Herbsmith Rx Kang Gu Zhen Sheng Wan is a classical Chinese herbal formula recommended by holistic veterinarians to support kidney and liver health, as well as tendon and joint comfort, in dogs, cats, and horses. Also known as Against Bone Hyperplasia Tablets in its traditional patent form, it tonifies the kidney and liver to address kidney and liver vacuity with tendon and joint soreness and stiffness, nourishing the bones, sinews, and joints from the kidney and liver yin and yang foundation while simultaneously invigorating the blood to address the stasis in the affected joints and tendons. A nine-herb formula combining kidney yang-tonifying herbs, kidney yin and essence-nourishing herbs, bone and sinew-strengthening herbs with specific affinity for the skeletal and connective tissue structures, and blood-invigorating herbs that move the stasis in the affected joints and tendons, Kang Gu Zhen Sheng Wan addresses the kidney and liver vacuity pattern from all angles simultaneously. Well suited for dogs, cats, and horses presenting with kidney and liver vacuity with tendon and joint involvement, characterized by joint stiffness and soreness from kidney and liver deficiency failing to nourish the bones and sinews, hind limb weakness reflecting kidney yang and essence deficiency, a pale tongue with a thin coating reflecting the kidney yin and essence deficiency underlying the pattern, and a deep and weak pulse particularly at the kidney and liver positions. Available as a concentrated powder mixed into food; cats and dogs use the Canine Blend, while horses use the Equine/Horse Blend. Dosing varies by species and body weight, and your authorizing veterinarian will provide specific guidance.
VETERINARY AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED: Submit Your Authorization Request or Request a TCVM Telemedicine Consultation
What It Supports
- Kidney and liver tonification as the root treatment for bone and sinew deficiency: Tonifies the kidney and liver yin, yang, and essence to address the root of the tendon and joint deficiency pattern, restoring the kidney's role as the foundation of bone nourishment and the liver's role as the foundation of sinew nourishment, and supporting the connective tissue and skeletal structures from the constitutional yin-yang foundation rather than through direct symptomatic management of the joint soreness and stiffness at the branch.
- Bone and sinew strength support through targeted kidney-bone and liver-sinew nourishment: Supports bone integrity and sinew strength using herbs with specific affinity for the bones, joints, and sinews (Gou Ji, Gu Sui Bu, Huai Niu Xi), addressing the bone and sinew weakness that arises when kidney and liver vacuity fails to provide the yin essence and yang warmth needed to maintain healthy bones and supple sinews, and providing targeted structural support to the skeletal and connective tissue components most affected by the kidney and liver vacuity pattern.
- Blood invigoration to relieve joint and tendon stasis and soreness: Invigorates the blood and relieves the blood stasis in affected joints and tendons using Ji Xue Teng and Huai Niu Xi, addressing the stagnation-based soreness and stiffness that accumulates when kidney and liver deficiency impairs the normal nourishment and circulation through the joints and sinews, and ensuring the tonic herbs' progressive restoration of the kidney and liver foundation is supported by direct blood-moving action that keeps the channels open as the deficiency pattern is addressed.
- Middle jiao protection to ensure tonic herb absorption throughout the treatment course: Protects the middle jiao and prevents the accumulation of stagnation from sustained heavy tonic herb use by including Lai Fu Zi to move the qi and relieve any food stagnation that the formula's multiple substantial tonic herbs might create in the digestive system during long-term treatment, ensuring that the tonic herbs are effectively absorbed and transported rather than accumulating as middle jiao obstruction that would undermine the constitutional tonification strategy.
TCVM Principles
- Primary action - comprehensive kidney and liver vacuity treatment for bone, sinew, and joint support through the four-group strategy of yang tonification, yin and essence nourishment, structural strengthening, and blood invigoration: Addresses kidney and liver vacuity with tendon and joint involvement through four coordinated herb groups that simultaneously address the root deficiency and the branch structural and circulatory consequences. The kidney yang-tonifying group (Yin Yang Huo, Rou Cong Rong, Gou Ji) warms and tonifies the kidney yang and mingmen fire to restore the yang warmth that the bones, sinews, and joints need for normal function and to address the cold sensitivity and hind limb weakness of the kidney yang deficiency component. The kidney yin and essence-nourishing group (Shu Di Huang, Nu Zhen Zi) nourishes the kidney yin and essence that are the direct material substance of bone nourishment in TCVM, where the kidney governs the bones and the kidney essence is the constitutional substance that maintains bone density and integrity. The bone and sinew-strengthening group (Gou Ji, Gu Sui Bu, Huai Niu Xi) addresses the structural consequences of the kidney and liver vacuity pattern using herbs with specific affinity for the bones, joints, and sinews that strengthen the skeletal and connective tissue structures from the local tissue level alongside the constitutional root treatment. The blood-invigorating group (Ji Xue Teng, Huai Niu Xi) moves blood stasis in the affected joints and tendons to relieve stagnation-based soreness and ensure the channel environment remains open and receptive to the constitutional tonification provided by the formula's tonic herbs over the sustained treatment course. Lai Fu Zi protects the middle jiao from the burden of multiple heavy tonic herbs.
- Secondary action - the kidney governs the bones and liver governs the sinews principle as the TCVM framework underlying the formula's clinical indications: The formula's combined kidney and liver tonification reflects the classical TCVM organology in which the kidney governs the bones (kidney essence is the constitutional substance that nourishes and maintains bone density, integrity, and marrow production) and the liver governs the sinews (liver blood nourishes the tendons, ligaments, and joint capsule structures that connect and stabilize the bones). When kidney and liver vacuity develops, the bones and sinews progressively lose their constitutional nourishment, leading to joint stiffness, bone and joint weakness, tendon tightness and reduced flexibility, and the deep constitutional soreness that characterizes the kidney and liver vacuity pattern in older or constitutionally deficient animals. Treating both the kidney (bone nourishment) and liver (sinew nourishment) simultaneously addresses the full scope of the pattern's structural consequences, which is why Kang Gu Zhen Sheng Wan includes kidney-targeted herbs, liver-blood-nourishing and sinew-strengthening herbs, and direct bone- and joint-strengthening herbs with local tissue affinity.
Available Forms
- Powder - Canine Blend (for dogs and cats): Available in 75 g, 150 g, 500 g, 900 g, and 1200 g sizes; mix into food at the recommended dose for your pet's weight. Cats and dogs both use this blend.
- Powder - Equine/Horse Blend (for horses only): Available in 150 g, 500 g, 900 g, and 1200 g sizes; mix into grain at the recommended dose for your horse.
Suggested Use
For Dogs (Canine Blend Powder):
- Under 30 lbs: ½ tsp twice daily, or as prescribed
- 30-80 lbs: 1 tsp twice daily, or as prescribed
- 80-120 lbs: 1½ tsp twice daily, or as prescribed
- Over 120 lbs: 2 tsp twice daily, or as prescribed
For Cats (Canine Blend Powder): ¼ tsp twice daily, or as prescribed
For Horses (Equine/Horse Blend, 1,000 lb horse): Two tablespoons twice daily for 20 days, then two tablespoons once daily in grain. If the horse initially refuses, start with a small amount mixed into grain and gradually increase until the horse is accustomed to the taste. Most horses will readily accept the herbs in their grain.
Ingredients
Active Ingredients: Shu Di Huang (Radix Rehmanniae Glutinosae Praeparata), Gou Ji (Rhizoma Cibotii Barometz), Yin Yang Huo (Herba Epimedii), Rou Cong Rong (Herba Cistanches Deserticolae), Gu Sui Bu (Rhizoma Drynariae), Ji Xue Teng (Radix et Caulis Jixueteng), Nu Zhen Zi (Fructus Ligustri Lucidi), Lai Fu Zi (Semen Raphani Sativi), Huai Niu Xi (Radix Achyranthis Bidentatae)
Inactive Ingredient: Flaxseed
VETERINARY AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED: Submit Your Authorization Request or Request a TCVM Telemedicine Consultation
Active Ingredient TCVM Actions
Kang Gu Zhen Sheng Wan is a nine-herb formula addressing kidney and liver vacuity with tendon and joint involvement through four coordinated herb groups: kidney yang tonification, kidney yin and essence nourishment, bone and sinew structural strengthening, and blood invigoration, with Lai Fu Zi protecting the middle jiao from tonic burden:
- Shu Di Huang (Radix Rehmanniae Glutinosae Praeparata) - Prepared Rehmannia Root: Nourishes the kidney yin and essence, tonifies the liver blood, and fills the marrow; the principal yin and essence-nourishing herb and the highest-proportion ingredient, providing the foundational kidney yin, essence, and liver blood tonification that is the direct material nourishment for the bones (governed by the kidney) and sinews (governed by the liver), addressing the constitutional deficiency of yin essence that underlies the bone and sinew weakness of the kidney and liver vacuity pattern. The prepared form (shu di huang) has a stronger blood-nourishing and essence-tonifying action and a warmer nature than raw rehmannia, making it appropriate for the combined yin and yang deficiency pattern.
- Gou Ji (Rhizoma Cibotii Barometz) - Chain Fern Rhizome / Cibotium Rhizome: Tonifies the kidney yang, strengthens the back and knees, and expels wind-cold-dampness from the sinews and bones; a dual-function herb that both tonifies the kidney yang (addressing the root deficiency) and directly strengthens the back and knee joints and expels wind-cold-dampness from the musculoskeletal structures (addressing the branch structural and environmental consequences), providing kidney yang tonification with specific affinity for the lumbar spine, hips, and knees that makes it particularly well suited to the kidney vacuity pattern presenting with low back and hind limb weakness and joint stiffness.
- Yin Yang Huo (Herba Epimedii) - Epimedium / Horny Goat Weed: Tonifies the kidney yang and mingmen fire, strengthens the sinews and bones, and expels wind-cold-dampness; the primary kidney yang-tonifying herb with strong yang-warming action that directly warms the mingmen fire and strengthens the bones and sinews from the kidney yang foundation, providing the formula's most powerful kidney yang tonification alongside Rou Cong Rong and Gou Ji to restore the kidney yang warmth that the bones, sinews, and joints need for normal constitutional function.
- Rou Cong Rong (Herba Cistanches Deserticolae) - Cistanche Stem / Broomrape Stem: Tonifies the kidney yang and essence, strengthens the sinews and bones, and moistens the intestines; the kidney yang tonic that combines yang-warming action with moistening and essence-nourishing properties, providing a balanced kidney yang tonification that does not over-dry or over-heat the yin in the way that more acrid-warm yang tonics can, making it appropriate for the combined kidney yin and yang deficiency pattern where the yang must be tonified without further depleting the yin.
- Gu Sui Bu (Rhizoma Drynariae) - Drynaria Rhizome / Basket Fern Rhizome: Tonifies the kidney yang, promotes bone healing, and strengthens the sinews and bones; the herb most specifically targeting bone integrity and structural health within the formula, with a classical reputation for supporting bone healing and consolidation that makes it a central ingredient in formulas addressing the skeletal consequences of kidney yang and essence deficiency. Its kidney yang-tonifying action reinforces the formula's primary yang-warming strategy, while its bone-specific affinity addresses the structural bone and joint component at the local tissue level.
- Ji Xue Teng (Radix et Caulis Jixueteng) - Spatholobus Stem / Millettia Stem: Invigorates the blood, dispels blood stasis, tonifies the blood, and relaxes the sinews; the primary blood-invigorating herb that simultaneously nourishes and moves the blood to address the blood stagnation in the affected joints and tendons, combining blood-tonifying action (addressing any liver blood deficiency component contributing to the sinew weakness) with blood-invigorating action (moving the stasis that has accumulated in the obstructed joints and tendons), and relaxing the sinews to relieve the tendon tightness and reduced flexibility of the liver-sinew deficiency pattern.
- Nu Zhen Zi (Fructus Ligustri Lucidi) - Privet Fruit / Ligustrum Fruit: Nourishes the kidney and liver yin, clears deficiency heat, and strengthens the lower back and knees; the kidney and liver yin-nourishing herb that supports Shu Di Huang's foundational yin and essence tonification with additional liver yin nourishment to address the liver yin component of the pattern, and clears any mild deficiency heat that may arise from the combined yin deficiency and yang tonification of the formula, balancing the formula's predominantly warming character with gentle yin-nourishing cooling action.
- Lai Fu Zi (Semen Raphani Sativi) - Radish Seed / Daikon Seed: Reduces food stagnation, descends qi, and transforms phlegm; the qi-moving and food-stagnation-relieving herb that protects the middle jiao from the accumulated tonic burden of the formula's multiple substantial yin and yang-tonifying herbs, preventing the digestive stagnation that heavy tonic formulas create over sustained use by moving the qi downward through the digestive system and ensuring the tonic herbs are digested, absorbed, and transported effectively rather than accumulating as middle jiao stagnation that would undermine the constitutional tonification strategy.
- Huai Niu Xi (Radix Achyranthis Bidentatae) - Achyranthes Root / Ox-knee Root: Invigorates the blood, expels blood stasis, tonifies the kidney and liver, strengthens the sinews and bones, and conducts the formula's actions downward to the lower limbs and joints; a dual-function herb that both tonifies the kidney and liver (reinforcing the formula's root treatment strategy) and invigorates the blood to move stasis in the lower body joints, with a classical ability to conduct the actions of accompanying herbs downward to the hips, knees, and lower limb joints, making it a valuable directional herb that ensures the formula's tonic and blood-moving actions are effectively delivered to the lower body skeletal and joint structures most affected by the kidney and liver vacuity pattern.
Potential Drug Interactions
Kang Gu Zhen Sheng Wan contains Ji Xue Teng and Huai Niu Xi, which have blood-invigorating and anticoagulant properties that warrant monitoring in animals on warfarin or other anticoagulant or antiplatelet medications. Yin Yang Huo (epimedium) has documented effects on estrogen receptors and may interact with hormonal medications, corticosteroids, and immunosuppressive drugs. Shu Di Huang may affect blood glucose levels and warrants monitoring in animals on antidiabetic medications or insulin. Rou Cong Rong's mild laxative action (from its intestine-moistening property) may interact with medications for constipation or bowel motility. The formula's multiple yang-tonifying herbs (Yin Yang Huo, Rou Cong Rong, Gou Ji, Gu Sui Bu) reflect a warm-natured and tonifying overall character that warrants caution in animals with yin deficiency heat signs (red tongue, dry coat, heat-seeking behavior unrelated to cold sensitivity); the pattern for which the formula is indicated is kidney and liver vacuity presenting with joint and sinew weakness, and animals with active heat or inflammatory signs should have the pattern confirmed by the authorizing veterinarian before use.
Medication categories warranting extra caution include anticoagulant and antiplatelet medications (Ji Xue Teng and Huai Niu Xi's blood-invigorating effects), hormonal medications and corticosteroids (Yin Yang Huo's estrogen receptor activity), antidiabetic medications and insulin (Shu Di Huang's blood glucose effects), and immunosuppressive medications. Your authorizing veterinarian will determine appropriateness based on your animal's condition, current medications, and confirmation of kidney and liver vacuity, along with the tendon and joint involvement pattern, through tongue and pulse assessment.*
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
VETERINARY AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED: Submit Your Authorization Request or Request a TCVM Telemedicine Consultation
Frequently Asked Questions
What conditions is Kang Gu Zhen Sheng Wan used for in TCVM?
In Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, Kang Gu Zhen Sheng Wan is indicated for kidney and liver vacuity with tendon and joint involvement, presenting with joint stiffness and soreness from constitutional kidney and liver deficiency, hind limb weakness and reluctance reflecting kidney yang and essence deficiency failing to nourish the bones and lower limbs, tendon tightness and reduced joint flexibility from liver blood deficiency failing to nourish the sinews, a pale tongue with a thin coating reflecting the yin and essence deficiency, and a deep and weak pulse at the kidney and liver positions. Also known as Against Bone Hyperplasia Tablets in its traditional patent form, it is indicated specifically for the constitutional deficiency pattern where kidney and liver vacuity is the root of the bone and sinew weakness, distinguishing it from bi syndrome formulas (like Juan Bi San) that primarily address external wind-cold-dampness invasion rather than internal constitutional deficiency as the cause of joint and tendon discomfort.
How is Kang Gu Zhen Sheng Wan administered to dogs, cats, and horses?
Mix the powder directly into food or grain at the dose recommended for your animal's species and body weight. Dogs and cats use the Canine Blend; horses use the Equine/Horse Blend. Dogs and cats receive the formula twice daily; horses receive two tablespoons twice daily for the first 20 days, then once daily for maintenance. If the horse initially refuses, start with a small amount mixed into grain and gradually increase until the horse is accustomed to the taste. Most horses will readily accept the herbs in their grain. Your authorizing veterinarian will confirm the appropriate dose and schedule, assess tongue quality and pulse at the kidney and liver positions to confirm the constitutional deficiency diagnosis, and review current medications for potential interactions before beginning the treatment course.
How long does it take to see results with Kang Gu Zhen Sheng Wan?
Because Kang Gu Zhen Sheng Wan addresses a constitutional kidney and liver deficiency pattern at the root level, the timeline for improvement reflects the gradual nature of constitutional tonification. Initial improvement in joint stiffness and mobility is sometimes seen within 4 to 6 weeks as the blood-invigorating herbs (Ji Xue Teng and Huai Niu Xi) begin to clear the stagnation in the affected joints and the yang-warming herbs begin to restore warmth to the lower limbs. Meaningful improvement in hind limb strength, joint flexibility, and the constitutional weakness of the kidney and liver vacuity pattern typically requires 2 to 3 months or more of sustained use as the kidney yin, essence, and yang are progressively restored. Long-term maintenance treatment is often appropriate for older animals with kidney and liver vacuity, with periodic veterinary assessment of tongue quality, pulse depth, hind limb function, and joint mobility throughout the treatment course.
How does Kang Gu Zhen Sheng Wan differ from other TCVM joint formulas?
Kang Gu Zhen Sheng Wan differs from other TCVM joint formulas by focusing on internal constitutional kidney and liver vacuity as the root cause of the bone, sinew, and joint pattern. Compared with Juan Bi San (which addresses external wind-cold-dampness bi syndrome through wind-expelling, cold-dispersing, and blood-invigorating herbs), Kang Gu Zhen Sheng Wan uses predominantly tonic herbs to build kidney yin, essence, and yang from the constitutional foundation rather than expelling external pathogens from the channels. The differential between these two approaches rests on whether the primary pattern is external invasion (cold-damp bi syndrome with joint stiffness worsening in cold weather) versus internal deficiency (kidney and liver vacuity with constitutional bone and sinew weakness), and a combined internal deficiency and external invasion pattern may require a combined treatment approach confirmed by the authorizing veterinarian. Kang Gu Zhen Sheng Wan's inclusion of Lai Fu Zi to protect the middle jiao from tonic burden also reflects its design as a long-term constitutional tonic rather than an acute or short-term formula.