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Herbsmith Rx Ba Wei Di Huang San is a classical Chinese herbal formula recommended by holistic veterinarians to tonify yin, nourish blood, augment qi, and address excessive or labored breathing from kidney and lung yin vacuity with qi insufficiency in dogs, cats, and horses. Also known as Eight Ingredient Formula with Rehmannia and Rehmannia Eight Formula, Ba Wei Di Huang San is built on the Liu Wei Di Huang San foundation (the classical six-herb kidney yin tonic comprising Shu Di Huang, Shan Zhu Yu, Shan Yao, Ze Xie, Mu Dan Pi, and Fu Ling) augmented with two additional herbs: Wu Wei Zi to astringe the lung, bind the essence, and address the respiratory component of the yin vacuity pattern, and Zhi Huang Qi to tonify the qi and strengthen the lung and spleen qi that supports the kidney's astringent function. This combination makes Ba Wei Di Huang San particularly well suited for the kidney and lung yin vacuity pattern with deficiency panting, where insufficient kidney yin fails to anchor the lung qi and insufficient lung and spleen qi fails to govern the respiration, resulting in the characteristic labored, shallow, or excessive breathing that arises from constitutional yin and qi insufficiency rather than from exterior pathogen invasion or interior excess accumulation. Well suited for dogs, cats, and horses presenting with the kidney-lung yin vacuity pattern with deficiency breathing signs, characterized by labored, shallow, or panting respiration from deficiency; a red or pale-red tongue with little or no coating reflecting yin vacuity; low back weakness or hindquarter weakness reflecting kidney vacuity; and a thin or thin-rapid pulse. Available as a concentrated powder mixed into food; dogs and cats 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 yin and essence nourishment through Shu Di Huang as the chief herb: Nourishes the kidney yin and essence, tonifies the blood, and provides the foundational kidney yin replenishment that drives the formula's ability to address the root yin vacuity through Shu Di Huang (prepared rehmannia root, Radix Rehmanniae Glutinosae Conquitae). Shu Di Huang's sweet, slightly warm nature enters the liver and kidney channels to tonify kidney yin and essence from the deep constitutional level, replenishing the root yin that fails to anchor lung qi and generate the blood needed to nourish the whole body. As the formula's chief herb, Shu Di Huang provides the primary kidney yin-nourishing action of the Liu Wei Di Huang San base, addressing the central pathology of the kidney yin vacuity pattern. Rich and cloying nature; warrants monitoring in animals with weak digestion, where the rich nourishing herb could impair the middle jiao function.
- Liver and kidney yin astringing and essence securing through Shan Zhu Yu: Nourishes and astringes the liver and kidney yin, secures the essence, and prevents the leakage of the yin and essence that the kidney yin vacuity is generating through Shan Zhu Yu (cornelian cherry fruit, Fructus Cornus Officinalis). Shan Zhu Yu's sour and slightly warm nature enters the liver and kidney channels to nourish yin along the liver-kidney axis and astringe leaking essence and yin fluids, supporting the kidney's astringent function alongside yin tonification. In the Liu Wei Di Huang San architecture, Shan Zhu Yu is the first of the three tonifying herbs, addressing the liver and kidney yin from the astringing-nourishing direction. Generally well tolerated.
- Spleen qi and kidney yin tonification through Shan Yao: Tonifies the spleen qi and yin, nourishes the kidney, and supports the middle jiao's ability to generate the qi and blood that the formula's yin-nourishing herbs require through Shan Yao (dioscorea root, Radix Dioscoreae Oppositae). Shan Yao's sweet, neutral nature enters the spleen, lung, and kidney channels to tonify spleen and lung qi and nourish kidney yin, addressing the spleen's role in generating the qi and essence the kidney requires. In the Liu Wei Di Huang San architecture, Shan Yao is the second tonifying herb, supporting both the middle jiao and the kidney from the qi-tonifying direction. Generally well tolerated.
- Liver blood heat clearing and yin vacuity heat addressing through Mu Dan Pi: Clears heat from the liver blood, cools the blood, and addresses the vacuity heat that kidney yin insufficiency generates through Mu Dan Pi (moutan root bark, Cortex Moutan Radicis). Mu Dan Pi's bitter, acrid, and slightly cold nature enters the heart, liver, and kidney channels to clear the vacuity heat from the blood level, ensuring the formula's yin-nourishing herbs are not counteracted by the heat that the yin vacuity generates. In the Liu Wei Di Huang San architecture, Mu Dan Pi is the first of the three draining herbs, counterbalancing Shan Zhu Yu's astringing and warming tendency. Mild anticoagulant effects from paeonol content; monitoring warranted in animals on anticoagulant medications.
- Dampness draining and spleen supporting through Fu Ling: Drains dampness, strengthens the spleen, and prevents the formula's rich yin-nourishing herbs from generating dampness accumulation in the middle jiao through Fu Ling (poria, Sclerotium Poriae Cocos). Fu Ling's sweet and neutral nature enters the heart, spleen, and kidney channels to drain the dampness that Shan Yao's tonifying herbs could generate if the spleen is not supported, ensuring the middle jiao remains clear and functional. In the Liu Wei Di Huang San architecture, Fu Ling is the second draining herb, counterbalancing Shan Yao's tonifying and potentially dampening action. Generally well tolerated.
- Kidney and bladder damp-heat draining through Ze Xie: Drains damp-heat from the kidney and bladder, prevents the accumulation of turbid dampness from the rich tonifying herbs, and addresses the kidney's draining function alongside its tonification through Ze Xie (water plantain rhizome, Rhizoma Alismatis Orientalis). Ze Xie's sweet, bland, and cold nature enters the kidney and urinary bladder channels to drain damp-heat and turbidity from the kidney and lower jiao, preventing the enriching and cloying tendency of the formula's heavy yin-nourishing herbs from creating static dampness accumulation. In the Liu Wei Di Huang San architecture, Ze Xie is the third draining herb, counterbalancing Shu Di Huang's rich and tonifying action. Generally well tolerated.
- Lung qi astringing, essence securing, and deficiency breathing addressing through Wu Wei Zi: Astringes the lung qi, stops coughing and excessive breathing from deficiency, secures the essence, and addresses the respiratory component of the kidney-lung yin vacuity pattern through Wu Wei Zi (schisandra fruit, Fructus Schisandrae Chinensis). Wu Wei Zi's sour, warm nature enters the lung, heart, and kidney channels to astringe the lung qi that kidney yin vacuity fails to anchor, securing the lung's astringent function and stopping the deficiency-origin labored or excessive breathing that characterizes the pattern. Wu Wei Zi's addition to the Liu Wei Di Huang San base is what makes Ba Wei Di Huang San specifically appropriate for the deficiency panting pattern, as its lung-astringing and essence-securing action directly addresses the respiratory manifestation of the kidney-lung relationship. Schisandrin content with hepatic CYP enzyme modulation effects; monitoring warranted in animals on hepatically metabolized medications.
- Qi tonification, lung strengthening, and wei qi augmentation through Zhi Huang Qi: Tonifies the qi, strengthens the lung and spleen qi, augments the wei qi, and provides the qi support that enables the formula's yin-nourishing and lung-astringing herbs to address the deficiency panting through Zhi Huang Qi (honey-fried astragalus root, Honey-fried Radix Astragali Membranacei). Zhi Huang Qi's sweet and slightly warm nature enters the spleen and lung channels to tonify the lung qi that is insufficient to govern respiration and the spleen qi that is failing to generate the post-natal qi supporting the kidney. The honey-fried preparation (as opposed to raw Huang Qi) provides stronger tonifying and warming properties, appropriate for the qi vacuity component of this pattern. Adding Zhi Huang Qi to the base formula directly addresses qi insufficiency alongside yin vacuity, making this an eight-herb yin-and-qi tonic with specific respiratory-governing support. Cycloastragenol and astragaloside content with immunomodulatory effects; monitoring warranted in animals on immunosuppressive medications.
TCVM Principles
- Primary action - kidney and lung yin vacuity with deficiency panting and qi insufficiency through the combined strategy of the Liu Wei Di Huang San kidney yin tonification base (Shu Di Huang, Shan Zhu Yu, Shan Yao, Ze Xie, Mu Dan Pi, Fu Ling), lung qi astringing and essence securing (Wu Wei Zi), and qi tonification with lung and spleen strengthening (Zhi Huang Qi): Ba Wei Di Huang San addresses the kidney-lung yin vacuity pattern with deficiency breathing through three simultaneous therapeutic strategies. The Liu Wei Di Huang San base addresses the root kidney yin vacuity through three tonifying herbs (Shu Di Huang nourishing the kidney yin and essence; Shan Zhu Yu astringing the liver-kidney yin; Shan Yao tonifying the spleen and kidney) balanced by three draining herbs (Mu Dan Pi clearing the liver-blood vacuity heat; Fu Ling draining the middle jiao dampness; Ze Xie draining the kidney turbid damp). Wu Wei Zi addresses the respiratory manifestation directly by astringing the lung qi that the kidney yin vacuity fails to anchor, stopping deficiency panting through the lung-astringent route. Zhi Huang Qi augments qi and strengthens the lung and spleen qi that govern respiration and generate post-natal essence. Treatment Principles: nourish the kidney yin, tonify the qi, astringe the lung, secure the essence, and address deficiency panting from kidney-lung yin vacuity with qi insufficiency.
- Secondary action - pattern differentiation from kidney yang vacuity with cold signs and panting (requiring yang tonification with Fu Zi and Gui Zhi as in Jin Gui Shen Qi Wan rather than the pure yin-nourishing strategy), lung qi vacuity from spleen qi insufficiency (requiring middle jiao tonification without the kidney yin-nourishing strategy), and exterior wind-cold or wind-heat coughing (where the astringing herbs would trap the pathogen): Ba Wei Di Huang San is indicated specifically for the kidney and lung yin vacuity pattern with deficiency panting, not for kidney yang vacuity panting (cold signs, pale tongue, deep-slow pulse - requiring yang tonification as in Jin Gui Shen Qi Wan), pure lung qi vacuity from spleen insufficiency (middle jiao signs predominating, no kidney vacuity signs - requiring different tonification strategies), or exterior pathogen-origin respiratory signs (where Wu Wei Zi's astringing action would trap the exterior pathogen and worsen the condition). The red or pale-red tongue with little or no coating and the thin, rapid pulse are the differentiating signs confirming the yin vacuity origin of the deficiency panting. Your authorizing veterinarian will confirm the kidney-lung yin vacuity pattern through tongue and pulse examination and comprehensive clinical assessment.
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): 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. Most horses will readily accept the herbs in their grain.
Ingredients
Active Ingredients: Shan Zhu Yu (Fructus Cornus Officinalis), Shan Yao (Radix Dioscoreae Oppositae), Mu Dan Pi (Cortex Moutan Radicis), Fu Ling (Sclerotium Poriae Cocos), Shu Di Huang (Radix Rehmanniae Glutinosae Conquitae), Ze Xie (Rhizoma Alismatis Orientalis), Wu Wei Zi (Fructus Schisandrae Chinensis), Zhi Huang Qi (Honey-fried Radix Astragali Membranacei)
Inactive Ingredient: Flaxseed
VETERINARY AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED: Submit Your Authorization Request or Request a TCVM Telemedicine Consultation
Active Ingredient TCVM Actions
Ba Wei Di Huang San is an eight-herb formula combining the Liu Wei Di Huang San kidney yin tonification base (three tonifying herbs balanced by three draining herbs) with Wu Wei Zi for lung qi astringing and Zhi Huang Qi for qi tonification, creating a comprehensive kidney-lung yin and qi tonic for deficiency panting:
- Shu Di Huang (Radix Rehmanniae Glutinosae Conquitae) - Prepared Rehmannia Root: Chief herb; nourishes the kidney yin and essence and tonifies the blood from the constitutional level. Rich and cloying; monitoring warranted in animals with weak digestion.
- Shan Zhu Yu (Fructus Cornus Officinalis) - Cornelian Cherry Fruit / Asiatic Dogwood Fruit: Nourishes and astringes the liver-kidney yin and secures the essence; first tonifying herb of the Liu Wei Di Huang San base. Generally well tolerated.
- Shan Yao (Radix Dioscoreae Oppositae) - Dioscorea Root / Chinese Yam: Tonifies the spleen and kidney qi and yin; second tonifying herb, supporting the middle jiao's ability to generate qi and essence. Generally well tolerated.
- Mu Dan Pi (Cortex Moutan Radicis) - Moutan Root Bark / Tree Peony Root Bark: Clears liver-blood vacuity heat; counterbalances Shan Zhu Yu's warming and astringing tendency. Paeonol anticoagulant effects; monitoring warranted with anticoagulant medications.
- Fu Ling (Sclerotium Poriae Cocos) - Poria / Hoelen: Drains dampness and strengthens the spleen; prevents the rich yin-nourishing herbs from generating middle jiao dampness. Generally well tolerated.
- Ze Xie (Rhizoma Alismatis Orientalis) - Water Plantain Rhizome / Alisma: Drains damp-heat and turbidity from the kidney and bladder; counterbalances Shu Di Huang's rich cloying tendency. Generally well tolerated.
- Wu Wei Zi (Fructus Schisandrae Chinensis) - Schisandra Fruit / Five Flavor Fruit: Astringes the lung qi and secures the essence; directly addresses the deficiency panting by restoring the lung's astringent function through the kidney-lung relationship. Schisandrin CYP enzyme modulation; monitoring warranted with hepatically metabolized medications.
- Zhi Huang Qi (Honey-fried Radix Astragali Membranacei) - Honey-fried Astragalus Root: Tonifies the qi and strengthens the lung and spleen qi; provides the qi support governing respiration and generating the post-natal essence. Honey-fried preparation provides stronger tonifying and warming action than raw Huang Qi. Immunomodulatory effects from cycloastragenol and astragaloside; monitoring warranted with immunosuppressive medications.
Potential Drug Interactions
Ba Wei Di Huang San has a moderate drug interaction profile centered on three herbs. The primary concern is Wu Wei Zi's schisandrin content, which modulates hepatic CYP3A4 and CYP2C9 enzyme activity and can affect the metabolism of a wide range of hepatically metabolized medications; animals on cyclosporine, tacrolimus, chemotherapy agents, anticonvulsants, or other medications significantly metabolized by the liver warrant veterinary review of interaction potential before initiating this formula. The second concern is Zhi Huang Qi's immunomodulatory effects from cycloastragenol and astragaloside content, which warrant monitoring in animals on immunosuppressive medications (cyclosporine, corticosteroids, azathioprine) where Huang Qi's immune-augmenting action could counteract the immunosuppressive strategy. The third concern is Mu Dan Pi's paeonol content, which has mild anticoagulant effects and warrants monitoring in animals on warfarin, heparin, aspirin, clopidogrel, or other anticoagulant or antiplatelet medications. Shu Di Huang's rich, cloying nature can impair middle jiao function and potentially affect the absorption of oral medications in animals with weak digestion.
Medication categories warranting extra caution: hepatically metabolized medications subject to CYP3A4 and CYP2C9 interaction (Wu Wei Zi schisandrin - primary concern), immunosuppressive medications (Zhi Huang Qi immunomodulatory effects), anticoagulant and antiplatelet medications (Mu Dan Pi paeonol effects), and oral medications requiring consistent absorption in animals with weak digestion (Shu Di Huang middle jiao impairment potential). Because deficiency panting in dogs, cats, and horses can have serious underlying causes including cardiac disease, pulmonary disease, and neurological conditions, veterinary diagnosis is essential before attributing the presentation to the kidney-lung yin vacuity pattern. Your authorizing veterinarian will determine appropriateness based on your animal's condition, current medications, tongue quality, pulse character, and clinical assessment of the breathing pattern and constitutional signs.
VETERINARY AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED: Submit Your Authorization Request or Request a TCVM Telemedicine Consultation
Frequently Asked Questions
What conditions is Ba Wei Di Huang San used for in TCVM?
In Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, Ba Wei Di Huang San is indicated for the kidney and lung yin vacuity pattern with deficiency panting and qi insufficiency. The clinical presentation centers on labored, shallow, or excessive breathing that arises from constitutional deficiency rather than exterior pathogen invasion or interior excess; low back weakness or hindquarter weakness reflecting kidney vacuity; a red or pale-red tongue with little or no coating reflecting yin vacuity and dryness; and a thin or thin-rapid pulse. The formula is specifically suited for deficiency-origin breathing difficulty where the kidney's failing astringent function is unable to anchor the lung qi and the lung qi is too weak to govern the respiration, not for breathing difficulty from exterior wind-cold, interior phlegm-heat, or lung phlegm-damp accumulation. Because labored breathing in animals has many possible causes, veterinary diagnosis is essential before attributing the presentation to the kidney-lung yin vacuity pattern.
How is Ba Wei Di Huang San administered to dogs, cats, and horses?
Mix the powder 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. All species receive the formula twice daily, with horses following the standard 20-day twice-daily loading protocol before transitioning to once-daily maintenance dosing. Because Ba Wei Di Huang San contains Wu Wei Zi with potential hepatic CYP enzyme interactions and Zhi Huang Qi with immunomodulatory effects, veterinary review of all current medications is especially important before use, particularly for animals on immunosuppressive drugs, chemotherapy agents, or medications requiring consistent hepatic metabolism. This formula contains Wu Wei Zi, which astringes the lung qi; it is contraindicated in animals with active exterior respiratory patterns (acute onset with exterior signs) where astringing the lung would trap the pathogen.
How long does it take to see results with Ba Wei Di Huang San?
As a formula addressing the deep kidney and lung yin level, Ba Wei Di Huang San requires sustained treatment before significant improvement in the deficiency panting pattern is seen. Early improvement in the most responsive signs (slightly reduced frequency of labored breathing episodes, modest improvement in energy and activity level from the Zhi Huang Qi qi-tonification) may be seen within 3 to 5 weeks as the formula's lung-astringing and qi-tonifying components begin working. More significant improvement in the tongue coating (from absent or minimal toward a thin coating returning) and the pulse quality (from thin-rapid toward less rapid and more substantial) typically requires 6 to 12 weeks as the yin-nourishing herbs rebuild the kidney and lung yin reserves. Addressing the root kidney yin vacuity may require 3 to 6 months of sustained treatment in chronic constitutional deficiency. Your authorizing veterinarian will monitor tongue, pulse, breathing pattern, and constitutional signs throughout.
How does Ba Wei Di Huang San differ from other Rehmannia-based formulas for kidney support?
Ba Wei Di Huang San differs from other Rehmannia-based kidney formulas by combining the Liu Wei Di Huang San base with Wu Wei Zi and Zhi Huang Qi, making it uniquely suited for the kidney-lung yin vacuity pattern with deficiency panting. Liu Wei Di Huang San (the six-herb base) addresses kidney yin vacuity without the lung-astringing or qi-tonifying components and is appropriate for kidney yin vacuity without prominent respiratory signs. Jin Gui Shen Qi Wan adds Fu Zi (prepared aconite) and Gui Zhi (cinnamon twig) to warm the kidney yang, making it suited for kidney yang vacuity patterns with cold signs rather than the yin vacuity with heat signs that Ba Wei Di Huang San addresses. Ba Wei Di Huang San's addition of Wu Wei Zi targets the lung-kidney axis specifically, astringing the lung qi that the kidney yin vacuity is failing to anchor, while Zhi Huang Qi supports the qi governance of respiration from the lung and spleen level. Your authorizing veterinarian will determine which formula best matches your animal's specific tongue, pulse, and clinical presentation.
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