abstracted & translated by

Bob Flaws, L.Ac., FNAAOM (USA), FRCHM (UK)

Keywords: Chinese medicine, Chinese herbal medicine, urology, benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), Shen Qi Tang (Kidney Qi Decoction)

On page 24 of issue #4, 2005 of Shan Xi Zhong Yi (Shanxi Chinese Medicine), Men Jing-xuan and Qi Fang-zhen published an article titled, “The Treatment of 50 Patients with Prostatic Hyperplasia with Shen Qi Tang Jia Wei (Kidney Qi Decoction with Added Flavors).” A summary of this article is presented below.

Cohort description:

All 50 men in this study were seen as out-patients at the authors’ respective hospitals in Shanxi. Seven of these men were 50-60 years old, 12 were 61-70, 26 were 71-80, and five were 81 years old or older. In 22 cases, the disease duration was less than one year, in 21 cases it was 1-2 years, and in two cases it was more than two years. Benign prostatic hypertrophy was confirmed in all these patients by ultrasound.

Treatment method:

Shen Qi Tang Jia Wei (Kidney Qi Decoction with Added Flavors) consisted of:
Shu Di (cooked Radix Rehmanniae), 25g
Shan Zhu Yu (Fructus Corni)
Shan Yao (Radix Dioscoreae)
Dan Pi (Cortex Moutan)
Fu Ling (Poria)
Ze Xie (Rhizoma Alismatis)
Huang Bai (Cortex Phellodendri)
Zhi Mu (Rhizoma Anemarrhenae)
Tao Ren (Semen Persicae), 10g each
Zhi Fu Zi (Radix Lateralis Praeparatus Aconiti Carmichaeli)
San Leng (Rhizoma Sparganii)
E Zhu (Rhizoma Curcumae)
Ban Xia (Rhizoma Pinelliae)
Bai Jie Zi (Semen Sinapis Albae), 15g each
Rou Gui (Cortex Cinnamomi), 6g
Dan Shen (Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae)
Xia Ku Cao (Spica Prunellae)
Hai Zao (Sargassum), 30g each

If there was accompanying qi vacuity, Huang Qi (Radix Astragali) was added.

If there was yellow-red urine with burning heat and piercing pain of the urethra, Qu Mai (Herba Dianthi), Bian Xu (Herba Polygoni Avicularis), and Bai Hua She She Cao (Herba Hedyotis Diffuse) were added.

If there was constipation, Da Huang (Radix Et Rhizoma Rhei) was added.

One packet of the above medicinals was decocted in water and administered per day, with 20 days equaling one course of treatment.

Study outcomes:

Marked effect was defined as freely flowing and smooth urination like normal with no recurrence on follow-up after one year or more. Improvement was defined as improvement in signs and symptoms but free flow and smoothness of urination still lacking. Based on these criteria, 41 patients were judged to have gotten a marked effect, eight cases improved, and one case got no effect, for a total effectiveness rate of 98%. The shortest course of treatment was six days and the longest was 35 days, with the average being 20 days.

Discussion:

According to the Chinese authors, BPH corresponds to the traditional Chinese disease category of dribbling urinary block. They base their treatment protocol on the sayings of Old Doctor Zhang Qi:

This disease is commonly seen in the elderly, and it is closely related to the peculiar physiologic characteristics that the kidney qi is vacuous and weak in old men and evil qi easily causes blockage and stagnation... Therefore, it should be treated by the methods of boosting the kidneys and quickening the blood.

Within the above formula, the ingredients of Shen Qi Tang supplement the life-gate fire, invigorate the bladder’s qi transformation, and free the flow and disinhibit the water passageways. The ingredients of Zi Shen Tong Guan Tang (Enrich the Kidneys & Free the Flow of th Bar Decoction) clear lower burner damp heat. San Leng, E Zhu, Tao Ren, and Dan Shen quicken the blood and transform stasis, while Xia Ku Cao, Hai Zao, Ban Xia, and Bai Jie Zi transform phlegm, soften the hard, and scatter binding or nodulation. When all these medicinals are used together, their effect is to supplement and boost the kidney qi, clear and disinhibit damp heat, quicken the blood and transform stasis, transform phlegm and scatter nodulation.

Copyright © Blue Poppy Press, 2006. All rights reserved.

For more information on the Chinese medical treatment of benign prostatic hypertrophy, see Bob Flaws and Philippe Sionneau’s The Treatment of Modern Western Medical Diseases with Chinese Medicine available from Blue Poppy Press.