritional supplementation,
but as an attempt to restore broader metabolic balance.
There is a structural overlap here
with modern clinical observations in age-related diabetes:
that blood sugar control alone is often insufficient,
and that restoring overall metabolic resilience and vitality
is equally important.
What Comes Next
In the next part,
we will examine how modern research evaluates this formula—
and what those studies may, or may not, be capturing.
References
Bensky D, Clavey S, Stöger E. (2004). Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica. Eastland Press.
Chen JK, Chen TT. (2010). Chinese Medical Herbology and Pharmacology. Art of Medicine Press.
Maciocia G. (2015). The Foundations of Chinese Medicine. Churchill Livingstone.
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