Nature: sweet, acrid, neutral

Enters: Liver, Kidney

Actions: Tonifies kidney Yang; mildly nourishes kidney Yin; controls Jing and urine; improves vision; tonifies spleen Qi to stop diarrhea; calms the fetus.

Indications:
• Kidney Yang deficiency: impotence, frequent urination, tinnitus, copious leukorrhea, weak and sore lumbar region and knees, nocturnal emission without dreams.
• Liver and kidney Yin deficiency: blurry vision, seeing spots, dizziness, tinnitus.
• Habitual or threatened miscarriage.
• Spleen Qi deficiency (with concurrent kidney deficiency): diarrhea or loose stools, poor appetite.
• Do not count on this herb for tonification of spleen Qi – use it when there is also kidney Yang/Qi deficiency.
• Compared to Sha yuan ji li, Tu si zi focuses more on tonification, whereas Sha yuan ji li focuses more on improving the vision.
• Because this herb is a parasite of some agricultural crops, it must usually be sterilized before entry into the United States.
MLT: A tonic specific for low sperm count and inactivity of sperm.
Hsu: Cardiotonic, hypotensive, stimulates the uterus, decreases the size of the spleen, inhibits intestinal activity.

Dose: 9-15g