WH Acupuncture & Herbs Centre

This medicinal is the dried ripe fruit of Alpinia oxyphylla Miq.(fam.Zingiberaceae). It is excavated between spring and autumn when the fruit turns reddish from green and dried by sunlight. Baked with sand and taken out of the seeds, it is used unprocessed or slightly stir-baked with salty water. when used, it is pound into pieces.

[ Medicinal Properties ]:  Pungent, warm; relate to kidney and spleen meridians.

[ Medicinal Efficacies ]: Warm kidney to secure essence and reduce urination; warm spleen to check diarrhea and salivation.

[ Clinical Applications ]: Spermatorrhea, enuresis and frequent urination    To treat nocturnal emission, it is used in combination with Wuyao and Shanyao. In combination with the same dose of Yizhi and Wuyao; in the Suoquan Pills, it is ground into powder and processed into pills in mixture with Shanyao paste, to treat frequent urination due to deficiency-cold in lower energizer.

2. Deficiency-cold of spleen and stomach, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea and salivation     To treat abdominal pain with cold sensation, vomiting and diarrhea, it is used in combination with Chuanwu and Ganjiang. For deficiency-cold of middle qi with anorexia and salivation, it is held in the mouth without swallowing by itself or used in combination with Renshen, Baizhu and Fuling.

[ Usage and Dosage ]: 3-10g.

[ Medicinal Comparisons ]: Similarities : Both Buguzhi and Yizhi have similar action of warming and invigorating kidney yang, securing  essence and reducing enuresis, warming spleen to check diarrhea and are indicated for deficiency of kidney yang with spermatorrhea, enuresis and frequent urination, deficiency of spleen-kidney yang with diarrhea. They are often used in combination to create mutual reinforcement.

Differences: Buguzhi is stronger in invigorating yang, mainly acts on the kidney. It usually treats pain in knees and lumbus with cold sensation, impotence, which is due to declination of fire of life-gate. It also has the function of tonifying kidney yang and improving qi reception to relieve dyspnea and treats dyspnea due to the failure of kidney to receive qi. Yizhi mainly acts on the spleen and is more effective to warm the spleen and stomach to check salivation. It usually treats deficiency-cold of middle qi with anorexia, infantile salivation and abdominal pain with cold sensation.

益智仁为姜科植物益智Alpinia oxyphylla Miq．的成熟果实。主产于广东﹑广西、云南、福建等地。夏、秋季间果实由绿转红时采收，晒干。砂炒后去壳取仁，生用或盐水微炒用。用时捣碎。