Herbsmith Rx Suo Quan San is a classical Chinese herbal formula recommended by holistic veterinarians to support urinary control and kidney yang in dogs, cats, and horses. Comparable to Suo Quan Wan and Shut the Sluice Powder, it warms the kidneys, dispels cold, reduces urinary frequency, and stops leakage. Well suited for pets and horses presenting with kidney yang deficiency and cold patterns characterized by urinary frequency, dribbling, involuntary urination, or urinary leakage arising from insufficient kidney yang failing to warm and consolidate the bladder, with signs such as frequent urination of pale or clear urine, urinary leakage during sleep or at rest, cold sensitivity, and general signs of kidney yang vacuity. 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.
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What It Supports
- Kidney yang warming and cold dispelling: Warms the kidney yang and dispels cold from the lower burner, addressing the kidney yang deficiency that is the root cause of the bladder's failure to consolidate and control urination, restoring the warming and steaming function of the kidney yang that is needed for the bladder to retain and release urine in a controlled manner.
- Urinary frequency reduction: Shuts off excessive urinary frequency arising from cold and yang deficiency in the lower burner, addressing the pattern where the bladder loses its ability to hold urine for normal periods due to insufficient yang warmth to consolidate the gate of the bladder, resulting in frequent, urgent, or involuntary urination of clear or pale urine.
- Urinary leakage and dribbling support: Stops urinary leakage and dribbling by restoring the kidney yang's consolidating function and the bladder's ability to maintain urinary control, addressing the involuntary urination, nighttime leakage, and dribbling that arise when kidney yang deficiency and cold allow the bladder gate to remain insufficiently consolidated.
- Lower burner consolidation: Consolidates the lower burner and supports the kidney's grasping and consolidating functions, addressing the general pattern of lower burner insufficiency and cold where the kidney yang is too weak to properly warm and govern the bladder's storing and releasing functions.
TCVM Principles
- Primary action: Warms the kidney yang and consolidates the lower burner using Yi Zhi Ren as the principal herb, directly warming kidney yang, astringing the essence, and consolidating the bladder's controlling function to address the root cause of urinary frequency and leakage.
- Secondary action: Warms and moves qi in the lower burner with Wu Yao to dispel cold and relieve the cold-qi stagnation that accompanies the yang deficiency pattern, and tonifies the spleen and kidney with Shan Yao to support the consolidating and transforming functions of the middle and lower burners, completing the three-herb formula's approach to warming, moving, and consolidating the lower burner simultaneously.
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: Yi Zhi Ren (Fructus Alpiniae Oxyphyllae), Wu Yao (Radix Linderae Strychnifoliae), Shan Yao (Radix Dioscoreae Oppositae)
Inactive Ingredient: Flaxseed
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Active Ingredient TCVM Actions
Suo Quan San is a three-herb formula that addresses kidney yang deficiency with cold in the lower burner through a tightly focused combination of a yang-warming astringent, a qi-moving cold disperser, and a spleen-kidney tonic, restoring the bladder's consolidating function from three complementary angles:
- Yi Zhi Ren (Fructus Alpiniae Oxyphyllae) - Alpinia Fruit / Black Cardamom Fruit: Principal herb; warms the kidney yang, warms the spleen, astrings the essence, reduces urination, and stops urinary leakage; the primary urinary consolidating herb of the formula, directly warming the kidney yang and astringing the lower burner to restore the bladder's ability to hold urine, addressing both the cold root and the leakage manifestation of the kidney yang deficiency pattern simultaneously.
- Wu Yao (Radix Linderae Strychnifoliae) - Lindera Root: Warms the kidney, disperses cold, promotes the movement of qi, and relieves stagnation in the lower burner; addresses the cold-qi stagnation that accompanies the kidney yang deficiency pattern and drives the urgency and frequency component of the presentation, warming the lower burner and moving qi to restore the bladder's normal consolidating and releasing rhythm alongside Yi Zhi Ren's astringent and yang-warming action.
- Shan Yao (Radix Dioscoreae Oppositae) - Chinese Yam Root: Tonifies the spleen and lung qi, nourishes the kidney yin and essence, and consolidates the essence; provides the tonic foundation that supports the formula's yang-warming and cold-dispersing herbs, tonifying the spleen and kidney to ensure the middle and lower burners have the qi and essence needed to respond to the warming and consolidating treatment, and preventing the drying action of the yang-warming herbs from depleting the yin and essence.
Potential Drug Interactions
Suo Quan San is a warming and consolidating formula with a relatively focused herb profile; Yi Zhi Ren, Wu Yao, and Shan Yao do not have the same level of known drug interactions as blood-moving or strongly diuretic formulas. However, pets and horses on medications for urinary conditions, including pharmaceutical anticholinergics, urinary sphincter medications, or hormone-based urinary control therapies, should use this formula under veterinary supervision to avoid overlapping or counteracting effects on urinary function, and herb-drug interaction research in dogs, cats, and horses remains limited.
Medication categories warranting extra caution include urinary anticholinergic medications, alpha-adrenergic medications for urinary sphincter tone, hormone therapies for urinary incontinence, and any medications where changes in urinary output or frequency could affect therapeutic monitoring. Your authorizing veterinarian can determine appropriateness based on your animal's condition, current medications, and laboratory results.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What conditions is Suo Quan San used for in TCVM?
In Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, Suo Quan San is indicated for kidney yang deficiency and cold in the lower burner, presenting as urinary frequency, dribbling, involuntary urination, or urinary leakage of clear or pale urine, cold sensitivity, and general signs of kidney yang vacuity. Comparable to Suo Quan Wan and Shut the Sluice Powder, it is one of the foundational TCVM formulas for addressing the pattern of insufficient kidney yang failing to warm and consolidate the bladder, and is appropriate for dogs, cats, and horses whose urinary signs reflect a cold and deficiency pattern rather than a heat or excess pattern.
How is Suo Quan San 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.
How long does it take to see results with Suo Quan San?
Many dogs, cats, and horses show improvement in urinary frequency and leakage within 2 to 4 weeks of consistent use as the kidney yang is warmed and the bladder's consolidating function is restored. The underlying kidney yang deficiency pattern that drives the urinary signs is a chronic deficiency condition, and a longer course of treatment of 8 to 12 weeks or more is typically needed to address the root deficiency and maintain the improvement in urinary control. Your veterinarian may recommend periodic reassessment to evaluate the pattern's response and adjust the treatment plan as the kidney yang is gradually restored.
How does Suo Quan San differ from other urinary support formulas in TCVM?
Suo Quan San is specifically indicated for the cold and kidney yang deficiency pattern of urinary frequency and leakage, where the urine is clear or pale, and the signs worsen in cold conditions or with rest. It is not appropriate for urinary frequency or leakage arising from damp-heat, bladder infection, or yin deficiency patterns, where warming herbs would be contraindicated or ineffective. Your authorizing veterinarian will determine which urinary support formula best matches your animal's full TCVM pattern diagnosis based on the character of the urine, the presenting signs, and the underlying constitution.